Madam, - I am a member of the Communications Workers' Union and on October 22nd our members took part in a march through Killarney to the Gleneagle hotel where Fianna Fáil were holding their annual ardfheis. The purpose of the march was to highlight the non-payment to our members of our cost of living increase under Sustaining Progress by An Post, a company in which the Government is the main shareholder.
We are the only public sector body in the country that has not been granted this payment by its employer.
When we reached the vicinity of the Gleneagle Hotel, we were corralled like cattle into a grassy verge, at some distance from the hotel, by members of the Garda Síochána, no doubt so their party would not be spoilt, while the delegates and their fellow party colleagues guzzled champagne.
I would like to know by what authority does Bertie Ahern as the leader of a political party have the right to order members of the Garda Síochána to prevent members of my union from staging a peaceful demonstration outside a hotel where a political party where holding their annual agm?
As far as I am concerned his party are no more entitled to use the gardaí to provide security for their annual ardfheiseanna than a group of OAPs are entitled to Garda security for their weekly bingo hall meeting.
What monumental arrogance on behalf of Bertie Ahern and his party. It is a deliberate waste of taxpayers' money and a scandalous abuse of power and an arrogation of privilege which Fianna Fáil have no right to. Surely a democracy is brought under attack where a political party who happen to be in government misuse and abuse their power in the above manner. - Yours, etc,
JOHN DILL, Ballyvolane, Cork.