Sir, – Do politicians ever learn from experience?
Every run-up to elections is crammed with promises from the incumbent government to right the wrongs that it has either ignored or mishandled during its tenure.
Funds are found from mystery sources, which heretofore were unavailable, to fund unrealistic promises.
New inventive ideas are produced and rolled out at high-profile events where candidates jostle to be seen standing tight-lipped behind their fearless leader.
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After the dust settles and victors celebrate, we will return to the same old same old with the country being really controlled by the civil servants who are never subject to election and never held to account.
If incumbents are re-elected the election promises will conveniently evaporate, and if a new lot get in they will claim that promises have to go on the long finger because they did not know the financial situation was so bad.
One certainty is that we will inherit an increased number of indestructible plastic cable ties on our lampposts. – Yours, etc,
B MURPHY,
Dublin 6W.