Sir, – I refer you to your editorial onf September 18th. The Dáil does not need to ratify the Brexit deal when or if it is finally negotiated, as your editorial writer seems to believe. It will, however, have to be ratified by parliament in Westminster and then accepted by the European Parliament.
The same editorial made snide reference to Fianna Fáil only being interested in in claiming “ownership of any spending increases particularly any that apply to pensioners”.
This says infinitely more about the editorial direction of The Irish Times and its willingness to reprint current Government spin as fact than it does about my party's participation in the last two budgets under the confidence and supply arrangement.
It is because of our involvement in the last two budgets that they were independently assessed as progressive, in contrast to those produced under the Fine Gael/Labour government.
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In these days of “fake news” and increasing pressure on traditional media models, truth in the news is more important than ever. It is particularly disappointing when this great newspaper prefers instead to repeat tired and demonstrably untrue clichés as insight. – Yours, etc,
BILLY KELLEHER TD,
Fianna Fáil,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2.