Sir, - As the opinion polls seem to indicate that the electorate is about to endorse the performance of the outgoing Government and award it a further five years, I offer a reminder of some of the actions of the past five years:1. The McNab and Sinnott cases, where the full panoply of government power was used against disabled children and their families.
2. The promise of a referendum on Partnership for Peace which somehow got sidelined.
3. The widening of the gap between haves and have-nots during a period of unparalleled prosperity.
4. The fact that only towards the end of a five-period in office has there been a sudden realisation that we need a comprehensive health strategy. Just what was being done since 1997? Also on the matter of health, there was the unedifying spectacle of the Government choosing to take on the nurses to emphasise their commitment to pay restraint. Meanwhile Mr McCreevy cuts Capital Gains and other taxes for the benefit of his (and the PDs') better-off chums.
This leaves out, for reasons of space, Burke, Lawlor, Sheedy, Ellis, Foley, O'Flaherty, Eircom, the Bertie Bowl, etc.
Is this litany what we are to endorse on Friday? - Yours, etc.,
RORY BAILEY,
Cowper Downs,
Dublin 6.
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Sir, - While sitting idly in the Dublin commuter traffic we can find time for some study of the prolific display of election posters hanging from every lamp-post. I am reminded of the worlds of Lord Byron:
"And Ireland's Capital had
gathered then
Her Beauty and her Chivalry,
and bright
The Lamps shone o'er fair
women and brave men."
A comparison between the party leaders' posters is interesting. Bertie is wearing a light-blue shirt with one side of his face in shadow. Michael, in a shirt of much deeper blue, is emerging from a shadow, and Ruairi, in a pensive pose, is wondering, perhaps, which of the blue shirts might come a-courting after the election.
All of the candidates are presented very well, whether they have jackets on or off, wear their hair long or short, or whether they smile or not. But one single quality seems to beam out from every poster - sincerity.
Surely this is a great tribute to the excellent retouching skills of some talented graphic artists. - Yours, etc.,
HUGH CARROLL,
Whitestown Road,
Rush,
Co Dublin.
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Sir, - Access to the countryside, particularly to upland areas, beauty spots, beaches and national monuments, is being increasingly restricted by landowners. Keep Ireland Open has made this an election issue by sending a questionnaire to the political parties.
The returned questionnaires indicate that support for mandatory listing of rights of way by local authorities has the support of Fine Gael, Labour, the PDs and the Greens.
The initiation of discussions with other stakeholders to allow a freedom to roam over rough grazing land was supported by Labour, PDs and the Greens.
A revision of the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme to reduce the need for upland fencing was supported by the Green Party. A thumbs-down on all three issues was the response from Fianna Fáil.
KIO is particularly pleased with the commitment in the Labour Party manifesto to legislate for a freedom to roam over upland areas. The Green Party has also supported us on this issue.
We appeal to readers who are concerned about this denial of access to make their votes count in the election. - Yours, etc.,
ROGER GARLAND,
Chairman,
Keep Ireland Open,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.
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Sir, - Sunday, March 3rd 2002: A letter from the Irish Hierarchy reminds me of my moral responsibility regarding the abortion referendum.
Sunday, May 5th: Not even a whisper (as usual) regarding my equal moral responsibility towards electing a government.
I hope members of the Church of Ireland appreciate Rev Gordon Linney. - Yours, etc.,
M.W.GALLAGHER,
Josephine Avenue,
North Circular Road,
Dublin 7.
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Sir, - With regard to the forthcoming election, the following statements should be borne in mind: "If the Government has retained your confidence, vote for it. One cause only I would ask to rule out - the cowardly, irresponsible course of abstaining from voting. The responsibility of freedom and self-government are not the responsibility of a few, they are the responsibility of every citizen of the State."
Kevin O'Higgins made these points almost 80 years ago. His unwavering adherence to democratic politics cost him his life, as he was shot by members of the IRA on his way to Sunday Mass on July 10th, 1927.
Let us hope that all those who are eligible to vote will be equally unwavering in upholding democracy by voting vote on Friday. In so doing, we also honour the courage of O'Higgins and others of his generation in securing for us the right democratically to elect those who govern us. - Yours, etc.,
FRANK BOUCHIER-HAYES,
Gortboy,
Co Limerick.
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Sir, - I am the father of a four-year-old girl with Down Syndrome. I am painfully aware of the limitations of our medical, therapeutic and educational systems for children with special needs.
To assist me in deciding who to vote for, I wrote to all the political parties enclosing a simple questionnaire requesting responses on issues such as access to speech and language therapists, rights-based education and other matters of concern.
Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, the Progressive Democrats and Sinn Féin did not give me the courtesy of a response. If I had written issuing invitations to the opening ceremony of the Special Olympics, would the response have been so spartan? - Yours, etc.,
ANTHONY CASEY,
Hannaville Park,
Terenure,
Dublin 6w.
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Sir , - The outgoing Government has managed to reduce crime at my house - recorded crime, that is. I moved to Ranelagh in 1996 and reported all my burglaries for the first three years - six in all. Since I decided that there was no point reporting them any more, I have had another six.
Congratulations, Mr O Donoghue, on reducing reported burglaries of my house. - Yours, etc.,
LARRY DOYLE,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
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Sir, - Senator Therese Ridge is "exceedingly perturbed" by an article written by your reporter Paul Cullen (May 13th ). I am exceedingly perturbed by an action of hers, for which she is unrepentant and unapologetic.
In February this year I applied for planning permission for an extension to my home. A couple of weeks later I received a letter in the post from a planning official, acknowledging receipt of a representation made on my behalf by Senator Therese Ridge.
This representation was made without consulting me. It was unwarranted, unwanted, unnecessary and most certainly unsolicited. As far as I'm concerned it is an interference in the due process of the planning procedure.
I was angry and upset. I concluded that this was an election tactic on the part of Senator Ridge and I took the opportunity to confront her about her actions when she called to my home while out and about on her canvass last week.
She saw this unsolicited interference as her duty and stated that she would continue to "represent her constituents" in this way.
I remain "exceedingly perturbed". - Yours, etc.,
BRIDÍN O CONNOR,
Meadowview Grove,
Hillcrest,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
PS: My planning application was refused.