DAVID WALSH,
Sir, - "'When I use a word', Humpty Dumpty said in a rather scornful tone, 'it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.'" (Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass, 1872).
"In construing a provision of any Act that is obscure or ambiguous, or which on a literal interpretation would be absurd or would fail to reflect the plain intention of . . .the Oireachtas. . . the literal interpretation may be departed from and preference given to an interpretation based on the plain intention of the Oireachtas. . ." (Interpretation Bill 2000 - soon to become law.)
It's good to know where the inspiration for far-reaching legislation comes from - though the precision and clarity of the original seems to have been lost. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID WALSH, Seabury Close, Malahide, Co Dublin.