Madam, - Since the recent passing of Conor Cruise O'Brien it has scarcely been possible to read a piece on his life without seeing references to "GUBU". With the reproduction in this newspaper of the article in which the acronym was coined, and letter-writers flailing about to find a clever contemporary use for the phrase, this has now reached the point of silliness.
It seems that a massively long career comprising academic, journalistic, diplomatic and political elements now boils down, in the minds of many, to one phrase that doesn't merit mention even in the man's own memoirs. What this shows is that one word in the popular media is worth a thousand on another platform, a reality that is quite worrying when you consider some of the people who have easy access to such a forum.
Even more disquieting is the message this sends out to political spin-doctors - that despite the media glare being brighter than ever in political circles, it is remarkable how easily the scrap of a pithy phrase thrown on the periphery can still so easily distract the hounds from the real meat. - Yours etc.
MARTIN RYAN,
Blanchardstown,
Dublin 15.