Sir, - All right, maybe it's because I haven't lived in Ireland for the last six years I do not sense the deep sense of resentment amongst Irish voters of being "cheated" of their opportunity to have a one party government. I may be wrong, but isn't satisfaction with the present Irish administration at a very high level?
Mr. Waters sounds like one of those Fianna Fail officials from the 1980s who used to rant on and on about strong Government. What is so wrong about compromise in Government? By achieving consensus aren't more of the voters views being expressed rather than less? Single party administrations do not imply that the wheels of Government will run more smoothly (would Mr. Waters care to swop Mr Bruton and his cabinet for Jack Lynch and his crew of 1977?). Nor is there something inherently "honourable" about such administrations, the rule of the morally bankrupt Conservative party of the U.K. being a case in point.
Politics is a messy, nasty business. There are no hard and fast rules. A proportional representation voting system which works well in one country will be disastrous in another. However, contrary to what Mr. Waters would think, democracies actually do work quite well. We get the governments we ask for (or at least deserve). If the Irish voter is unhappy with coalition, then that feeling will express itself. - Yours etc.,
Silver Street University of Cambridge Cambridge CB3 9EW