Sir, – Perhaps it is fate that David Norris ends his political career as he began it, a hounded outsider. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – There will be celebrations in the fortresses of conservatism tonight with the withdrawal of Senator Norris from the race to the Park. Where there was once colour and vitality, now we will be given the choice of safe, dull, soulless candidates who have not, and never will, put a foot wrong.
I don’t know if Mr Norris would have made a “good” President, but he would certainly have made an interesting one. The electorate is being deprived of the opportunity to have its say, and whoever does get the office will always have the “what if?” hanging over their election. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – In the rush to condemn David Norris for his incredibly insensitive use of his privileged position to plead on behalf of his then partner, is it not now time that the Department of Justice released its records of every single contact it has received, in whatever format, from an elected representative to intervene in favour of someone going through a legal process?
I find it very hard to believe that in the long careers of all the current Government TDs, and those candidates for President with a political background, any of them would come out well from an examination of their past mistakes under the spotlight directed at Mr Norris.
Also, doesn’t it yet again show that it is time that regulations were changed so that, when an elected representative is asked to “help” someone facing a legal process, they are all required to reply “I would if I could but I can’t” or, failing that, such approaches they do make are made public before that legal process is completed? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole is quite wrong (Opinion Analysis, August 2nd). Moral consistency requires not that David Norris “be treated exactly like any other politician caught doing the same thing”, but rather as any other politician should be treated. There is something quite inconsistent in advocating a “New Republic” while also suggesting that an Independent should be allowed “get away with it” simply because Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour have done so in the past. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The Irish electorate, and not political elites or gatekeepers, should have decided Senator Norris’s electoral fate at the ballot box. He should have been facilitated by the Oireachtas to remain in the race, enabling the electorate to adjudicate on his deficits alongside his outstanding human rights record.
Ultimately, the entire process has revealed the flawed aspects of Irish democracy. For highlighting this democratic deficit alone, Mr Norris deserves our thanks. – Yours, etc,