Sir, – Sinn Féin has been dazzled by an IT genius somewhere. The party is successful because it promotes talent and this problem was somehow inevitable. Data collection is at the fulcrum of business and politics. It is a very attractive facility with very far-reaching applications – and sure “everyone is doing it”.
But some shiny objects only shine for a short while. What is grand altogether today ain’t so grand altogether tomorrow. I predict that privacy will be the central political and constitutional law question in the coming years. And there will be inquiries into practices that were deemed “fierce clever altogether”. Hindsight may well be very unkind to those practices.
The pavement will never go out of fashion in politics. Technology is shiny but will become increasingly problematic as its reach becomes fully appreciated.
Sinn Féin has many excellent TDs. Recent interviews have been toe-curling. It’s time to stop the charades and answer the questions. – Yours, etc,
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MICHAEL DEASY,
Carrigart,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – I see Sinn Féin is storing its voter database in Frankfurt, Germany, the home of Goethe (News, April 22nd). Goethe said, "Kindness is the golden chain by which society is bound together." – Yours, etc,
EUGENE TANNAM,
Firhouse,
Dublin 24.
Sir, – Sinn Féin, on its website, says that it does “not believe that any personal information we are dealing with and to which this privacy notice applies will be transferred to a country outside the EU”.
I think Irish voters would prefer that Sinn Féin confirms this to be the case, rather than just saying it “believes” it to be so. – Yours, etc,
AIDAN COYNE,
Goatstown,
Dublin 14.