Taoiseach's socialism

Madam, - The Taoiseach's claim to be a socialist seems not to have given rise to much serious examination of what exactly he …

Madam, - The Taoiseach's claim to be a socialist seems not to have given rise to much serious examination of what exactly he might mean. Any encyclopaedia or dictionary would tell us that socialism is the ownership by government of the means of production, distribution and exchange. Clearly Mr Ahern does not advocate that.

In looking for an answer I came across the following quotation from George Orwell's Road To Wigan Pier: "To the ordinary working man, the sort you would meet in any pub on a Saturday night, socialism does not mean much more than better wages and shorter hours and nobody bossing you about". I think two messages are clear: Bertie sees himself as one of the last of the ordinary working men in Ireland, and the PDs should watch out. - Yours, etc.,

JAMES KELLY, Belgrove Lawn, Chapelizod, Dublin 20.

Madam, - Continuing M. Magill's theme (November 20th), surely the saddest joke of all is that Gerry Adams et al. are allowed to call themselves "republicans". - Yours, etc.,

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Cllr DERMOT LACEY, Beech Hill Drive, Dublin 4.