Madam, - You chide the Coalition Government today (4th June) for attempting to show its performance since the last election in a positive light. You predict that "voters will not be persuaded by further grandiose claims that have little relevance to the experience of expensive day-to-day living", and you tell us that we the electorate would prefer the economic bad news, which is likely to be true, rather than hear more Government spin and gloss.
I think you are dangerously close to emulating every politician's standard ploy of flattering the electorate with blather about our much-vaunted intelligence and perspicacity.
In fact, as Fianna Fail knows only too well, we love being flattered and cajoled, we love the idea of Utopia being just around the corner, and we rush lemming-like to the polls election after election to vote them back in.
And what is our alternative government? A potentially effective two-party opposition coalition who unfortunately won't talk to each other at the first sniff of an election, a few green headbangers, a few greener provos, and a gaggle of local-agenda independents.
And you, Madam, want us to stamp our little feet and wag an admonishing finger at our Government lest they should take us for complete fools.
Now, what could possibly give them that idea? Yours, etc.,
RODNEY DEVITT, Tritonville Road, Sandymount, Dublin 4.
Madam, - Mark Brennock's insightful article in today's edition confirms the lengths to which the current Government is prepared to go to stiffle criticism. Others include the truncation of the time spent by the Taoiseach in the Dail and the regime's fetish for parliamentary holidays at every available opportunity.
In the circumstances, may I suggest you dispense with the free publicity provided to Ministers in the form of photographs and exculpatory letters which appear on an almost daily basis in your newspaper.
The reporting of the Special Olympics would be greatly enhanced by a boycott of Cabinet members' photgraphs. - Yours, etc.,
J A CAMPBELL, Cowper Village, Dublin.
Madam, - Activity should never be mistaken for accomplishment. Activities of 80 pages defending the indefensible hardly rate as "a lot done".Maybe our leaders now believe their own spin.
Promises of activity are still being made, maybe even believed. Results achieved by actions - would be nice to list those.
Would be lovely to have 80 pages of accomplishments achieved. - Yours, etc.,
KEVIN TREACY, Lower South Knock, New Ross, Co Wexford.