Sir, The Beef Tribunal and its most unsatisfactory outcome ended with the principals involved going scot free. This fact has been reawakened for us by the latest announcement that Mr Goodman and his deputy chief executive are to be handsomely rewarded for their labours and time spent attending a tribunal, primarily established to investigate their business activities.
One cannot help but questions the wisdom and justice applied by the chairman of the beef tribunal, Mr Justice Hamilton, in coming to his decision to award legal costs to the defendants. What are we, the taxpaying public, to make of this decision, which of course was made without reference to be who pays the piper?
Pay up, and say nothing! Coming hot on the heels of the recent Bord na Mona scandal, it is proving very hard to swallow. I believe that the time has now come for those of us forced to pay this piper to stand up and shout: "Enough is enough."
Some effective watchdog body is necessary if we are to stop this State's descent into an abyss practised by a privileged minority at the expense of the long suffering, law abiding, silent majority. We cannot leave the protection of our society, and the values we cherish, to those with the power to distort and ignore them, namely our politicians and lawyers. - Yours etc
Holywell,
Upper Kilmacud Road,
Dublin 14.