Madam, - I was dismayed to hear Ms Fiona O'Malley, TD, on radio this week threatening to work either harder or longer to earn her embarrassingly generous benchmarking award. Through your pages, could I appeal earnestly to the PDs not to follow this line? Over the past six years enough damage has been done to Ireland's society, to its political culture and now even to its public finances while the PDs were sleepwalking as Fianna Fáil's conscience. I am horrified if I try to imagine what might happen to the country if they were to intensify their efforts in any way.
Let them just carry on as before and at the next election the electorate will certainly disembarrass them of any unearned remuneration. - Yours, etc.,
HUGO BRADY BROWN, Stratford on Slaney, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - So Fine Gael is opposed to the payment of the remainder of the benchmarking pay awards? This is the same party that, before the last election, suggested the Government should recompense anyone who had lost money by investing in Eircom shares. Giving money away is OK but paying public service workers a decent wage appears to be unacceptable to Mr Kenny and his party. - Yours, etc.,
DAVID O'SHEA, Merrion Strand, Sandymount, Dublin 4.