Sir, - The recent Cork South-Central by-election has amply illustrated that it is now time for Fine Gael and Fianna Fail to unite and become one party. The campaign was fought by the two major parties on the basis of personality and image alone. At no stage was there any serious debate on issues of policy.
This phenomenon is also becoming increasingly obvious at national level where the major point of differentiation between the two parties, their approach to the Northern Ireland issue, has been lost with their coming together on a common strategy in support of the Good Friday Agreement. Politics characterised by the dominance of two parties with no major points of differentiation develops into personality wars which serve nobody.
If members of Fine Gael and Fianna Fail are in politics to serve the people (and not just themselves), they should unite to offer the people a strong and united centre-right option. Then Irish politics might develop into a proper polar system with a right and left-wing choice, and the Greens as a potential third pole. Only then will Messrs Bruton, Ahern et al. be offering us a real choice, and not just the politics of personality. - Yours, etc., Shane O'Driscoll,
Limetrees Road East, Maryborough, Douglas, Cork.