Sir, - It is ironic that the dismissal of the European Commission was brought about substantially by a rejection of cronyism and jobs for the boys and girls. It is apparent that in the Ireland of today the general public, flooded by the abuses reflected in payments to politicians, brown paper bags, planning applications, telephone tapping, taping of conversations with political colleagues ad infinitum, are immune to the latest abuse - namely the disgraceful appointment to one of Europe's most lucrative positions of a person unqualified as required by article 188B Section 2 of the Maastricht Treaty.
Were it the court of medical practitioners, of architects, of engineers, or any other profession, one would expect from the professional body involved an expression of public anger. The obvious qualified appointee should have been the Government's primary auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General.
None of the parties in the Dail has uttered a whisper of disapproval, as they hope at some future date, as they did in the past, to make a similar appointment of a non-qualified political supporter. One would have expected better of the PDs, who should revisit their original charter. - Yours, etc.,
Donal P. Flinn, Past President, Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, Orwell Park, Rathgar, Dublin 6.