Sir, TV. Radio. Newspapers. Telephone poles. My letter box! As the election campaign approaches its climax there seems to be no way of escaping the bombardment of slogans and pictures.
Don't get me wrong. I am very interested in politics and strongly feel it is as much the duty of the parties to put across their messages as it is for the voting public to study them. But do they have to use so much paper to do so? Think of all those trees. Think of our beautiful landscapes spoiled by poster after poster.
Last week I saw John Bruton's head blowing across a field in Meath. A few nights later, as I walked down North Frederick Street, I stepped unwittingly on Dick Spring's head. It was all getting to be too much. I was just considering building a bunker to shelter myself from all this election fallout when some friends suggested a trip to Connemara for the bank holiday weekend. Just what the doctor ordered. But, alas, those familiar faces were popping their ever so poised heads from every available hedge and pole there too.
On Sunday we took a day trip to Inishere. What a beautiful place the Aran Islands are: the sun was shining, the sea looked positively Caribbean, the scenery was spectacular. Perhaps what set off the beauty of the island, even more than the weather, was the fact that there were no election posters whatsoever. We walked around the island for the entire day dazzled by their absence.
I don't know who is responsible for protecting Inishere from this visual pollution - the islanders themselves, I suspect - but my most hearty congratulations to them. - Yours, etc.,
North Frederick Street,
Dublin 1.