Madam, – The Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan, has said that the issue of Oireachtas expenses has to be put into perspective. Indeed it has.
Billions of people in our world live on the edge of destitution, thousands of children die each day from hunger, and many more die from lack of access to affordable medicines. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The aftermath of the resignation of the Ceann Chomairle has once again brought hope that ritual blood letting will eventually free us from the doubts we have about the integrity of those who occupy the highest political office and positions of influence within semi-state and private companies. Indeed you suggested (Editorial, October 8th) that the public will require further acts of repentance on behalf of members of the house before they could trust them again.
The resignations of Ahern, Molloy and O’Donoghue have come and gone, each a protracted saga in which innocence, according to the rules they themselves have laid down, is protested and the sad reality of Irish political culture is laid bare for all to see. Our commitment to ending such behaviour should not be measured by the outrage we express when it is revealed, but our commitment to integrity at all times. We can only achieve this by bringing ourselves in line with international integrity standards by ratifying the UN charter on corruption, protecting whistleblowers and regulating lobbyists. – Yours, etc,