Madam, - The Taoiseach, Mr Bertie Ahern, when defending the Government's performance in the Dáil is a dab hand at answering "yes" and "no" to the same question without seeing any incongruity.
Consequently, opposition TDs become exasperated by his evasiveness, deliberate or otherwise. This lends to raised eyebrows, head-scratching and bewilderment as they try to make sense of his convoluted use of the English language.
Watching his performance over the years I have come to the conclusion that he has a Master's Degree in "Baffle Waffle". It is a very demanding course from which the Taoiseach seems to have graduated summa cum laude.
But how do his Coalition partners feel about this? Recent polls show they have good reason to worry and this could lead eventually to a rupture in the relationship. Or, in other words, Ahernia! - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN M. REDMOND, Hazelbrook Road, Terenure, Dublin 6w.