Sir, – I was not sure if it was possible for Fintan O’Toole to sink to a new low, but he appears to have succeeded (“‘Kenny’s dead words fail to convince”, Opinion, December 11th). Was it vital for Mr O’Toole to transcribe verbatim what the Taoiseach said in his Budget-night speech? There are very few speeches or talks made that would stand up to such scrutiny – surely it is the content that counts as opposed to delivery, a point I thought Fintan O’Toole would appreciate more than most.
Perhaps he prefers the silver- tonged eloquence of Mr Martin – a hero in government during the profligate spending? O’Toole’s words quite simply constitute a personal attack on the Taoiseach of our country – he might not have respect for the man but he should respect the office. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole stated “we pay this man €200,000 a year, plus a €3.2 million pension pot” (“Kenny’s dead words fail to convince”, Opinion, December 11th), a statement which is manifestly untrue.
The Taoiseach’s pension, like all public service pensions, is paid for as it arises, from tax revenue. Such pensions are not built up over time from investments made with pension contributions, therefore there is no “pension pot”, of €3.2 million or any other amount. – Yours, etc,