Sir, - The recent by-election in Dublin brought to mind my years of canvassing for a political party, in the days when (a) I was idealistic in such matters, and (b) citizens did largely cast their ballot. Calling at doors was mainly a tedious and unremarkable experience, with all the obvious responses.
However, I do recall a strange reaction from a very respectable lady, whom I was exhorting to vote in a certain fashion. I painted a dedicated picture of how, as a result, her quality of life would prosper on every level: economic, security, social and environmental, even metaphysical perhaps. She listened intently to my dutiful request, paused, then replied in a sort of tired, apologetic tone. "Oh, I don't think so," she said, "I'm not in the mood." - Yours, etc., Oliver McGrane,
Marley Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.