Sir, - Does anyone really care about voting rights for emigrants? Obviously the Irish Government doesn't. That much was obvious from the recent offer of a vote for the Seanad!
Now D K Henderson finally admits the truth. In drawing an analogy with a Cambodian voting for the return of Pol Pot, he shows that real reason for the resistance to voting rights is fear of how we might cast our ballot. Well, Mr. Henderson, that's what democracy is all about. What truly irritates me, however, is being told that I can't vote because I'm out of touch with the issues. (Come to think of it, when was the last time a polling official asked you if you read a newspaper before giving you a ballot?)
Apart for the perspective that a little distance brings, it's not that hard to keep up with events in Ireland. Any Irish home I go into here had two or three well-read Irish newspapers lying about somewhere, and a working telephone besides. This letter is written on a computer in Chicago and sent by e-mail to The Irish Times, and the same technology can be used to check out The Irish Times, the Belfast Telegraph, and several other Irish newspapers every day. I can also download RTE Radio news bulletins.
So give me a valid reason why I shouldn't have the right to vote. But don't tell me I'm out of touch. - Yours, etc,
Foster Avenue, Chicago IL, US.