Sir, – With respect to Leo Varadkar's proposal that a general election be held in summer 2020, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin's response that "there's a bit of chancing the arm going on here" (News, July 26th) lacks an adequate sense of statesmanship, given the current climate.
An election in the autumn may add an extra unneeded layer of uncertainty to Ireland’s Brexit preparations, particularly in the context of a hung parliament in which negotiations for a new government could drag on in a similar manner to the recent Italian election outcome or, in a nightmare scenario, similarly to the aftermath of the Belgian federal election in 2010. It may prove difficult in that context for a caretaker taoiseach to give definitive pledges during the key endgame phase of Brexit. A “Tallaght strategy” response to Mr Varadkar’s proposal from Fianna Fáil needs to be sustained in this context. – Yours, etc,
Cllr JOHN KENNEDY,
(Fine Gael),
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
County Council,
Marine Road,
Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.