Sir, – History will show that Fianna Fáil has written the political blueprint for how to run with the hare while hunting with the hounds. – Yours, etc,
JOHN EGAN,
Carlow.
Sir, – Enda Kenny got what he wanted and made the history he ardently desired. However, how will history portray his methods and the high price he paid? Surely a hollow victory! – Yours, etc,
MARGARET BUTLER,
Booterstown.
Co Dublin.
Sir, – So the “new politics” is an extra €5 billion being whisked out of thin air, Independents trying to funnel resources into their own constituencies, climate-change deniers making the country an international laughing stock, and the “left” continuing to posture over paying €60 a year (after the grant) for drinking water piped to the house? – Yours, etc,
GARETH SMYTH,
Louisburgh,
Co Mayo.
Sir, – It seems that the agreement between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil will again inflict rule by an arrogant mediocrity on the rest of us.
Over the past decade and a half, these people have repeatedly demonstrated their inability to use imagination in dealing with the challenges that face us. Both daring and imagination will be required to reduce our debt repayments to a level that will allow us to invest in our health system, in our education, in our communications, etc.
The danger is that they will slink back into the predictability that their intellectual silos provide, when instead courage will be needed to balance the rights and the responsibilities of the ownership of property by individuals.
Despite my misgivings, I wish the new Government good fortune. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK GRANT,
Phibsborough,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – Having been returned to power with 26 fewer seats, Fine Gael now finds itself with more Cabinet posts in this new administration than it did in the last one. A rum state of affairs.
Of course, none of this would have come about without an altruistic Fianna Fáil putting the “national interest” ahead of party interest by “facilitating” the formation of a Fine Gael-led minority government – a patriotic and magnanimous political gesture that will go down a treat with the Fianna Fáil grassroots and with the party’s front-benchers with ministerial ambitions. Let’s hope the electorate rewards it handsomely for its selflessness at the next general election. – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
Sir, — I read with interest the Taoiseach’s sweeping statement that “no party or goup has any mandate to instruct, force, direct or coerce anybody to do anything they do not want to do” on the basis of February’s election result (“No party has mandate to coerce, says Kenny”, May 7th).
I am not sure that Mr Kenny understands the implications of these remarks. If the commission on Irish Water opts to continue with charges after a nine-month suspension, for instance, can we just ignore it on foot of these comments from the Taoiseach?
In the meantime, I assume I will not be “coerced” into paying the water bills that have been piling up in my letterbox since charging was introduced.
Perhaps I will stop paying my motor tax and my television licence fee. Or my income tax in general. Any takers? – Yours, etc,
SEÁN Ó DEORÁIN,
Baile Átha Cliath 22.
Sir,– How fitting, that as the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death is celebrated worldwide, his comedy Much Ado About Nothing opened on May 6th at the Dáil theatre here in Dublin, for what some theatrical pundits believe will be a limited run. It is understood that producer Enda Kenny made every effort to open on May 3rd, the exact date of Shakespeare's final curtain, but unfortunately ran into some difficulties in the hiring of extras, thereby missing the deadline by three days. There is some speculation that Mr Kenny's next production is likely to be The Tempest. – Yours, etc,
GEAROID KILGALLEN,
Dún Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.