Madam, - I participated in the observation of several elections in post-Communist countries. One of the sins we were told to look for was the "abuse of administrative resources", which means the improper use by the ruling party of the state apparatus for electoral advantage.
Governments have powerful tools at their disposal, including thousands of personnel, state-owned media and wide discretion over public funds. But these assets belong to the state, not to the party elected to run the state. It is characteristic of elites which are too accustomed to being in power to forget this distinction.
This Government's "decentralisation" plan is an abuse of administrative resources by the ruling party. The policy, which seems to have been designed to support Fianna Fáil TDs in strategically important constituencies, is being implemented even though it contradicts existing policy on spatial strategy and is demonstrably reducing the quality of service that the Civil Service provides.
As your Editorial of December 14th points out, there is no reason why all public servants should live in Dublin. Some administrative personnel could be located wherever there is a broadband connection. But moving officials whose business it is to collaborate with colleagues from other departments is madness. If the Government were serious about locating professional jobs outside Dublin it would devolve real power to local and regional levels instead of dispersing central government around the country.
But your Editorial ends incoherently by describing as "progress" the fact that 60 per cent of the Government's targets for decentralisation could be met by 2010. The only progressive policy would be immediately to halt decentralisation. The Government should use the cover of the forthcoming OECD review on the efficiency of the Irish public service to retreat from its pointless hobbling of one of our most important public institutions.
- Yours, etc,
THOMAS LEGGE, Waterloo Lane, Dublin 4.