Madam, - Only 22 women have been elected to the 30th Dáil, the same number of women as in the previous Dáil. Women's political representation stays at 13 per cent, leaving Ireland behind countries such as Costa Rica or Uzbekistan.
The notable exception is the Labour Party. Thirty-five per cent of Labour's 20 TDs are women, compared with 8 per cent women in FF and 9 per cent in FG. Quite clearly women do better with Labour.
Lack of elected women TDs is disappointing and a cause for concern. There is a danger that issues important to women such as childcare, violence against women or public transport will yet again be sidelined as there are not enough women to influence decisions.
The Labour Party will continue to be influenced and informed by women. Labour's male and female TDs have a proud track record in equality which will ensure that the Labour Party will work to include women.
The Labour Party not only acknowledges that women are under-represented but wants to see all parties being obliged to run more women candidates as being proposed by our election manifesto. Only if the bigger parties start doing better will we see any improvement in women's representation. - Yours, etc,
SINÉAD NÍ CHULACHÁIN, Labour Women Chair, The Labour Party, Dublin 2.
A Chara, - William Watt once said: "Do not put your faith in what statistics say until you have carefully considered what they do not say." Phil Hogan and Enda Kenny should take note ( The Irish Times, May 29th).
The Alliance for Change which these gentlemen put to the electorate, FG and Labour, won 71 seats. Any rationale by which the Greens - who contested the election as an independent party - could be added to this "alliance" now would equally require adding the PDs and the two "gene-pool" independents to the other side, giving a result of 77 to 82, still a clear margin of victory for Fianna Fáil.
The use of the statistic that "60 per cent of people voted against Fianna Fáil" is baffling, as not only did a marginally greater proportion of the population vote for FF this year compared with 2002, when it won the election also, but one could equally suggest that almost 75 per cent voted against FG, if you wanted to be so foolish as to indulge in this sort of infantile propaganda.
Finally, while the gain of 20 seats is impressive indeed, it still leaves Fine Gael three short of its result in 1997, at which point John Bruton graciously conceded defeat and at least departed the stage with some dignity intact. Somebody really should let them know. - Is mise,
DAVID CARROLL, Castle Gate, Dublin 2.
Madam, - Some gems from the world of proportional representation.
Election 2007, Dublin Central: Bertie Ahern 12,734 first preferences, Cyprian Brady 939.
Election 1923 (Carlow-Kilkenny): William T Cosgrave 17,709 first preferences, Sean Gibbons 615.
Election 1923 (Clare): Eamon de Valera 17,762 first preferences, Brian O'Higgins 114
In each case the running mate won a seat, largely on the back of his leader's surplus. Mirabile dictu. - Yours, etc,
T O CONNOR, Churchtown, Dublin 14.
Madam, - Much has been made of the fact that Cyprian Brady was elected despite receiving just 939 first preference votes and being the tenth placed candidate in the constituency of Dublin Central. This is a result which contradicts many of our rules of thumb. It would seem especially galling for Paul Bradford, who failed to get elected despite having nearly 9,000 first preference votes in Cork East.
However any such criticisms fail to understand the nature of an electoral system which is actually quite sophisticated. PR-STV takes into account people's preferences over other candidates as well. So Finian McGrath was the beneficiary of the system because many of those who didn't give him a first preference vote expressed a preference for him over Ivor Callely. Those who voted in droves for Mr Ahern also expressed the preference for Mr Brady over all other candidates.
Does it not seem fair that Fianna Fáil, with almost 45 per cent of the first-preference vote and over two quotas, should get two of the four seats, rather than one going to Pascal Donohue, whose party could manage less than 10 per cent? - Yours, etc,
Dr EOIN O'MALLEY, School of Law and Government, DCU, Dublin 9.
Madam, - Michael McDowell's leaving government is a loss to our country. What an ungrateful electorate we are! I wish him the best. - Yours, etc,
ELIZABETH BERKERY-FARRELL, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.
Madam, - The essential truth about someone like Michael McDowell is that he presents such a colourful and divisive persona that, love him or hate him, you are never inclined to ignore him. The same was said about Margaret Thatcher, someone whose methodology Michael and his colleagues would obviously hold in high esteem, their agenda being manifestly a version of her brand of neo-liberalism.
I dare say both were acutely aware that, in the sublimely ridiculous context of contemporary politics and the associated interpretation and dissemination of the "facts" by the pundits and the broader media, simply to command attention is to forge and maintain a political career. That their policies damaged the fabric of society and the average individual's quality of life, to say nothing of the long-term environmental implications is neatly veneered by the free market orthodoxy that unrestrained growth and consumerism equate with progress.
Of course Mrs Thatcher's flame burned much brighter and longer than Mr McDowell's, though I would contend that this has more to do with the sophistication of the Irish electorate than with any deficit in Michael's ability or dedication as a neo-liberal reformer.
I have noticed how, since his petulant departure from politics last week, Mr McDowell has come in for both criticism and deference from various quarters. I have read several tributes describing him as a "conviction politician". There are certainly a number of politicians who in my view should be convicted, but in this context I take conviction to be a euphemism for Mr McDowell's individualistic brand of elitist prejudice.
Bertie Ahern described him as a "bright politician" but I think that Bertie showed himself the brighter political spark by allowing Michael to blaze his foolhardy trail, bringing an inevitable consequence upon himself, leaving free to push ahead with the same unpopular policies confident of always being able to maintain a distance from their ownership.
The fact that Fianna Fáil now seems to favour a coalition with the two remnants of a party that the electorate unequivocally rejected and a mixed bag of independents, asserting that this represents the best option for stable government, illustrates its arrogance and loss of touch with reality. I would hazard to predict that any such alliance will not last the full term, which may be best for the country. - Yours, etc,
GARY KELEGHAN, Girona, Spain.
Madam, - Many of your post-election correspondents seem very exercised about the Progressive Democrats, so perhaps they might ponder the following.
Every party and media pundit insisted that health was the number one issue and the various Opposition parties focused especially on the Government's hospital co-location plan. Indeed, Pat Rabbitte said he wanted the election to be a referendum on this issue.
Well, what was the outcome? Health Minister Mary Harney held her seat, Fine Gael's Health Spokesman, Liam Twomey, lost his, and a number of other deputies closely associated with health issues also lost their seats - Paudge Connolly (Monaghan Hospital), Dr Jerry Cowley and James Breen.
Furthermore, an opinion poll in your paper last week also showed majority public support for the proposal which, by the way, is a Fianna Fáil-PD initiative to fast-track the provision of public beds. - Yours etc.
EMER HIGGINS, Brittas, Co Dublin.
Madam, - Enda Kenny claims that 71 seats for the "Alliance for Change" as opposed to 80 for Fianna Fáil and the PDs means that the outgoing Government has lost and that there is a mood for change. With this level of numeracy, isn't it a good thing that he won't be in charge of the economy? - Yours, etc,
NIAMH MULDOON, Tullyallen, Drogheda, Co Louth.
Madam, - What a mean-spirited, unfunny cartoon on the front page of Tuesday's edition, showing Bertie Ahern holding "twin" amounts of money. Your cartoonist does not seem to understand the difference between satire and cynicism. Poor show. - Yours, etc,
PADRAIG RYAN, Kilmolan, Rathkeale, Co Limerick.
Madam, - Breakfast-roll man must be celebrating with an extra large sausage and rashers on the side. May he always have the deep, deep peace of the private hospital bed rather than the hurly-burly of the A&E trolley. Will he ever spare a thought for PD person who is now toast? - Yours, etc,
PATRICK O'BYRNE, Shandon Crescent, Dublin 7.
Madam, - Fintan O'Toole (Opinion, May 29th) argues that coalition with Fianna Fáil is Labour's best prospect for the future. Perhaps, but is coalition with Labour Fianna Fáil's best prospect? I doubt if many Fianna Fáil TDs would think so after their experiences with Dick Spring in 1994.
In my opinion, the best prospect for political stability over the next five years would be a Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael coalition, perhaps with Enda Kenny as Tánaiste and Minister for Health. In terms of fundamental values and outlook very little separates the two parties. This is not the case with Labour and Fianna Fáil, where the gap between them has widened since Labour absorbed or was absorbed by Democratic Left.
On the other hand, both Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would gain from a grand coalition and so, indeed, would the country. Fianna Fáil would have a stable and reliable partner, freeing it from the need to cut deals with special interests and extremes, and Fine Gael would gain valuable experience of government.
If the DUP and Sinn Féin can make a deal in Northern Ireland why not Bertie Ahern and Enda Kenny in the Republic? Why not finally bury civil war politics and move on? - Yours, etc,
ED KELLY, Szeged, Hungary.