Sir, – Mary Lou McDonald was correct in my view to act in the public interest by using Dáil privilege to name politicians who were alleged in a civil servant's report to have been linked to Ansbacher accounts ("McDonald will not retract Ansbacher comments", April 9th).
The Oireachtas Committee on Procedures and Privileges has concluded that she abused her parliamentary privilege. It said her utterances were “in the nature of being defamatory” and she should not have named the politicians. However, the Oireachtas Committee on Procedures and Privileges in this case appears to be acting in the role of politicians policing themselves.
There are still questions to be answered with regard to the manner in which the original civil servant’s report was investigated but it now appears that these questions will not even be asked. Any attempt to restrict the use of Dáil privilege to name individuals, as Mary Lou McDonald has done, will be contrary to the interests of the people, which the politicians are elected to uphold. – Yours, etc,
EDWARD HORGAN,
Castletroy, Limerick.
A chara, – Mary Lou McDonald, acting purely in the public interest and having no other options open to her (as she has made clear on numerous occasions), named certain well-known individuals as having links to the Ansbacher accounts; by way of thanks the Oireachtas Committee on Procedures and Privileges has had the temerity to describe her actions as an abuse of privilege ("Mary Lou McDonald abused Dáil privilege on Ansbacher, says report", April 8th).
The next step that she must take is clear – she must repeat her remarks publicly outside the Dáil. If those she has named fail to take a legal challenge against her, it will be obvious to all how right she was to name them from the safety of the Dáil chamber; and if they should be rash enough to try and take a case against her, a victory would serve the same purpose. The latter route would, unfortunately, involve her in the tedium of a perhaps drawn-out court case; but it would show the world and all how right she was to put such trust in the person who provided her with this information in the first place, someone whom she has described as a reputable whistle-blower.
Even better, Ms McDonald will finally get the praise due to her for having done her country this far from small degree of service. – Is mise,
Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.