Madam, – The irony of TDs who are making a contribution to charity in lieu of sending Christmas cards to constituents, and informing them by letter of their magnanimity, must surely be an indication of their guilt at voting for the latest Budget.
One could be utterly cynical and think that this is a way of protecting their Dáil seat in future elections, but all we can do is hope that their contribution would amount to their annual pension as TDs in previous Dáils, where applicable, and that they give their PPSN numbers so that the receiving charities could claim tax back to maximise the value of the offering – that is, if those pensions are indeed taxable. – Yours, etc,