Madam, – I could barely contain myself upon reading the report of Brian Cowen’s speech to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce (Home News, February 6th). He called for people to look beyond our self-interest so as not to fail the next generation. This Fianna Fáil Government has already failed the next generation with its health and education cutbacks.
There was no looking beyond self-interest when the Government and its cronies were off at football matches, concerts, top-notch hotel trips abroad or driving their luxury top-spec cars, all paid for by the mortgage-bound, salary-slashed and stealth-taxed middle- income PAYE worker.
Had Mr Cowen followed his own advice, there is a good chance we would be in a much better place than we are.
The men and women of 1916 did not give us the chance to be the country that we are, as he believes: they gave us the chance to be better than this.
Unfortunately, narrow government self-interest has sullied that sacrifice and Mr Cowen’s invocation of it is an insult to their memory. If the electorate has any sense, it will ensure this Government is not around in 2016. – Yours, etc,