Sir, - Should we dispense with parliamentary sittings? In a typical scene from Dail Eireann, a deputy arrives in the chamber with a pre-cooked script and, with head bowed in deep concentration, reads the text to an (almost) empty House. The deputy might as well remain in his or her constituency and despatch the views by electronic mail. Tempting, perhaps, but the electorate did not vote for an incorporeal assembly. They want to see their representatives participating meaningfully in the proceedings of the House. Could we persuade deputies to restore the dignity and essence of parliament?
Scrap the scripts, drop the set pieces and let us have spontaneous and vigorous debates. - Yours,etc., T. O'Connor,
Churchtown, Dublin 14.