A chara, - The continuing feud between Labour leader Pat Rabitte and former TD Declan Bree features on your pages again (The Irish Times, October 8th).
It is surely strange for the leader of a political party to writes a letter to the editor of a newspaper attacking a party colleague in advance of a party disciplinary hearing. In legal terms, it could be viewed as attempting to prejudice a case.
Apart from that, it raises serious questions about the levels of freedom of expression permitted in the Labour Party. As a local public representative, I have occasionally been at odds with the leadership of my party and even expressed my dissent on these pages. Yet neither Bertie Ahern nor any Government Minister has ever sought to stifle my views. Respect for difference of opinion is crucial in any political party. - Is mise,
Cllr MALCOLM BYRNE, (Fianna Fáil), The Chase, Gorey, Co Wexford.