Sir, – My point in highlighting the misuse of the political label of "Independent" by the media and Irish people in general was to point out that there is no such available option on the ballot paper (December 24th).
Although I do not want to see large numbers of so-called Independents in the Dáil, their automatic regulation to the category of “non-party” candidates on the ballot paper is surely confusing and politically mischievous.
As your columnist Colm Keena pointed out ("Why Ireland needs positive party politics to tackle challenges of globalisation", December 31st), we desperately need party politics in Ireland today and apart from the undesirability of having large number of Independents in the next Dáil, it would be equally disturbing to encourage a non-party/party division at a time when we need more rather than less coherence in Irish politics.
While I share Tom Neville's bafflement (January 2nd) at the growing popularity of Independents in Irish political life, we cannot expect new party politics to emerge if we ourselves continue to maintain our old self-centred social, cultural and political habits.
That much quoted observation that to change the world you must first change yourself certainly applies to Irish people today. Is it too much to hope that we will see the emergence of new politics in Ireland during 2015? – Yours, etc,
Dr VINCENT KENNY,
Knocklyon, Dublin 16.