Madam, - Can there be anybody in the country who is still taken in by Bertie Ahern's image as the man in the street, with no interest in money or material comforts, so carefully nurtured by his multitude of spin doctors, image consultants, speech writers, etc?
If the revelations from the Mahon tribunal haven't woken people up to the reality of the man, surely, his shameful acceptance, and subsequent justification of, a €40,000 a year increase in his salary, will. - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN ATKINSON, River Valley, Swords, Co Dublin.
Madam, - It was very interesting to read in last Friday's edition of your newspaper about the Government's concern that Dáil colleagues should be fully compensated for any deficiencies in their pensions, even to the extent of €75,000 in some cases. The Minister for Finance was reported as stating that extending such concern to individuals outside the hallowed confines of Leinster House would be too costly.
In the Dáil back on June 26th, 1985, the present Taoiseach made an emotional plea on behalf of workers in the State-owned Irish Shipping Ltd to the Fine Gael/Labour Coalition. As quoted in the minutes of that debate, Mr Ahern said in relation to those workers' pensions - that it was the "responsibility of the State to ensure that those pensions were paid".
Mr Ahern has been reminded of that statement since he has been Taoiseach and knows full well that those workers lost 75 per cent of their pension entitlements and the many widows of those workers are even worse off. However, he refuses to give even those widows the "dig out" with which he is so familiar. €75,000 would go a long way towards such a "dig out". Even a miserly €38,000 would help! - Yours, etc,
JOHN HIGGINS, Hazelbrook Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W.
Madam, - I wonder if it would ever occur to Mr B. Ahern that it would be appropriate for him to donate his latest "windfall" to the Susie Long Memorial Trust. - Yours, etc,
SALLY O'DONOVAN, Howth, Co Dublin.