Madam, - It appears that our politicians are gearing up for an exceptionally long election campaign.
With the election still two years away they have already begun to take pot-shots at each other and attempt to be the first to set the agenda. Both sides have spoken about childcare but, as everyone knows, the side perceived to be less likely to mismanage the economy will scrape into power.
While it would be nice if we were in a position to make a more positive choice, this has not been possible for a very long time. We have become very ambivalent about our politicians. We expect them to be incompetent, yet we become angry when they let us down. We are like surly teenagers, forever in dispute with authority yet unwilling or unready to take on the responsibilities of adulthood.
There has always been a danger that the powerless will become childlike, prone to looking to others for leadership or for someone to blame. It is, however, an unforgivable trait in the citizens of a democracy. We vote, and then we complain that those we voted for are guilty of being ordinary; or worse, we don't vote at all.
It won't matter a great deal who ends up in government after the next election. They are, for the most part, ordinary people, with above-average memories for names and above-average levels of arrogance.
What does matter are the decades of apathy and ignorance that have allowed these elected bureaucrats to accumulate power and prestige well above their abilities or worth. - Yours, etc,
PAUL BOWLER, Lixnaw, Co Kerry.