Madam, - I enjoyed Fintan O'Toole's article on the new Taoiseach but am surprised that he regards it as puzzling that Brian Cowen's beliefs are almost opaque ( Weekend Review, May 10th).
Does Mr O'Toole know any leader of the modern world whose beliefs are anything more than a scriptwriter's words that change from audience to audience? Blair as the New Labour (socialist) leader who was far to the right of Thatcher; Bush always banging on about freedom and democracy while making America more repressed and undemocratic than it has ever been; Bertie Ahern always drinking his pint of something common and pleasing to his voters while being unable to account for close to a million euro that passed through his hands while he was a government minister.
The absurd system which we have allowed to be pressed upon us makes it impossible to rise to the top of any major political party and retain any beliefs at all, except infinitely adaptable ones that will get you and the party elected. That is the reason why Senator Ron Paul, probably the most decent politician in the US and a presidential candidate, is liked, admired and praised all over the internet but is rarely ever heard of in the mass media. He actually stands for a decent America (a stable currency, no unnecessary foreign wars, genuine democracy, etc) and puts beliefs on the various websites dedicated to him for all to see. This presents two problems. Firstly, none of the various large corporations that run politics and the media in the US want anybody like that, so they will accord him no publicity. Secondly, any politician that actually states easily intelligible beliefs will be shot down very quickly by those same money-laden vested interests. Blandness and opacity are political virtues today. It's hard to argue against nothing at all. - Yours, etc,
RICHARD D. BARTON,
Kevin Street,
Tinahely,
Co Wicklow.