Sir, – I watch aghast the media coverage of the upcoming byelection in my home constituency of Meath East.
The constant use of the “they” source has led to the immediate diagnosis of a “two-horse race” between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. Again and again, I read that “they say”, “it is said”, or “it is believed” to be a run-out between two horses of the same stable. To date, no one has provided information on who “they” are and why they believe that. Yet,”they” continue to receive the full respect of those who are keeping us informed on our politics.
How can this be? Recent election results show the combined vote for both of these parties failed to equate to even half of the total electorate.
We are in an era of global and local social and economic unrest and politics is evolving everywhere but Ireland. Sir, I respectfully refer you to the Irish Times media campaign on "The Story of Why" and for all that is good, I humbly ask all media outlets to let us know who "they" are, and, more importantly, "why" they want a two-horse race. – Yours, etc,
CHRIS MURPHY,
Santry Avenue,
Dublin 9.