Utter fiasco has exposed Leo’s lack of competence
THE entire Frances Fitzgerald saga has been a fiasco for Fine Gael.
As soon as it emerged that she had caused the Taoiseach to mislead the Dáil, she should have stepped down, end of story.
Instead, we had to put up with all this nonsense about what a fine woman she is and what a fine record she has. Great, but if you screw up in politics, you go.
Most aggravating was to hear Simon Coveney on RTÉ on Monday night arguing that the whole matter needed to be left in the hands of a tribunal to decide.
What utter nonsense! It’s the Dáil that must hold a government to account, not some unelected judge.
Leo Varadkar has lost all credibility by allowing this fiasco to unfold. He should have asked Ms Fitzgerald to step aside at the very outset, and if she refused he should have fired her.
Up to now, we had been given the impression that Leo was all about spin rather than substance. Now it turns out he’s rubbish at spin as well.
ANNA O’BRIEN, Dublin 8.
Trump triumphant
REGARDLESS of Time Magazine’s petulant behaviour, another example of the media taking itself way too seriously, President Trump can truly be described as the Man of the Year.
For starters, during the US election campaign, virtually the entire media pack acted as cheerleaders for the vile Hillary Clinton. I’m not a journalist, yet merely by asking a few friends in the US their honest opinion, the consensus was that it was going to be a very close vote.
Thankfully, President Trump prevailed.
In a relatively short time he has managed to significantly improve the economy, and undo some of the heavy-handed social engineering imposed by the dictatorial Obama regime.
For example, Obama’s attempt to enforce an abortion regime on organisations ethically opposed to abortion has been reversed.
Also, vice-president Mike Pence has declared that US foreign aid will be channelled primarily through religious-run institutions and not corrupt and inefficient UN-based quangos.
Trump’s standing up to the North Korean regime is also long overdue, after years of Democrat and Republican spoofing, which merely emboldened the Pyongyang regime. In the space of a year, his achievements are considerable. Well done, President Trump.
ERIC CONWAY, Navan, Co. Meath.
Ming’s insults
I READ that Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan insulted a Fine Gael MEP’s assistant calling her a puppy when she was sent to a meeting to stand in for the MEP she assists (Mail, yesterday).
He defended his remarks by saying it was part of a turn of phrase and he had said: ‘You don’t send a puppy to win the greyhound derby.’
I presume he’s in Brussels to win the donkey derby for us. Eaw, eaw, eaways talks nonsense. MARTIN STRINGER, Barnacogue, Co. Mayo.
Meaning of Christmas
THE Christmas TV commercials never consider that some people might prefer not to be incessantly jollied along.
Having experienced Christmas shortly after bereavement and redundancy, I appreciate the effect of piped music and hackneyed imagery on anyone who is not in a merry mood.
There is enough uncertainty and concern about world issues to make the ‘peace’ and ‘thinking of you’ messages on Christmas cards only too relevant this year.
The persistent use of ‘Xmas’ in advertising emphasises the need to put Jesus Christ at the heart of Christmas. KATHERINE WATSON,
Greater Manchester.
How to dowse
AN OLD friend who was a dowser taught me the skill (Mail, Monday). Farmers would send him a map of their land and he would swing a pendulum over it.
He would then go to the farm and dowse over the spots he had marked to find water. I made my own divining rods from wire coat hangers with the outer cases of old Biro pens for handles. DENIS PITCHER, Northampton.
Proper country
WATCHING a recent BBC4 TV programme featuring American country singers made me realise what brilliant artists like Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and others have been.
They are streets ahead of most of their Irish counterparts and also some songwriters this side of the Atlantic are more suitable to farming work, considering their experience of spreading manure.
Of course, this country has had its fair share of brilliant singers and songwriters over the decades but some of the singers in the socalled country and Irish category would have been better off taking vows of silence.
Such music obviously has a big following up and down the country but the national radio stations have the taste values to generally ignore the stuff.
Those of us who appreciate a touch of class should be grateful for this. BILL McMAHON, Navan, Co. Meath.