Why should the taxpayers fund Áras ego trips?

ACCORDING to the Citizens Information website, the maximum limit you are allowed to spend on a Presidential Election is €750,000 and the maximum you can be reimbursed from the State is €200,000. We are talking about taxpayers’ money, not politicians’ money, not State money, it is taxpayers’ money.

If people want to go on an ego trip to try for the presidency, that is their business, but we taxpayers should not have to fund the expedition in any way shape or form.

I would ask all voters to get their TDs to remove this stupid piece of legislation immediately.

We cannot afford enough doctors, nurses, teachers, carers, etc, so we definitely cannot afford to pay for the ego trip for potential Presidents. JOHN FAIR, Castlebar,

Co. Mayo DURING the last campaign for President of Ireland, Sean Gallagher was available and open to everyone. The electorate liked him and he was topping the polls. But his campaign was destroyed by wrongful innuendo – he was shafted, in other words. This was reflected by the huge sum in compensation which he received earlier this year.

Mr Gallagher might have been an unknown and outside the circle of connected people but under the Constitution of Ireland he is equally entitled to put himself forward for the role of President.

So if he is a bit shy of coming forward this time we should well understand that reasoning. HARRY MULHERN,

Co. Dublin. IT SEEMS in all matters pertaining to this country, the 700,000 citizens who voted against homosexual marriage and abortion of unborn children are now totally forgotten. For some reason or another, when referring to ‘this country,’ the impression is given that all its citizens are now of one mind.

No one party now represents or cares about the ‘discarded’ population who are opposed to the liberalisation of laws, what is taught in schools, what is done in hospitals, etc.

Proof of this emerged in the race to be President of Ireland. Gavin Duffy, by saying he would build upon the recent referendums if he were elected President, cared or thought not of the 700,000 who voted against the proposals.

Similarly, Sean Gallagher referred to a ‘changed Ireland’ and wants to be the President in it.

Given the political grasp there is on the conditions to be able to stand for election, I cannot see any man or women representing the beliefs of us pro-lifers and faithful Catholics being allowed or given a chance to stand for election.