Sir, – Do I have this right? The people across the road who made up the rules, checked with the hotel across the road, whether a gathering of a group of the people from across the road, in the hotel across the road, complied with the rules made up by the people across the road? – Yours, etc,
N HEFFERNAN,
Leixlip,
Co Kildare.
Sir, – I see from reports that almost everyone who attended the event at the Merrion Hotel stayed for between 15 and 20 minutes. I can accept almost everything, but there is never any excuse in Ireland for throwing a boring party. – Yours, etc,
EAMON FARRELL,
Sandymount,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Does the Attorney General’s constitutional duty as legal adviser to the Government not include ensuring that what it proposes for enactment is so expressed that its legal interpretation accords completely with the intentions of the legislators? How, then, can he afterwards find that a particular enactment carries an intention that none of the legislators was hitherto conscious of entertaining? – Yours, etc,
FRANK FARRELL,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Leo Varadkar needs to obtain the Attorney General’s and the Merrion Hotel’s advice and clarification regarding the rules made by him and his fellow Ministers. How bizarre. Has the Government set a precedent here and will it publish the Attorney General’s advice in future? – Yours, etc,
BERNARD CAMPBELL,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – The aim of public health guidelines should be to help protect people from becoming infected with Covid, not to protect the credibility of Leo Varadkar. – Yours, etc,
GARY BARRETT,
Loughglynn,
Co Roscommon.
Sir, – When is a party not a party? When is a party not in breach of health guidelines designed to safeguard citizens against the dangers posed by the Covid pandemic?
When it is a party hosted by a proposed special envoy and attended by her political allies.
And for the rest of us?
Let us eat cake. Outside. In small, socially distanced groups. – Yours, etc,
MARIA DUNNE,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Had there been greater communion among Ministers, Katherine Zappone’s appointment might have been confirmed. A pity such things aren’t permitted. – Yours, etc,
COLIN WALSH,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – May I give politicians some simple advice regarding something they should have learned since Golfgate a year ago? While Covid restrictions are in place, stop attending social functions! If you cannot understand this advice, stop someone in the street to explain it to you. – Yours, etc,
PAVEL MARIANSKI,
Dungarvan,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – Your editorial on August 5th names Tánaiste Leo Varadkar as attending the outdoor event organised by Ms Zappone. You failed to mention that the newly elected TD Ivana Bacik attended the same event. This appears strange, given that your newspaper gave her so much publicity prior to her election. Fairness? – Yours, etc,
MARGARET LEE,
Newport,
Co Tipperary.
Sir, – Has the normally garrulous Labour Party leader Alan Kelly come down with a bout of laryngitis? His silence on the “Merriongate” al fresco gathering might suggest so. – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Sinn Féin does not even have to get up out of bed early to form the next government. The incumbents are handing it to them on a plate. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK HOWLIN,
Dublin 14.
A chara, – A cynical view of Friday’s abrupt updating of the hospitality guidelines might be that it is being done to save the Tánaiste’s political neck.
I wonder if the electorate will have the same commitment to saving Mr Varadkar’s career at the next election? –Yours, etc,
MARIE BREEN,
Dublin 12.
Sir, – Fine Gael, The Party Party. – Yours, etc,
JOHN M NOLAN,
Dublin 3.