This is not a chess game — politicians should go ahead and put a democratic government in place, rather than treating as pawns the honest people of Ireland who elected them.

‘The people have spoken’ they say, but they most certainly have not asked for a firmly entrenched government of two right wing parties who, between them, over a 15 year period, could not sort out the patients on trollies scandal.

It seems to have escaped the attention of our political pundits that 80% of the candidates who supported the repeal of the 8th Amendment lost the recent election.

At the weekend we saw acts of gougerism which must be an insult to the sportsmen of Kerry and Donegal.

Some of the commentators on the possible outcome of moves to form a government have referred to similar situations that were solved in various ways in 1987, 1989 and 1981-2. It might be instructive also to advert to varied scenarios in 1948, 1951 and 1954.

As a campaigner myself against injustice worldwide, I would like to pay tribute to the Ballyhea campaigners near Charleville, Co Cork, who for the past five years have marched every week to have their voices heard against the European bank debt imposed on the Irish people.