Ideological deficit that weakened the very basis of our republic

SOME people say Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has no real ideology. He has been accused of abandoning the republicanism of Fianna Fáil. Surely it is time that this old doctrine was laid to rest. If anything, Bertie deserves credit for not entertaining bogus republican arguments.

Instead of promoting such ideas the media should expose the so-called republican posturing as arrant nonsense.

For the first quarter of a century following independence our politicians argued about republicanism, and whether this country was a republic or not. In July 1945 James Dillon, the future leader of Fine Gael, complained that only the Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, knew whether we were a republic or not. So de Valera responded by clearly defining a republic and leaving everyone to decide whether we fit the bill.