Gilmore is right: Bertie should do the honourable thing and resign

EAMON GILMORE gave a fascinating interview on Tuesday’s Morning Ireland. It was the finest I have heard from the new leader of any party. He was forceful, yet compassionate and fair.

His call for Bertie Ahern’s resignation made the headlines, but there was no invective or bitterness. Bertie accepted money for personal use while in office and therefore compromised himself and his office. That is untenable.

“Without any sense of malice or anything like that, I think that this is an occasion where the Taoiseach himself should do the honourable thing and resign to avoid the situation where the country has to get into a great political row over all of this”, Mr Gilmore said. “I think from his own point of view as well, that is the best way because one has to acknowledge the very substantial contribution that the Taoiseach himself has made to the life of the country”.