It’s high time we stopped the rot

FERGUS FINLAY, of all people, knows perfectly well there is no chance whatsoever of our parliament being reformed as he suggests (July 14).

The reason is that our entire political system is rotten to the core and, because one particular corrupt political party has been returned to power by the people time and time again, that rot has now been proven to have infected every aspect of Irish civil society, from the legal system down through all the professions, having infected the business sector decades ago.

The most fundamental issue facing Irish people, far and above whether Lisbon II is passed or whether we fix our economy, is to address why so many citizens are unable or unwilling to understand the link between the way they cast their vote and the poor quality of those who become members of the Oireachtas.