Oireachtas ‘club’ sets its own standards

IVOR Callely is the symptom now for the disease. The Oireachtas, from the beginning, has ringfenced itself from the justice system as it applies to all others.

It behaves like a private club where all problems are dealt with by an in-house committee and dare non-members, such as the taxpayers who pay for it all, try to stick their noses in.

Those who claim welfare allowances for which they do not qualify are guilty of welfare fraud and dealt with by the courts, but Oireachtas members are dealt with in-house with very limited possible penalties.

Indefensible, but neither government nor opposition has the will to change it and so it will stay unless we make it an issue especially for leaders of the opposition.

It’s time they brought in private members’ bills to deal with this or forfeit our electoral support.

Brendan Casserly

Abbeybridge

Waterfall

Co Cork