Cowen & Co should enjoy Fianna Fáil sensibly

THE furore over the Taoiseach’s radio interview should make us very grateful that the Green party is in government with Fianna Fáil.

For without the restraining hand of the Greens, I suspect incidents like this one would look tame indeed compared to what the larger party might be getting up to.

Thanks to the Greens, the infamous Galway tent is gone. Without them in coalition with FF, there would be many more such tents and similar dubious sources of income from which the formerly unstoppable ‘republican party’ could still be drawing solace and massive funding.

The stags of Meath would be still be living in terror had the fate of the Ward Union been left to Fianna Fáil.

The Taoiseach might have been out of sorts when he did the Morning Ireland interview. But without the Greens in government, FF groupings undoubtedly would be having an even merrier time and staying up much later at the think-ins and other festive or quasi-political events designed to showcase what the party seems to regard as the best of FF. I wonder what kind of singsong or late night session will be organised by FF if and when the Greens succeed in getting the ban on corporate donations through the Dáil.

A song and a dance, methinks. Or, more aptly, a swansong for the bad old days of endemic corruption in the Irish political system.

In the meantime, I would urge the Greens to offer this advice to the Taoiseach and his party colleagues: enjoy Fianna Fáil sensibly.

John Fitzgerald

Lower Coyne Street

Callan

Co Kilkenny