Now’s the chance to finally make a change

WE got the mess this fading Government left behind, not because of any flaws in our political system or institutions but because thousands of our fellow-citizens voted for them.

With the greatest respect to the five men theoretically offering to be our next Taoiseach, (and particularly to my former Oireachtas colleague, Enda Kenny), which of them are in essence “yesterday’s men - entangled in various aspects of our recent past?

And which has broken away from the pack and offers some chance of providing the leadership to address, guide and lead the fundamental change in mindset needed throughout our society if we are to achieve the recovery of our national community?

Abolishing the Seanad and lopping off an arbitrary number of TDs from the Dáil was the heaviest item at the centre of Fine Gael’s political broadcast about its entire manifesto.

Knee-jerk pseudo-populist claptrap about so-called political reform is simply old-style stroke politics.

There may not be another chance in our lifetime to determine our own future.

Maurice O’Connell

Tralee

Co Kerry