Columnist suffering from Labour tunnel vision

WHAT a pity that a person of Fergus Finlay’s ability fails to show any impartiality whatsoever when it comes to writing politics.

He compares so unfavourably to a former Irish Examiner columnist Noel Whelan, whose Fianna Fáil credentials are well known but who was always thoughtful, fair and non-predudicial in his articles.

In his column (Feb 9), Finlay reminds us of his past political connections, as special advisor to Dick Spring.

In 1992, Spring stated that it was his avowed intention to put FF out of office.

The electorate agreed, and gave FF their lowest ever number of seats in a 166 seat Dáil.

In total contempt of the wishes of the electorate, Spring put FF back into power, and in the process, publicly humiliated John Bruton, then leader of FG at the infamous Shelbourne Hotel meeting.

Two years later, Spring decided that a non-political though grave matter regarding notorious paedophile Brendan Smith was sufficient to collapse the government.

Of course the Smith affair was a smokescreen. Spring and Finlay had long since decided that Albert had to go.

Furthermore, Spring went on to vote for John Bruton as Taoiseach for the remainder of that term.

I find it difficult to see any scintilla of honour in Spring’s antics during that period, when Finlay was his advisor.

The electorate didn’t either in 1997.

Now Finlay believes that Gilmore would make the best Taoiseach, because “Gilmore has vision and a deep-rooted sense of values”.

All decent-minded people have a vision of how they would like things to be in a just society, and all decent people have a sense of values.

So what makes Gilmore so special? Is it the values he learned in the Workers Party, whose predecessors had their own unique “values”?

“He is honest and skilled”. I do not doubt that he is honest, but neither do I doubt that most of his opponents are honest.

So Finlay, open your mind and eyes a little. Tunnel vision can be very restricting.

Joe Kennelly

Inniscarra

Co Cork