Game of musical chairs between parliaments

While I can understand Michael O’Sullivan’s despair (Letters, Jan 6) at our political system, I do not agree that our votes don’t count.

It’s up to us to make them count. How?

Let us begin by, irrespective of party loyalties, refusing to vote for any current member of the Oireachtas in the upcoming European elections.

Bear in mind that, as recently as 2011, these people asked us to give them a five-year contract to represent us in the Oireachtas.

They now have the nerve to ask us to enable them to walk out on that contract so they can take up one in the European parliament, not for our sake, but because it suits them or their party. What is more incredible is that we have been enabling them all along. There is currently a row within the Labour party — a senator from the Glanmire area, who stood for the Seanad after failing to get elected to the Dáil, is now seeking a nomination to stand for the European parliament.

In this, he is no worse than many others from all parties. The fault lies not with ‘them’, but with us. Time to call a halt to this game of musical chairs being played with our seats. This is something that Michael O’Sullivan and I, and all voters, can do.

Brendan Casserly

Waterfall

Cork