Read her lips — what the President didn’t say

BEFORE attacking President Mary McAleese and her alleged “rant to the Yanks” Sean Moncrieff might at least read what she actually said.

In his own "rant" (Irish Examiner, The Last Word, May 14) Sean berates the President for highlighting our problem of substance abuse and claims she implied that this is a new phenomenon in Ireland. In his own words: " this is what gets on my tits: things were exactly the same 20 years ago."

But, Sean, the President admits this. She said that while we have made much progress in many areas, we have retained some old bad habits among them abuse of booze. Nowhere did she imply that this is a new development.