LETTER: What St Patrick may have thought

SIR – Permit me to relay the contents of an email from Saint Patrick: ‘Hi – People of the South of Ireland. Since I’ve departed your country all those years ago, I’ve taken an interest on developments appertaining to the welfare of your citizens. One hundred years since the 1916 rising, I note your country is divided, geographically North and South, ecumenically and economically by the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. 

‘In recent years your moneylenders have immorally given out too much money with the result the banks have gone broke. Your government has imposed an imposition on citizens to bail out the banks, introduced a raft of austerity measures including an extra draconian tax on the water you drink. If Jesus was around, he would personally banish the greedy money lenders. 

‘You’ve recently have had a general election and the elected representatives have not formed a government. Your political parties are bickering, pointing accusation fingers at each other, making claims for initiating the 1916 rising and so on. 

‘My knowledge is that all major political parties gained political influence through the “barrels of guns.” None of them should be calling the “pot black.” By the way, no provision in your constitution for political parties exists, not even a mention of them, and for good reason. They represent narrow anti-Christian greedy aspirations of their members and benefactors. 

‘They do not represent the will of the general populace. Since the foundation of your State, political parties have, when in government, enacted laws to favour their entities, benefiting from state funding and having party logos on ballot papers. A new-found right-wing party, immorally dressed in a liberal cloak and not having won a single parliament seat from an entry of 26 candidates in the election, received €280,000 in state funding. Political parties fly in the face of just democracy. 

‘Once a person is elected as party leader or Taoiseach, he or she becomes a dictator imposing power by means of a “whip” system. Independent elected representatives should hold fast; demand the eradication of political parties; insist on legislation to repeal unjust laws giving parties and their representatives’ preferential treatment. 

‘Pray to me to intercede on your behalf to get rid of the scourge of political parties. Slán, Naomh Pádraig.’

Joe Terry,

Lower Aghada,

Co Cork.