From J Woods

I FEEL sorry for former Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue. Not because he lost one of his jobs – I just can't think how he's going to get by now that he's had foreclosure on his right to claim some of the unlimited perks that he's become used to availing of.

Us Donegal people should not forget that we also had a Minister for Fun, the flamboyant Dr James McDaid. He spent seven days at the Cheltenham races; €2,000 was spent on car hire for three days. Added to that was the Mercedes laid on bringing him from Birmingham airport to Cheltenham, and from there to Heathrow on his way to Toronto for St Patrick's Day, at a cost of ¤1,988. And before you think to yourself 'Didn't he do well', remember this was way back in 1992.

Fianna Fáil has been pulling the wool over our eyes since Charlie Haughey raised the bar. The advent of hedonism crept into all avenues of the party with a vengeance, and it's been one long party ever since.

There seems to be a wind of change after springing up here in Donegal. Hopefully now that people were able to make up their own minds and voted no in the referendum, the logical conclusion would be that the stale voting pattern will change for the better – starting off with Pat The Cope's vacant seat.

Pat seems to think that we do not need the same representation that other electoral areas benefit from, that is having your TD within a reasonable distance of your house. I did hear Pat say on radio that he was in touch as often as possible via phone from Brussels. That's all very well, but Joe Soap does not have access to the same expenses pool as FF TDs have been enjoying, so phoning Pat in Brussels about a pothole at Crolly Bridge would be out of the question.

J Woods,

Gort a'Choirce, Dún na nGall

From Brendan Hurley

SO it was curtains for the Ceann Comhairle.

Brendan Hurley,

Nursery Drive, Cork.

From Maura Buckley

RE Pól Ó Deoráin's letter (Letters, 11 October)?– not only did he want to dance on John O'Donoghue's political grave, he suggested running a JCB over it – surely it should be a bulldozer.

Keep up the good work.

Maura Buckley

Cobh,Co Cork