Time to change the record on Charlie
21st May 1980: Irish Prime Minister Charles Haughey, on the steps of 10 Downing Street, London, with Margaret Thatcher, the British prime minister. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
- I read a letter from Philip O'Neill (Irish Independent, January 3) and while it was a sad reflection on the state of the country, he blames Charles Haughey for its downfall conclusively. Yes, conclusively!
He speaks of Charlie Haughey's expensive taste in wine, which must come as no surprise. Here was a man, he said, who almost made a virtue of appropriating the country's resources through every available means of chancery in order to feed his own vanity. Unfortunately his legacy lingers on.
While I do not disagree with Mr O'Neill's findings. I think he is very naive to think that Charlie did all this on his own.
Yes, Charlie appeared to like wine, women and song, but there was a collective responsibility on us all as a country of voters not to vote Fianna Fail into government, year in and year out.
After all, others in the Fianna Fail party must have known where his wealth came from and we all knew that it could not have been on the paltry salary of a Taoiseach that Charlie bought Abbeyville in Kinsealy, or the beautiful island in the Blaskets in Kerry, or his fabulous yacht Celtic Mist.
All the Fianna Fail voters supported him in the lie, and voted him and his party in, time and time again. We all bought into the 'Dallas' dream and are all to blame for the sinking ship that is Ireland today.
After all, most were happy to take and take and not to count the cost. Charlie was not the only one to gain financially from the Galway tent.
Sure, he was charming, a rogue, entrepreneurial, had a hard neck, leadership qualities and -- for a small stature of a man -- stood up to Margaret Thatcher and others of that ilk as if he was 6ft tall.
We loved him for that and continued to vote Fianna Fail.
We were all on a rollercoaster of parties, World Cup, rugby, Tour de France and major golf tournaments.
Everything was a celebration.
We basked in the sunshine as if there was no tomorrow and, boy, did we enjoy it, clapping Charlie all the way to the bank.
Our little country was up there with the big boys; we were talked about in principalities all over the world and we loved every minute of it!
So stop the moaning, we have only ourselves to blame for the state we are in today.
I'm bored to the teeth listening to Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore, who are not helping the country or the thousands of downtrodden people with no jobs and no money to pay normal bills.
There is only a pretence of leadership in these two individuals as they show no leadership at all.
The past is gone, yesterday is gone. No use Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore looking blearily through dark-coloured glasses any more and blaming the past.
The ball is in their court now and let's watch them carefully.
So we had a good time and the party is over -- let's call it a day.
Yes, it was a pity that Charlie Haughey wasted his genius in abstraction. The king is dead! Long live the king!
Ms Terry Healy
Kill, Co Kildare Charles Haughey with Margaret Thatcher outside number 10
Irish Independent
