New prison wing for Leinster House?

From the Attic Archives.

Letters to the Editor. Irish Times September 29 2003.

Madam,

Another good week for the Oireachtas (on holidays, of course).

A sitting TD in jail for contempt of court, a sitting TD convicted of tax offences, a sitting TD involved in a drink driving offence, an ex TD facing possible perjury charges.

It really strengthens one’s respect for our parliamentarians: aren’t they just worth the salary increases and benchmarking.

One has to worry if there will be enough left to fill the benches by the end of the year.

Maybe it’s time to add a prison wing to Leinster House to make sure that we can make up the numbers for the vote!

Yours etc.,

Michael Jeffers
Co Kildare

I wonder who that ex TD was facing possible perjury charges? The only thing we can say with absolute certainty is that no such charge was ever brought forward.

In Ireland the crime of perjury only applies to the peasantry.

And that prison wing idea – there’s plenty of idle builders around these days?