For my two loyal readers (my Ma and Trinity Cat), my apologies that I have been quiet on the blogging front of late. Exams don’t leave much time for blogging.
In this brief blogging sojourn away from study, I had intended to write about what I regard as the daft proposals to reduce the size of the Dáil. However, that will wait for another day, as the news of Garret Fitzgerald’s serious illness makes such matters seem trivial.
I won’t pretend to know Dr. Fitzgerald well, but I did have the opportunity to brief him when I was working on the first Lisbon Treaty campaign – of course, he knew more about the Treaty than I did and he ended up briefing me! I also did some canvassing with him during that campaign and I have never seen such genuine warmth and affection shown towards someone by the electorate on a campaign trail. If he could have met every voter personally we would have won that referendum by a landslide.
His commitment to public service and public discourse is without parallel in Irish life. I hope and pray he pulls through his current illness.
