Connaught Telegraph Editorial - 17 April 1997

REST IN PEACE

Connaught-Ulster MEP Mark Killilea is right. Our elected politicians should be allowed concentrate on the job in hand and forget about having to attend every funeral and dog fight in their constituencies.

So much time is wasted speeding up and down to Dublin to 'be seen' at those functions and solely for the political gain which will show itself at election time.

Now we are not in any way diminishing the long established tradition of Irish funerals or the way that grieving family and relatives are comforted by genuine sympathisers.

But when such solemn occasions are used for sheer political gain it is time to cut out the practise.

However, unless cross-party agreement is forthcoming on this sensitive issue, it will still remain part of town and rural life.

However, as Mr. Killilea suggested in Strasbourg, it is time we considered single seat constituencies with transferable votes.

This would allow elected representatives to do what they have been elected to do -- legislate and run the country to the best of their abilities.

They cannot do this if they have to look over their shoulders wondering if any of their colleagues attended obsequies that they missed. Surely it is time funerals were there to honour the memory of the dead and not as platforms for budding or seasoned politicians.

Likewise the Church authorities should issue an edict on this. They have done so in the past on other matters. Surely clergy see daily how funeral services are often 'hijacked' by politicians in their bid to shake hands with the bereaved.

Funeral homes, church buildings and graveyards should be 'no-go' areas for politicians in the same way as election canvassing cannot be carried out in the precincts of polling stations.

Politicians, too we are sure, would welcome such a moratorium, if you excuse the phraseology. They freely admit that too much of their valuable time is taken up having to be 'seen' at funerals and other local functions. This is not a criticism of any individual TD, but a statement of fact.

Taken the time, expense and pressure that funeral attendance places on Oireachtas members is it any wonder that these people are always under pressure.

We challenge the Mayo elected representatives -- Enda Kenny, Jim Higgins, Michael Ring, Tom Moffatt, Seamus Hughes and Senator Paddy Burke to enter a pact not to be running after one another in an effort to gain an advantage on colleagues at the expense of distraught and grieving families hit by sad bereavements.

Remember you do have free postage so a simple sympathy note will suffice in future.

MAKING THE CONNECTION

Competition is the spice of life and the real winners have to be the consumers who pay though the nose for such a service. Telecom have elaborate plans to transform Ireland's information technology sector. These blueprints, we believe, will come to fruition over the next few years.

But in the mobile phone market the launch of Esat Digifone puts it up to Eircell to improve its coverage network.

All shapes of mobile phones are now used as part of everyday business and commerce. Indeed how did we ever manage without them in the past is the question often asked. But like computers we now depend on them and use them as vital tools in all lines of business and education.

Locally we understand Telecom Eireann is undergoing a metamorphosis. Stricter guidelines have been introduced on the use or lack of abuse of official vehicles.

We have learned that instructions have been issued that Telecom vans must no longer be used for the transportation of youngsters to and from school, nor, we are told, should they be seen parked in public after working hours, and rightly so.

We welcome the move which will streamline further the services of telecom who have come a long way in recent years. Believe it or not, it is now possible to have a new phone installed within a 24-hour period, a welcome step forward.

In the mobile phone network there are still some areas where 088 customers are not getting service -- Claremorris, Balla, Louisburgh and parts of Connemara, to list but a few. A 100% coverage is required if the system is to be a complete success.

Esat's initial promises appear to be genuine with their start-up network based on the country's highway system, thereby guaranteeing coverage on all the major roads cris-crossing Ireland. Tariff charges too, seem to be taking a bashing from Esat who claim to be twenty-five per cent cheaper than Eircell for heavy mobile phone users and their 086 service is in the GSM system, giving complete secrecy to conversations as is available on the 087 frequency.

This is an exciting time for telecommunications. We will await the Eircell response to the Esat challenge. Hopefully, we, the customers will come out on top.

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