The following letter, sent on September 29th., failed to be published in the Irish Times

Two down, one to go! How else to interpret the quite extraordinary opening sentence of your editorial on September 28th: "The removal of a Taoseach from office can be a long and painful process, as both Charles Haughey and Albert Reynolds found to their cost". A pompous expression of one's own sense of editorial self-importance in publishing a sinister leak, or the declaration of a more threatening sense of mission in seeing a series of Taoisigh of a particular hue brought down, one after the other? I myself have been in opposition to Fianna Fail for almost 40 years. But that has been a matter of political differences openly expressed. The arrogant and irresponsible use of the powers of the press in unleashing its bloodhounds on a decent man for supposedly non-political, ethical purposes does, however, carry its own political consequences at a particularly critical juncture in the peace process. Surely there are some others who can also recall the cautionary tale that the last time a Fianna Fail Taoiseach was hounded from office, in order to be replaced by one from Fine Gael, the "collateral damage" was nothing short of once again unleashing the dogs of war.