D Monday, October 12, 2009 METRO 17 Bit crowded, eh? A view of the start of the 41st edition of the Barcolana regatta in the Gulf of Trieste, off the coast of north-eastern Italy. Described as everybodys regatta, it is one of the largest annual sailing races in the world, and sees hundreds of participants Picture: AP The Big Picture But who wouldnt? Liam Carroll: Too ambitious? He Who Is Not Without Sin, I have to agree with you on the whole John ODonoghue debacle. I too feel very sorry for him and so too for Liam Carroll. May I just say, fair play to you for being the first to openly admit it even though the backlash of words received for admitting this will probably be phenomenal! Come on though, who can honestly put their hand up and claim they wouldnt have taken even the tiniest bit of advantage of the situation just like Mr ODonoghue? And as stated, whether we all like it or not, Mr ODonoghue was entitled to claim these expenses. Whether we like it or not, these two men were hard working men who had ambition and drive to succeed. They may have gotten swept away on a wave of greed en route but, undoubtedly, they still got where they were as a result of hard work. Serena, Kildare To He Who Is Not Without Sin... hmm, yes, I am afraid you are in a minority. Of course hard work in school and the rest was needed for John ODonoghue to succeed in his job, but your simplified and simplistic way of looking at this is completely infuriating! He is a member of a very privileged body, paid more than enough already without helping himself to junkets. The perks of these privileged positions are plentiful but public life needs to be made more accountable as of now! In the UK, MPs were forced to explain their expenses and quite a few fell on their swords, but here it seems perfectly acceptable for people in higher positions to be morally corrupt makes you wonder. Very few companies would let you do the shopping on your Dublins best-read letters page Metro Mail E-mail letters to mail@metroireland.ie with a name. Or text us. Text MAIL followed by comment and name to 53131. *Texts cost 30cent per message + standard network charges. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, Hospitality House, Cumberland Street South, D2. Customer service number 0818286606 talk to us Servant? He Who Is Not Without Sin, being a politician is not really a job. Politicians are public servants who are supposed to serve the interests of the people. If a person wants perks in his job and is only interested in personal gain, then he should certainly not become a politician! FP No wrong: John ODonoghue (JOD) was very good to himself, his friends, his family and to South Kerry. Unfortunately, like every other Fianna Fil and Fine Gael TD, he was using OUR tax to keep him and them so happy! So it was no surprise to hear Bertie Ahern say JOD did no wrong, eh? Whats the phrase, thick as thieves? Jim, Kildare Cop on already! Public sector workers, how many of you know someone who has lost their job, taken a pay cut or has had their wages frozen? This is the reality of the private sector. Why do you think you have the right to strike and cause further economic loss to the country when asked to play your part in its economic recovery? The private sector is fed up with your selfishness, its time to cop on and stop whinging! Heather In Brief company credit card, so why should this be any different? Wake up Ireland! Corruption is not acceptable regardless of how you dress it up! Eve To He Who Is Not Without Sin, you are right none of us are without sin. But lets not forget that at the moment, when money is in such short supply, we are losing hospital beds by the hundred! Do you really think its okay for John ODonoghue to swan around spending taxpayers money when the rest of us are suffering vicious assaults on our pay packet on an almost monthly basis? I am not afraid to work, but its becoming more and more of a struggle just to get by. We are paying for their mistakes and, if they worked for a private company, they would have been sacked long ago! As for his forced resignation being a bad day for politics, I think its the best thing to happen in years force them all out! This culture of spending must stop now before we are bankrupt! Rachel Sendusyour txt Whats with the pockets in womens jeans? Im sure we carry more than men, but I can hardly even fit my bank card pouch in! We dont all use handbags! Backpacker To Ashtown Commuter Passenger, ensure you say hi to the right man, I bet loads of men will start wearing grey pinstripe suits! And yeah, dont forget to update us! Nem Will the guy that got on at Ashtown sitting across from me please change that grey pinstripe suit as its beginning to smell! S To Commuter Passenger from the guy with the dark hair and grey pinstripe suit who gets on the Maynooth train in Ashtown, sorry about eyeing you up, its this damned lazy eye of mine! O To whoever posted my wallet back to me, thanks a million! A monthly train ticket is costly to replace, but the picture of my grandfather is priceless. Very grateful and pleased to know there are still good Samaritans. Eoin txt MAIL to 53131* index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html