10 August 2000 Edition

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Mála Poist

The Erogenous Zone



A Chairde,

Drag artist Ms Candy recently hosted the annual charity lunch and fashion show to raise funds for the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre availed of mainly by working class women victims of male sexual violence.

This glamorous occasion, attended by high profile celebrities, featured a wonderful exposition of female pulchritude in all of its manifestations.

The proud owner of ``the sexiest legs in Ireland'', decreed by vote in a competition underpinning as it were the charity oriented day, was one Vivienne Connolly.

Vivienne and other models effortlessly aroused male members of the audience displaying practically their all in modelling diaphanous, as in see through, dresses from the autumn/winter collection of an Irish designer.

``Blondes'', according to a report by a journalist Niamh Hooper, ``definitely had the most fun on the day''.

Titillating men in an unashamed flesh mart on behalf of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.

John Kelly,

Mullingar,

Co. Westmeath


Pandering to greedy profiteers



A Chairde,

The suggestion from IBEC that tax cuts for low-paid workers be postponed, supposedly to curb inflation, is in sharp contrast with its silence on the record profits of the banks. It is this greedy profiteering by banks and other businesses that is really fuelling inflation and imposing higher and higher costs on working people, whose wages are failing to keep up.

When public finances were scarce, workers were told to tighten their belts to rectify the havoc caused by politicians' reckless borrowing. Yet, when public finances improve (as a result of workers' efforts), those who actually produce the wealth are asked to tighten another notch to curb inflation caused by politicians' reckless pampering of the rich.

The pathetic pleading by ministers for restraint from business and professional profiteers is ludicrous and can only be designed to placate angry voters who are seeing their sacrifices being wasted by the greed of those profiteers. During the past 13 years, while wage increases were restricted to 2%-5% per year, profits, directors' remunerations and professional fees have increased by over 20% per annum.

If the government was serious about taking action to curb inflation (not to mention sharing the fruits of workers' increased productivity), it would have included directors' and professional fees in the various programs which limited PAYE wages. It should also impose effective windfall taxes on profiteering.

Could its failure to do so be in any way related to the generous payments from big business that the main parties receive - without any strings, of course?

Cllr Dessie Ellis,

Finglas

An Phoblacht
44 Parnell Sq.
Dublin 1
Ireland