Longford Leader editorial: Golf dinner attendees out of bounds
The Oireachtas Golf Society get together has left authority of the Government in tatters at a time when, arguably, it can least be afforded.
The range of contemporary and former public figures at the event speaks to many of the wide divide which many members of the public now feel exists between themselves and many of those in public life.
It reinforces, in almost cruel fashion, the widely held perception that there is 'one law for ourselves, and one for everyone else' or 'do as I say, not as I do.'
The hosting of this event was wrong , and it represents a perceived middle finger to people who have done their level best to observe all the structures of this pandemic situation since the middle of March.
The roll call of apologies that started cascading last Friday morning, had a distinctly metallic ring to them.
So what?
No one seemed too sorry on the night. Not to the extent of acknowledging it was wrong and leaving.
People and businesses are bearing the full brunt of this pandemic, and the full impact of it all has not even been realised.
Up and down the country there are grieving families, who have had to bury loved ones while strictly observing attendance restrictions.
The frustration amongst members of the public was palpable all weekend.
Public life has been let down before by some of its practitioners, but never, perhaps, in such a dramatic fashion, and one which everyone can relate to.
It has eroded much of the authority of this government, at a time when it needed all the political capital it could muster.
The goodwill of the public has been destroyed in one fell swoop, and that is not good as the battle with this virus continues.