PICTURES OF PORTLAOISE

We may claim our politicians are vile creatures
but any fair dissection of these strange animals
should consider Philip Larkin's great lines about
how 'They fuck you up your mum and dad, They
may not mean to but they do, They fill you with
the faults they had, And add some extra just for
you.' Of course, like Larkin's parents our mostly
well-meaning politicians may not have meant to
'fuck' us up but... well... we are where we are.

As with all modern family dynamics, our relation-
ship with these dysfunctional beings is a strange
one. One of the biggest difficulties is that our
politicians are both of and yet not of us. If
we want something, we encourage them to be
venal but should they fail ....

The angels first came to me when I was little
more than a baby. I spent a lot time in my cot,
it doubled as a playpen. I can remember it well:
it was wooden and not filled with as many toys
as children have today. I did not need my cot
bursting with toys, as I had the company of
angels who knew exactly when to come to me.

My heavenly playmates came floating into my
room, filling every inch of space with their
presence. I was enveloped in their warmth and
sense of fun, but more than anything, I was
filled with a magical feeling I can only describe
as unconditional love. They would come like a
swarm of butterflies on a magnificent rainbow
of colour....

HOMEPAGE