"Limerick's champion left people powerless
Paradoxically it is the failure of Willie O’Dea’s advocacy for Limerick that makes the city so dependent on him, writes FINTAN O’TOOLE

IN ALL the talk about Willie O’Dea over the last week, one question has scarcely been asked – why did almost 20,000 people vote for him in the 2007 general election? Answering that question gives us some idea of the depth of the problems in Irish political culture.

We know, at least, where the answer does not lie. It is not Willie’s irresistible charm, which teams of intrepid explorers have so far failed to locate. It is not the allure of his sexy moustache. And it is not his inner nobility."       for the complete article go to the link below

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2010/0223/1224265029998.html