Madam, - Philip Donnelly (March 18th) spouts precisely the kind of right-wing, reactionary drivel that one would expect to hear from those who support the introduction of anti-social behaviour orders.
Moreover, he does so in that patronising, superior tone that the present Minister for Justice personifies.
There is so much that is objectionable about Mr Donnelly's views that, for the sake of brevity, I will respond to only one point. He writes: "It is wrong for unelected activists to counsel cowardice in the face of bullies while they wring their hands over injustice and inequality".
Firstly, were it not for ordinary members of society, or so-called "unelected activists", then society would not have progressed very much since the days when children were sent down mines and women were considered second-class citizens.
Secondly, it is certainly not cowardice to face a social problem and attempt to solve it in ways that address its causes and not its symptoms.
Finally, one gets the strong impression from the tone of his letter that the injustice and inequality that he alludes to are very likely something of which he has no first-hand experience. He blames those with a social conscience for the erosion of values vital to civilised existence and for the moral and social chaos he fears so much. Surely the blame should be directed instead at those elected representatives who place their own selfish desire for re-election before the needs of those who most require representation.
Politicians such as Mr McDowell don't require much counsel to act in a cowardly manner. Their moral cowardice and populist posturing is what we have come to expect. The anti-social behaviour order is just one more example of this. - Yours, etc.,
NEIL FORSYTH, Rossberry Lane, Lucan, Co Dublin.