Sir, - I have to laugh at the European Commission's critics who claim our EU partners are jealous. Jealous of what, exactly?
True, we have low unemployment, but we also have a situation where there are unemployed people in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark who have higher standards of living than many employed people here. Our key failure is our obsession with measuring life in pure cash terms, which is something we inherited from our Anglo-American neighbours. I have a higher disposal income than many of my continental friends. They have better access to low cost healthcare, more time with their friends and families, live in clean, well run cities and don't spend the hours in traffic that I do. Believe me, jealous is one thing they're not. - Yours, etc.,
Jason O'Mahony, Kilmainham, Dublin 8.