Sir, - With all this talk of Celtic Tigers and the modern Ireland, one could be forgiven for thinking that it actually exists, somewhere. What a capacity we as a nation have for deluding ourselves.
We live in a country where many people live in appalling poverty; where public transport is grossly inadequate; where the provision of childcare services is grossly inadequate; where the care provided for the elderly is both inadequate and unmonitored; where there is virtually no treatment provided for sex offenders or counselling for their victims; and where people have to wait for months for essential medical treatment. These are in no particular order of merit, and the list goes on.
These are the real scandals, yet year in, year out, the situation remains unchanged. These problems are due, for the most part, to a lack of any kind of political will or conviction among our elected representatives, particularly among those who happen to be in office at any given moment in time. Politicians are all simply too gutless to grab any bull by the horns for fear they might alienate some members of the electorate, with the result that they are doing a good job of alienating huge numbers of the electorate instead (and they wonder about the causes of voter apathy?).
So the politicians continue to wander around Leinster House, wondering what their ratings were in the latest opinion poll and gurgling on about what a wonderful country we now live in. Celtic Tiger? Strangely, I seem to be reminded of a story about an Emperor and his new clothes. - Yours, etc., Suzanne Brennan,
Maple Road, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14.