Sir, - While their leaders fumbled and argued, trying to cobble together some sort of a blueprint for the competitive Europe they dream of, tens of thousands of demonstrators thronged the streets of Nice to remind them of the price of competitiveness: 18 million people unemployed and 62 million people living below the poverty line in the 15 EU countries; Central and Eastern European leaders humiliated, waiting at the door while their peoples suffer the effects of harsh monetary policies; developing countries crushed by a debt which makes our financial institutions rich at the cost of their peoples' health and education.
In Ireland, the search for competitiveness has again produced a Budget that makes the rich richer and the poor poorer. When shall we come to our senses? As the rise in youth suicide sadly illustrates, competitiveness is no basis for a healthy society; it is the law of the jungle, the antithesis of civilisation. - Yours, etc.,
Claudine Gaidoni, Dundrum, Dublin 16.