Sir, – I admire Fergus Finlay tremendously and always look forward to his radio and newspaper contributions as well as admiring his work with Barnardos.
However, his desire for people with an intellectual disability to sit alongside members of the travelling community, gay people, and a representative or two of the new Irish, “at a table formerly reserved for no doubt worthy but generally elderly men who used to hold high office” might appear worthy but is surely rather insulting (October 27th)?
Are we now to exclude men, the elderly or anyone who has traditionally fitted the Council of State profile regardless of ability? Changes are undoubtedly necessary but I would not like a Council of State consisting of a mishmash of various groups in a well-meaning but misguided effort to be “politically correct”. – Yours, etc,