Sir, – While Jacky Jones is of course correct to abhor ageism and the effects it might have on the elderly, it seems likely that she has overstated the extent of such attitudes, which she regards as "more prevalent than ever" ("Most older people are sharp and fit – so why the growing ageism?", Health + Family, June 14th).
Such comments seem somewhat out of place in a country where the three highest political offices in the land, that of the president, taoiseach and tánaiste, are held by people who have attained at least 65 years of age. Furthermore, the average age of TDs has consistently risen over the course of our nation’s history since independence. To use the 31st Dáil as an example, immediately after its election in 2011 there were 33 TDs over 60, 79 over 50 but only five in their 20s.
Can we really be said to be a nation convinced of the incompetence of our elderly population when we disproportionately elect such people to political office?
However, ageism of course is prevalent in this sphere, but is likely to be of a different variety. After all, it is not any elderly person who is constitutionally denied the opportunity to even compete for an office such as the presidency, but those under the age of 35, who make up 50 per cent of our population. – Yours, etc,
CHRISTOPHER
McMAHON,
Castleknock,
Dublin 15.