Madam, - Fr Eamon Clarke accuses me of seeking to make second-class citizens of Catholics in our education system (Irish Times, November 26th). Nothing could be further from the truth. The point I was making in my conference speech was the exact opposite: I believe no one should be a second-class citizen in our country, be they Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or atheist.
I asked if we had witnessed an end to apartheid in South Africa, only to see it emerge in our own education system, with baptismal certificates as a latter-day pass book. I also said, which Fr Clarke seems to have missed, that I did not think the church had ever anticipated such a situation either. Involuntary segregation on the basis of faith, not faith itself, was the subject of my critique.
My point is not that faith-based schools have been unwelcoming of newcomer children. On the contrary, our schools are at the coal-face of new, multicultural Ireland, often with very little support from the State.
It is simply that we need an education system that embraces all of the children of the Republic equally, regardless of faith, ethnicity or background.
To create such a system in practice, we need to anticipate demand for school places. This would involve monitoring local demographic trends and housing development, so that schools are designed and built to grow with their communities.
This is not rocket science, and would eliminate the kind of high-stress conditions that "ration" school places in the first instance.
Secondly, we need to take a frank look at the question of school patronage, and how both new and existing schools can cater for the range of religious belief that is now part of Irish society.
This should include a new model of primary school where religion is not a factor in admission.
In the Dáil this week I suggested that a National Forum on Education be established, so that all interests could discuss this issue in a dispassionate way.
Both the Catholic and Church of Ireland archbishops of Dublin have sought to open a debate on our model of primary school provision. The Labour Party is ready to accept their invitation. Is anyone else? - Yours, etc,
EAMON GILMORE TD, Leader of the Labour Party, Leinster House, Dublin 2.