Sir, The wealth index report ("Affluence and deprivation index: how it works", December 1st) makes sober reading not so much for its comparative analysis in relation to the North versus south divide but more in relation to the relative wealth of the greater Dublin area versus the rest of the country. One has to question why there is such wide disparity.
Dublin clearly has palpable wealth – and poverty. The reasons for this are diverse. Central governments have never implemented cohesive regional development policies which fostered a balanced urban economy. A laissez faire strategy obtained and the results are there for all to see. We did have a National Spatial Strategy plan which was abandoned by our present EU Commissioner Phil Hogan.
The Dublin housing problem is not unconnected to the wealth distribution phenomenon. Growth, as experienced by Dublin, inevitably results in social and economic log jams for all of us.
Regional cities have the capacity to facilitate a more socially-balanced urban form.
Such objectives require a strong government that will not succumb to parish-pump politics. Provincial and rural Ireland will also have to realise that the dynamics of its economy has radically changed and it will not be sustainable to promote development in a widely dispersed town and village structure.
We need five to seven cities or towns which have a viable infrastructure if we are to achieve the objectives of jobs and wealth creation balances. Failure to change the status quo can only have one result.
Carry on Dublin,your future is assured. Whither the rest of us? – Yours, etc, DESMOND O’TOOLE Rocksprings, Waterford.