Madam, - In the week after the Taoiseach called for a rebirth in the spirit of volunteerism, we have seen the publication of a bank report which finds that, in four of State's five major cities, key public servants - gardaí, nurses, teachers and firefighters - cannot afford to buy a house.
Perhaps if people throughout this country were not forced to spend so many hours each day travelling to and from jobs so that they can afford the exorbitant cost of childcare and mortgage repayments, they would be much more willing to listen to a call to participate more in their communities. Active citizenship begins at home with the rearing of families in spite of all the financial strains imposed by society.
I suggest that if Mr Ahern is searching for recruits to become "active citizens", he should speak to those property speculators and bogus non-resident bank account holders whose commitment to the idea of citizenship is at best questionable. - Yours, etc,
DAVID DOYLE, Gilford Park, Sandymount, Dublin 4.