Madam, - It is an honour to be castigated by Mark Steyn (Opinion, October 12th), but I think he misses the point. Mr Steyn represents views and attitudes that come from the right wing of the American Republican Party.
Surely he is too intelligent to think that "the massed ranks of Irish Times correspondents, RTÉ, the BBC and 97 per cent of the European media class, plus Anthony O'Halloran" represent the American left. The fact is the bulk of such media hold broadly liberal views.
Mr Steyn has a point when he implies the snobbishness and uni-dimensionality of much European commentary on the United States. But this is actually all the more reason for The Irish Times to give us American voices - accepting that Mr Steyn is Canadian - in addition to his. Why not take a column from Alexander Cockburn, or Katha Pollitt, or Jeff St Clair? - Yours, etc.,
CONOR McCARTHY,
De Vesci Court,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.