Madam, - Kevin Myers was right on target when he addressed the question of immigration (An Irishman's Diary, December 16th).
In June 1994, and again in June 1997, I stood as an Independent candidate in Dublin South Central on the single issue of crime.
The thing which most struck me when I was canvassing, whether on the doorsteps, in shopping centres or outside churches, was that the main concern of the vast majority of people was not what I had expected. To my surprise, crime caused much less concern than immigration and its perceived consequences for Irish society.
Most people who took time to speak to me - respectable members of Irish society, concerned for themselves and more so for their children - said their big concern was that we were letting far too many foreign people into our country.
They broached the subject tentatively, wondering what my own reaction might be. Would they be immediately viewed by me as a racist? When I told them I could understand their concern, they opened up and spoke more freely. In general, they said they were reluctant or afraid to address the issue openly because they knew that they would be shouted down as "racist".
If these people were stating this concern about immigration to me, it is logical to assume they were voicing the same concern to other election candidates, from every political party in the country.
But when have we heard politicians reflecting these concerns? I suggest that the reason they have not done so is that they also are afraid of being designated as "racist". I have no doubt that this letter will result in my being designated a "racist", though all I am doing is repeating baldly the views of the vast majority of the people who spoke to me as an election candidate.
If this matter is not allowed to be discussed, if the persons who have reservations about the high level of immigration are not allowed to voice their opinions without the "racist" card being played immediately, I am afraid the result will be frustration, anger and possibly violence in our cities and streets.
For the sake of our future, our children's futures, and our immigrants' futures, we have to address this issue now. - Yours, etc,
EAMONN GAVIN, Terenure, Dublin 6w.
Madam, - Kevin Myers asserts that there was a subtext to the 100,000-strong Irish Ferries march on Friday, December 9th. This was a "real and widespread fear of uncontrolled immigration and its long-term consequences".
There is absolutely no evidence to support this claim. Was Mr Myers on the march? If so, he must be either very slow on the uptake, or very prejudiced in his thinking to have so utterly misunderstood what was happening that day.
If he was not on the march, then perhaps he should refrain from writing about happenings he has not actually witnessed. - Yours, etc,
Dr JULIET BRESSAN, Upper Cross Road, Rialto, Dublin 8.