Sir, – While I agree that people should be encouraged to travel and even live abroad for a period as a way of experiencing different cultures and broadening minds (“Emigration can be door to opportunity and adventure”, Steve Cornonella, Opinion, June 21st), the author misses the fundamental point in this debate – no one should ever be forced to leave their country. That’s a crucial distinction.
It marks a huge failure of a society if it cannot cater for all its citizens, who have every right to expect to carve out a decent living in the country they were born, grew up and have a personal stake it.
The late Brian Lenihan Snr was rightly chastised for his flippant remark back in the 1980s – the problem has never been the size of this “small island” (and the relatively small population that goes with it), but rather the gross mismanagement of ours affairs, mainly by Mr Lenihan’s party colleagues down through the years – Yours, etc,