Sir, - Of all the irresponsible ideas emanating from successive governments, the sending of Christmas candles to each household must top the list. Do Government ministers watch TV, apart from viewing their own performances thereon? Recently the Simon Community had a programme which showed the plight of many unfortunate people from all walks of life. As one who was closely associated with Simon in Cork City for a number of years I can vouch for the misery, poverty, loneliness and abandonment of so many people, as, I am sure, can the St Vincent de Paul and other similar organisations.
Why are the churches silent? Why are Kevin Myers, John Waters, Fintan O'Toole, Senator Brendan Ryan (whom I know is committed to Simon) silent? If they have voiced their concern and utter disgust at this proposal of spending one million pounds on this absurd idea, I must have missed it and, if so, I humbly apologise to them. If they have not, do I take it that they concur with the proposal? As I regularly read their comment in their regular columns in your paper and may often agree with them or not but always find them stimulating, I would very much like to hear their views on this matter.
What a million pounds would do to keep our less fortunate people now living in poverty, misery, hopelessness, despair! To where will the candles be sent? To what cardboard box? To which abandoned car wreck? To what city or town dump (now euphemistically called "land-fill sites")? To what park bench?
Where is "people power"? It was needed now to stop this madness. Does anybody, other than the voluntary workers who work night and day with the less fortunate, really care? I mean really, really care? - Yours, etc., M. Moran,
Millstreet, Co Cork.