Sir, - Your radio critic, Harry Browne, wrote on August 20th about the "little to be doing brigade" who rang RTE to complain about the broadcast of Bridget O'Connor's short story, I'm Running Late, on "Morning Edition" of August 12th.
Does Harry Browne define all radio listeners who exercise their critical faculties, and take time to communicate them publicly, as part of the "little to be doing brigade"? If so, could it be concluded that his own musings in The Irish Times indicate a lack of gainful employment? Or does this brigade comprise only those who disagree with him?
I have no problem with the story per se, which was well written and provocative. However, it is obvious that any morning let alone one in the height of the school summer holidays - is a wholly inappropriate time to broadcast such strong stuff.
I was engaging in my own little to be doing lifestyle with my three small children that Monday. We had all become well involved in the story, and when it got horrifying it was really too late to exercise my option to switch off. I certainly would have rung RTE to complain, had so many others not done so.
In my opinion, the broadcast of such a story at such a time was typical of "Morning Call's" clumpish attempts to be "right oil" and "in your face", and other such groovy epithets. - Yours, etc.,
Ballsbridge,
Dublin 4.