Social partnership – failure or success?

Sir, – I'd have to disagree with Michael Noonan in relation to social partnership ("Talks with the social partners", January 19th) when he says, "Rather than having the re-establishment of social partnership, which at the end was a failure, I would like to see something where people had a way of inputting between elections".

The proof that it was not a “failure” is the fact that people accepted savage austerity measures without any protest or significant disruption to services. It was social partnership that created the climate that made this possible.

To assert otherwise devalues the personal sacrifices that the people of this country have quietly made. – Yours, etc,

ROBERT STRUNZ,

Scariff,

Co Clare.