Sir, - Reading your edition of January 29th, I turned from the front page with its report on Mr Liam Lawlor, the range of allegations against him and his continued failure to meet his obligations to the Flood Tribunal, to page 2, where the Fianna Fáil Cork TD Mr Noel O'Flynn is quoted as saying: "We are against the spongers, the freeloaders, the people screwing the system."
However, he is not commenting on politicians or business persons who, it has emerged, have been the true spongers. Instead he is referring to people who have come to Ireland either as economic immigrants or to seek asylum.
Firstly, the language used by Mr O'Flynn is entirely offensive and is the type of language which encourages racist and bigoted views - and indeed attacks such as that which took place in Dublin last week.
Secondly, in his list of "suggestions", he does not indicate whether he supports allowing those who are waiting for their application to be processed to work during that period and thus contribute to Irish society.
It would be interesting to know if Mr O'Flynn feels equally strongly about those have truly "screwed the system" and the PAYE taxpayers of this county. - Yours, etc.,
A. O'CONNOR,
Glasnevin,
Dublin 9.