Sir, – I wholeheartedly agree with the view expressed by Bobby McMahon (November 26th), namely that “we appear to have no collective sense of outrage”. Fintan O’Toole was of the same opinion in a recent column.
The damage already inflicted on the most vulnerable is shameful and the drip-fed threats to the sick, the disabled and the elderly in the forthcoming budget are unremitting.
Yes, we have serious problems and we must collectively resolve them, but not by concentrating on the soft targets of those least able to afford or to resist.
I deplore the mindless destruction which took place on the streets of Greece and I have strong reservations about trade union led demonstrations since the unions were in my opinion contributors to our current predicament (what would a general strike do other than compound our difficulties?).
But I would like to see our streets crammed with peaceful protesters intent on reversing the policies currently being pursued by a Government disgraced by a litany of broken promises including continued payment to bond holders in failed institutions at the expense of weakest members of our society.
We need a leader, who is not a rabble-rouser, and who has the necessary gravitas and stature to muster public anger to insist on a more equitable approach to resolving our problems. – Yours, etc,