Societal failures and scapegoats

Sir, – For too long after independence this country tended to blame the British for much of its problems and shortcomings. That this rarely happens now is to be welcomed; the consensus seems to be that we have now matured as a State and no longer need straw men. The modern approach is that when confronted with our societal failures, we lay the blame at the door of one of the churches. Plus ça change. – Yours, etc,

DERMOT MADDEN,

Bellvue Apartments,

Cookstown Road,

Tallaght, Co Dublin.