Scumbags, rotters and Ministers

Sir, – Your correspondent Justine McCarthy doesn’t like politicians calling the Dublin rioters scumbags (“Irish politicians throwing around terms such as ‘scumbags’ and ‘thugs’ is a slippery slope”, Opinion & Analysis, December 8th).

How about if they call them “rotters”? Would that be easier on those lovely folks who rampaged through our capital city on that dreadful night? – Yours, etc,

BRIAN CULLEN,

Rathfarnham,

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Dublin 16.

Sir, – I am disappointed that the Minister for Justice has refused to withdraw the term scumbags that she applied to the Dublin rioters.

Her name-calling represents a failure on the Minister’s part to recognise that the behaviour of “scumbags” doesn’t come from a vacuum, but is associated with inner city issues that successive governments have failed to manage.

Is it possible that if the Minister had grown up in a deprived, drug-riddled part of inner city Dublin she might have become a scumbag too? – Yours, etc,

AOIFE LORD,

Tankardstown,

Co Meath.