Sir - Six or seven summers ago, when I was preparing to leave school, Germany was the place for Irish school-leavers and college students to spend their summers. I remember vividly the public outcries, the radio show phone-ins, the newspaper reports - all full of hurt, shock and dismay at the bad treatment of the young Irish, who were spending the summer months in a country with notices on pub doors saying "No Dogs, No Irish".
Where are these people now who were subjected to such xenophobic and racist treatment? Should they not now be standing up for the people who will have to live with this racism and prejudice for the rest of their lives - that is, if they decide it is worth escaping death, poverty, rape and genocide to live in this bigoted country of ours.
I am not a bleeding-heart liberal as Derek Gartland (May 9th) would have you believe. I work hard for what little money I have, and I hate seeing huge lumps of my salary each month going on taxes when I barely last two out of four weeks; but if this ensures that another person can enjoy the freedom and benefits that every human being deserves, I will not complain.
Shame on the Government and shame on the bigots: you are the very people that shout the loudest when the tables are turned. Can I suggest that you all go out and buy new mirrors, because it is about time you took a good look at yourselves. - Yours, etc.,
Barbara Casserly, Sandycove, Co Dublin.