Sir, - Aine Ni Chonaill alleges (February 1st) that anyone with "street smarts" knows that the views of Ivor Callely rather than those of Liz O'Donnell more accurately reflect Irish public attitudes to refugees and asylum-seekers in Ireland. She also claims that I am mistaken to assert that Irish public opinion has been shaped by Mr O'Donoghue and his Department (January 27th).
However, the experience of affiliate groups in the National Federation of Campaigns Against Racism suggests that Ms Ni Chonaill is mistaken. Our experience, at public information stalls on the streets of Dublin, Limerick and Cork, at public meetings and by the reaction to a 26-county exhibition, is that the views of Ivor Callely are a very poor reflection of overall Irish attitudes to refugees and asylum-seekers. Indeed, it is usually the case that negative attitudes, when probed, reveal the extent to which negative statements by the Minister and his Department have influenced public thinking.
Ms Ni Chonaill describes our federation in terms of a collection of "vocal minorities" across the EU which are intimidating governments into political correctness and effectively "subverting democracy". May I respectfully suggest to her that the term "vocal minority" is a more accurate description of the Immigration Control Platform. Also, it is surely a cheap shot to describe an appeal for recognition of the humanity of refugees and asylum-seekers in Ireland as political correctness. Equally, it is somewhat strange that the exercise of a democratic right to protest against Government policies can be deemed to be intimidation aimed at subverting democracy. - Yours, etc.,
Pat Guerin, National Federation of Campaigns Against Racism, Upper Camden Street, Dublin 2.