Sir, - Public relations seems to be the weapon that has won the battle and will win the war for the Government. It has been well and expensively advised, I imagine, and has kept its finger firmly on the public opinion pulse and reacted appropriately. Full marks!
The ASTI, on the other hand, has charged clumsily through this campaign, alienating from crucial supporters (parents and pupils). With a PR machine that needs upgrading as much as the teachers' salaries, the ASTI was losing from day one.
It did not communicate basic facts clearly (e.g., that after 40 years in the profession you could be earning under £30,000). It needed to woo parents and pupils by whatever means possible. It also needed a bolder approach from the start - not a dribbling on/off effort lacking momentum. Finally, it needed access to a PR machine as slick as the Government's.
This is not an election campaign, so there is no cap on the publicity budget. And with such a disparity in the weapons used by the two sides of this media war, I wonder is the notion of democracy itself a creation of the spin-doctors? - Yours etc.,
Patti Roche, Dublin 2.