Sir, - From your Dail report (June 14th) it is clear that the only ethical response to Mr Austin Deasy's remarks on halting, sites for travellers was given by Mr Mervyn Taylor. By linking the rights and duties of travellers toe those of the larger community, he rejects the discrimination implicit to Austin Deasy's remarks. Even more, by mentioning anti discrimination as a matter of law as well as of decency, Mr Taylor does our society good service.
From your Dail report also, one can only reprobate Mr Deasy's remarks about contraception being a necessary component of justice for travellers. These remarks are not simply offensive they are - as he seems himself to know - inflammatory. Whatever about Mr Deasy's intentions his words as reported bear overtones of crass right wing ideology. Does he not hear the re-echo of Nazi Germany and its dreadful "solution" or eugenics? If he did not intend this, let Mr Deasy now disown it.
Were these remarks made in other jurisdictions we might reasonably criticise them. Can we expect a response from those who endeavour to be our moral guardians - the various "family, leagues" the components of the recent anti divorce campaign, even the bishops who presumably will soon meet in Synod? Our, vaunted "family values" are so much cant if they ignore justice for the excluded and are resistant to proper treatment of minorities.
What meaning is there to a "new Ireland" where all traditions can be accommodated if a population of one or three or nine thousand travellers cannot be sensitively treated? - Yours, etc.,
College Park Way,
Dublin 16.