Sir, – The 60 signatories to the letter calling for an emergency budget spoke of “a worrying rise in income inequality” and the need “to redistribute income from high incomes . . . to low- and average- income-earners” (January 20th).
I note that 22 of the 60 signatories are academics employed by our universities. A report last year showed that 200 of their colleagues working in higher education earn over €150,000 per annum ( The Irish Times, December 6th). Perhaps they could begin by taking a voluntary pay cut and ask their colleagues to do likewise? Their letter contained no concrete proposals of any kind and consisted of the usual vague sloganeering trotted out by left-wing pressure groups. Can they please tell us how much time and resources were spent on drafting and circulating this letter at a time of serious funding shortfalls in our universities? – Yours, etc,