THIS IS an edited selection of some of the online reactions to yesterday's article by
NUALA O'CONNOR
Roger Rafferty:A really interesting article and thank you . . . One of the big problems Ireland faces is the country's political establishment . . . the leadership of the country has played a huge role in the disaster the country is now engulfed in. Is the consistently poor performance of government and politics in Ireland a feature of public apathy, a stranglehold by the party system or vested interests? Or are many elected representatives hardworking people of high calibre stifled by having to engage in laborious constituency work?
Chris:Excellent article. The parallel between the poor outside the Abbey lobby and the poor of Sean O'Casey's play is vibrant and a real indicator of failure on the part of the State. Failure continues in other State institutions – for example the unopened GP referral letters in Tallaght. And of course we have that marvellous institution of abuse, the Catholic Church, which systemically abused children – with State collusion.
Daithí M:The ideals of the founding fathers of the state were sold out long ago. . . . Every institution needs to be challenged from inside and out. People at the highest levels must have known what was going on at Letterfrack. The media has played a role and until recently was the cheerleader for the Celtic Tiger excesses . . .
Lewis Evans:I have read every article in this series so far. While one can enjoy the skill, creativity and admire the eloquence they demonstrate, not one has yet come up with anything that seriously suggests a clear way forward. Where is the innovation, the radical thinking, the political vision and intelligent proposals for rebuilding the social structure? Aimless discussion won't change anything.
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