Sir, – It is difficult to understand how in your editorial “Ugly scenes in Coolock” (July 18th), you can describe the decision by the Government to locate asylum seeker accommodation in less well-off areas as a “widespread perception”. Unfortunately, that perception is the reality. Arising from that flawed decision, the country is facing a period of serious social unrest that is not helped by a refusal by the Government to accept responsibility for its mismanagement of the asylum process.
Rather than concentrating on fixing the basic problem, it is dispiriting to see the Government devote its attention to the acquisition of water cannon and on how best to deploy the Garda Public Order Unit. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN McDONALD,
Dublin 12.