Sir, - Breda O' Brien makes some points that border on the incredible, at the very least (The Irish Times, May 20th).
Ireland is an endemically corrupt state. To pretend otherwise is to be blindingly naive. Even if some politicians were not themselves involved in corruption, they all must have known of their peers' mendacious tendencies. The inaction of these politicians could be categorised as corrupt.
Why do the young feel so powerless? Is it not obvious that a person brought up under a system such as this would become apathetic towards democracy, or the facade of it under which we live? Tax evaders roam the Dail, having resolved retrospectively their own law-breaking. While Joe Soap goes to jail for stealing a handbag, our leaders "settle" with the Revenue Commissioners and are not prosecuted.
If anything, the reaction to the level of corruption in this country has been understated. Forgive my creeping Jesus ways, but I wouldn't mind seeing people who break the law going to jail regardless of their status as citizens.
Something to strive for in an imperfect world? - Yours, etc.,
Gavin Sheridan, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.