A chara, – I believe Fintan O'Toole is unfair to accuse our politicians of being uncaring because they were able to deal quickly with a matter relating to sport and yet struggle with the problem of homelessness ("Rugby is an emergency, homeless kids can wait",' Opinion & Analysis, July 11th). The Rugby World Cup was a relatively simple matter, hardly more than a box-ticking exercise; the other issue is incredibly complex, involving so many different strands that it may well require the wisdom of Solomon to untangle and come up with a solution agreeable to the many stakeholders. Our politicians may not be saints, but they are out there in the trenches working hard to try and solve the plethora of problems that are thrown at them every day; and they deserve better than to have their efforts undermined by articles that draw spurious connections but contribute nothing to solving the problem at hand. – Is mise,
Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny.