Sir, - The Minister for Agriculture, Joe Walsh, may believe the outcome of the Doha negotiations is a triumph for Ireland. Other than achieving misplaced aims, he is wrong.
The fact is that Ireland set itself the task of perpetuating an unfair system which doubly disadvantages the poor (once by cutting off our markets, then by subsidising our overpriced exports on international markets).
That this is being done at the expense of European taxpayers is all the more reprehensible.
To simultaneously call for increased development aid is pure hypocrisy. The money spent on export subsidies and wasteful agricultural policies would be better spent on policies preparing rural Ireland and France to participate fully in the global economy and protecting the rural environment (instead of subsidising its destruction). Some of it could even be spent on more development aid.
Development aid and debt relief are vitally necessary for many countries. But without the willingness of the West to allow them to compete fairly on the international market, we are effectively refusing to allow them to take the chances which are available.
If globalisation is to be seen as more than the exploitation of the poor by the rich, people such as Mr Walsh and market oriented governments (which our current Government likes to boast it is) must actually allow the market to work for the benefit of those worst off. - Yours, etc.,
Tadhg O'Briain, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.