Readers blog: The best response to the causes of terrorism is true democracy

Each fresh terrorist attack, where ever it occurs, brings with it the uncertainty of how best to respond.

I believe such incidents demand that we work with greater rigour to create a society which truly delivers on the values of democracy.

We must work harder to insure that education and opportunity extend across the demographic spectrum. Social isolation must be countered by stronger community networks. Multi culturalism within our social and work places must be better supported by more fulsome integration programmes.

Membership of our police and intelligence forces must especially reflect the diversity of the communities within which they work.

Our security imperatives must be maintained alongside a generosity to those in need.

We must be increasingly open to those who hold different perspectives to our own. We must remain ever more vaulting in our ambition for a fully just society, and deeply practical in how we choose to implement those ambitions.

And we must demand all this of our leaders and individually act on it as citizens.

There may well exist a hate among jihadi factions that will forever remain resistant. And nothing will ever compensate for the injury and loss.

But together we can better mitigate against the occurrence of either. By so doing, I believe, we will also find ways to navigate the personal sense of fear and dread which the threat of terrorism thrusts upon us.

Cate MacGabhann

Tipperary

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