Lone parents: the figures being bandied about don’t tell full story

NEVER mind the views of a self-important pundit. And let’s avoid political correctness, too. Is there really a big issue around this business of single parents?

Is it really the crisis that some commentators would have us believe?

It was Dr Ed Walsh who started it. His original speech on the subject (made in UCC) was, shall we say, blunt and to the point. In the press release issued by UCC, the question is posed directly: "What is the relationship between the rise of violence, anti-social behaviour and lone-parent families in Ireland, and should the form of state subsidies for such families be reviewed and modified?"