Corruption has driven our country to ruin

We do not need zealots in our society, but we do need to deal with corruption. It has been ruinous.

Our soft-touch, no-blame, no-corruption laws couldn’t prevent recent socio-economic collapse, and cannot indict those chiefly responsible.

The Irish Republic is rich with food-land, timber-land, 80 million tonnes of ores, supply and replenishment of fresh water, and has potential to supply energy through heat, light, locomotion, hydro-carbons, wind/wave/tide and even solar generation.

We dismantled thousands of miles of rail, the most efficient way of moving freight to port, and a boon to work-commuters.

There are 300,000 abandoned unusable homes in a time of housing shortage and no children’s hospital.

We defecate into fresh water and, at times, have 70% polluted ground-water.

As our GDP contracts, multinational corporations enjoy a tax-holiday here. The debt/loss of banker/developers is socialised and laid on the bent back-bone of ordinary people through indirect and direct taxes and banker bailouts.

We require large sums of emergency loans for our repayments and need to borrow €20bn annually to cover the state’s basics. Public debt is €600bn.

We must end corruption to ensure we all have tolerable lives.

Tom Ryan

Dun Bleisce

Co Limerick