The decent people at the bottom will save us, not the indecent at top

LAST Friday evening, at the bottom of Grafton St, a remarkable thing happened.

A homeless man had been crouched there for most of the afternoon, writing a poignant message with coloured chalk on the pavement. “Once, I was like you,” it said. “A home, a family, a future. Now, I need your help.”

It was good handwriting. Neat, colourful. No misspellings. Whatever this man’s history, he wasn’t one of the 30% of young people from disadvantaged communities who leave school too soon, unable to read or write.