Sir, - I thought Fintan O’Toole’s opinion piece on the Epstein files was spot on (“Epstein and friends were waging a war against women,” February 10th). He really gets across how those with money and power seem to find ways to keep their scandals hidden – just like that old Roman sewer system he talks about. It’s how bad behaviour is allowed to continue, and how the powerful avoid being held to account.
As we’ve seen with all the high-profile scandals (Epstein, Harvey Weinstein, and plenty more before), like any overloaded sewer system, the truth can eventually back up and spill out. But by then, the damage is done – not just to individuals, but to whole communities and to the public’s trust in the other systems of justice, media and government.
That’s why, like any other system, the ageing infrastructure of these “sewer systems” of the rich and powerful needs regular, proactive, and thorough inspections for leaks, odours, or surface effluent. It shouldn’t be a case of out of sight, out of mind. - Yours, etc.
BARBARA CLANCY,
RM Block
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
