Sir, – I can’t help but notice a charming (and perhaps unintentionally competitive) trend emerging in your Letters page of late. A number of correspondents appear keen to sign off not merely with their names, but with a subtle reminder of what they used to be – as though their past professional lives lend additional weight to their present opinion. Recently, We were blessed with the views of a “former chair of mental health”, a former TD and MEP and a Captain (retired).
While I fully appreciate the gravitas that these letter writers might bring, I do wonder where this leaves the rest of us. Should I begin appending my own contributions to ensure my views carry sufficient authority?
Perhaps in the future, the Letters page will read like a CV archive – a nostalgic roll call of bygone titles, each vying gently for prominence. Entertaining, certainly – but I suspect the merit of a viewpoint might still stand (or fall) on its own, regardless of prior job descriptions.
I forecast Ireland will beat North Macedonia. – Yours, etc,
RM Block
DAMIEN HANLON,
Former Junior International (football),
Clontarf,
Dublin.
