Dear Editor,
While I agree with Mr Thomas' call for a boycott of the Chinese Olympics and diplomatic sanctions against China for its support of genocide in Sudan and oppression in Tibet and within China itself, it is very unlikely that developed nations will do this.

Mr Thomas' stand is just and principled and is supported by the tenets and ideals of democracy, the laws and constitutions of many countries, the doctrines of all the major world religions, and by reason, logic and rationality. So why are countries supporting China when it stands against everything that they stand for? That is the big question.

The present course of action by developed nations is not encouraging China to change its ways; it is in fact aiding and abetting them in their criminal activity. 'Raising the issue' with the Chinese ambassador or the visiting Chinese foreign minister or president or prime minister has not solved the problem and is not solving it. Many governments have done this and got nowhere. The Irish government should provide a detailed account to the Irish people of why they will not boycott the Olympics and implement diplomatic sanctions. Ireland has few economic contacts with China at the moment and is not overly reliant on it. So do the Irish government support genocide, colonialism and oppression or not?

What about other countries besides Ireland? The USA will continue to support China as it has become economically and financially dependent on China. Since the mid 1990s, America has been busy moving its entire manufacturing and production base over to China and making its own workforce unemployed, creating destitution, crime and drug dependencies in the process. Furthermore, the Chinese have bought up most of the American government bonds or debt in the last ten years. While the US claims to be the great bastion of freedom and democracy, it can hardly claim to be so in light of what it has done and continues to do. Having criticised the Irish government's position, what is Mr Thomas' view of the American position?

The root of the problem seems to be a lack of awareness and understanding among leaders and their peoples. They believe themselves to be supporters of freedom, democracy, justice, fairness and religious righteousness and goodness, reason and rationality, etc, but are they really? In fact, and in practise, they do not support any of these ideals. They are so mired in ignorance, small-mindedness, pettiness, laziness, superficiality and selfishness that they are incapable of supporting the very ideals which they claim to support and hold in such high regard. Observe the leaders of the G-8 countries and the leaders of the EU countries; there is not a person of high principle, intellectual depth, spiritual depth, vision or great intelligence among them. Of course, they'll tacitly and covertly support China and other similar countries; they think it's normal to do so. And they'll feed lies and platitudes to the ignorant masses who might find time to listen to them in between television, sport, golf and drinking sessions. Yes indeed, you are earning the genocides, colonialism, tyranny and oppression you claim to oppose.

Where are the philosopher kings (political and social leaders) proposed by Plato in his work 'The Republic'? Where are the persons of high principle, wisdom, intellectual depth, spiritual depth, vision and great intelligence who could be our philosopher kings and pursue 'The Idea of the Good' as proposed by Plato? Why do we have to put up with such muck, dishonesty and mediocrity in our political and economic systems? Why do we have to put up with 'casino economics' and massive crashes, which almost destroy the world's financial system, and bring us recession, depression and misery in its wake? What we really need is a complete restructuring of the education, economic and political systems in developed countries.

Yours sincerely,
D.E.,
Galway

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