Dear Sir... Readers' Views (25/10/16)
Opportunity knocks for us with Brexit
Already, the UK, for long the world’s fifth largest economy, has slipped back to sixth place, beaten by France.
Already, major City banks, such as Morgan Stanley and Citibank, have warned the British government that they are thinking of pulling out and have asked for details on what Brexit actually means in practice.
Of course, the unfortunate British government dog, now in the invidious position of having to implement an idiot policy foisted on them by a tail of credulous bigots, is operating in a policy vacuum and therefore unable or unwilling to supply any details apart from waffling meaninglessly about ‘Brexit meaning Brexit’.
Already, Nissan, so long a conspicuous British manufacturing success within the EU, is asking for a cash injection from UK taxpayers to compensate it for the loss of the EU.
Already, the pound is in free-fall, despite frantic shore-up attempts by the Bank of England. All this, and Brexit hasn’t even happened yet.
In reality, whatever about the North and the border (neither of which ever were major issues down South or in England anyway), Brexit is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to position the Republic of Ireland as a common-law, well-educated, English-speaking gateway to the world’s largest consumer market. Especially in relation to the US, Brexit is a glorious opportunity to position Ireland as the best EU FDI alternative to a confused and isolationist Britain.
The only fly in the ointment is the lick-spittle, vacillatory Fine Gaeler mentality, psychologically marooned in a sea of right-wing South Dublin cultural Britishness and whose probable response to an open-goal strategy provided by the idiot Brexiteers will be to put the ball wide.
Correspondent shoots messenger
Your correspondent, Guy de Jeune, (Irish Examiner, Letters, October 20) appears to be irked by my contribution, (October 17) enunciating the emotions of an innocent, as of yet unborn child.
The fact that the presentation was made in verse (which I concede was not very eloquent) may have contributed to a misinterpretation. Consequently, to clarify the issue I will revert to using “prosaic prose”.
Firstly, there is no basis for accusing the pro-life group of utilising “geriatric euthanasia” as a “scare tactic”. The question was raised, (which incidentally was not answered) on society’s attitude to the relative status of the unborn child and the chronically ill elderly person.
Christian doctrine teaches that each person should be treated equally, with respect and dignity. With reference to the fifth commandment, you again failed to give a definitive answer by deflecting to another issue. To borrow your own words, “I find distasteful and disturbing” your depiction of a child in the womb, as “an amorphous bundle of foetal tissue”.
This is disrespectful to all women, moreover to those who are pregnant.
You state (as is your right) that you do not believe in the existence of God. Is this an essential requisite of the pro-choice movement, whose principles you support?
Finally, you accuse the pro-life group of “possessing grotesque, bizarre or unreal qualities”. This really smacks of desperation, and is a classic instance of the axiom, “if you don’t like the message, you shoot the messenger”!
Bruton’s lecture is bad advice to ASTI
Having read Michael Clifford’s excellent article the following occurred to me. ASTI are now being lectured to by Richard Bruton saying that, whatever the merits of their case, the state of the public finances must be taken into account.
The same Richard Bruton who, when he came into office as a minister following the 2011 General Election appointed Ciaran Conlon, who had been an advisor to Enda Kenny for several years as Bruton’s special advisor at a salary of €127,000.
That was well above the Government’s €92,672 cap and €47,000 more than Department of Finance guidelines which set starting salaries for advisers at €80,000.
Leo Varadkar has taken on the gardaí implying the same argument and adding that if they go on strike the public will never see them in the same way again even though this has nothing to do with his ministry. This is the same Leo who back in 2011 appointed Brian Murphy as his special adviser offering a salary of approximately €106,000, later €99,370.
The Government have now wheeled out Brendan Howlin to the media who is now in opposition to put the same argument once again. And yes, the same Mr Howlin offered Ronan O’Brien €106,880, thus becoming the seventh minister to exceed the government cap and all this at a time which it is freely accepted that the public finances were in their worst condition in the history of the state.
Is it not time taxpayers made this racket of ministers appointing their party cronies as special advisers at inflated salaries an election issue?
How did we manage before the special adviser idea came along? Answer, perfectly well. We relied on our civil servants — Department Secretary Generals who are continuous and darn good at what they do. Special advisers are there to serve the minister, not the people.
Bigwigs are still let off by the media
Michael Clifford (Irish Examiner, October 22) tells us about the ‘utter contempt for young people’ demonstrated by the recession measures. In addition he highlights ‘the capacity for denial that raises its head every now and again from the national psyche’.
Like most of the media, he ignores the fact that it was the reckless decisions of a small number of the most powerful in government, financial institutions, and the developer classes, etc, during the pre 2009 Celtic Tiger boom that showed utter contempt for not alone the young but all of the ordinary citizens of this country.
But for that there would have been less need for recession measures.
The capacity for denial is demonstrated daily in the media when former bigwigs of the Celtic Tiger era continue to go unchallenged when pontificating about the ills of the country which are the consequences of their own decisions.
In fact the bigwigs of the Celtic Tiger era were just as unchallengedthen when they were making the decisions which broke the country.
Global demise of democracy
Nothing will shock me anymore about the obvious decline of “democracy” in the Western World.
The ignorant jousting that is going on between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the USA Presidential race, is a source of scandal. It is becoming a sort of entertainment — like mud wrestling.
Why do we not hear about their many third party Independents? It looks as if you have to be a billionaire, or to have the support of billionaires, to get known and to buy your way around. It looks very similar to the situation that pertained in the Roman Empire two thousand years ago.
What happens in the USA is quickly copied here in Ireland.
Our political parties have a long record of seeking advice from their American counterparts.
We are being conditioned by adverts and consumerism. I believe that our elections are not so much “won” as “bought”.
Should we be amazed that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael did not form the “grand coalition”? After all, they are in coalitions with each other in two thirds of our councils. Like in the States, they pretend to be at each other’s throats. We elected TDs to govern and we must remember how they have reneged on us. Are they any better than puppets on strings? Who is pulling those strings?
They are playing games, as in a slow bicycle race. Local issues, ordinary people and fairness do not count. It is all about controlling the media and about sound-bites. All the larger parties are getting state funding (from our pockets). The bigger ones get up to €3 million per year. As soon as they reckon they have an unbeatable election fund, they will cause another general election.
Should we be happy at that? Are we capable of thinking for ourselves anymore? God save Ireland and God save democracy worldwide.
Teachers voted for colleagues’ low pay
ASTI Strike Action is nothing if not an Absolutely Selfish Teacher Initiative to the complete disregard for its impact on students, especially exam year students.
The pay gap between newly recruited teachers and pre-2010 teachers was voted for by those pre-2010 teachers themselves and it is a bit hypocritical for teachers to now be complaining and striking against it. Pay scales will be equalised in time if the ASTI teachers sign up to the Lansdowne Road Agreement like the other two teacher unions and all other public service unions but one.
Parents are furious at ASTI’s actions and are calling for ASTI to abandon its strike action and supervision work-to-rule.
