I have no problem with greyhounds competing against each other, or with the camaraderie and mighty craic associated with coursing. What I object to is the use of hares and subjecting them to unnecessary suffering.

I won’t pass comment on Howlin’s naive surprise when receiving late notice of Appleby’s ‘intention’ to leave, other than to say that Appleby probably just wanted to see how much the Government valued him.

Good news to hear that Sky are planning to set up a call centre in Ireland with the offer of 800 jobs in order to look after their digital satellite customers. Compare this to RTE digital services.

Micheál Martin argues that the people should be consulted in advance of significant changes in Europe that impact our nation.

I want to thank Colette Browne for her recent article (Opinion, Jan 25) regarding politicians’ counter-intuitive and immoral implementation of austerity measures that are currently crippling citizens all over Ireland.

This country may be run by a clown’s convention, but nobody is laughing any longer, such is the state the country is in, despite all the so-called benefits of EU membership.

Minister Lucinda Creighton tells us that the Government would have no difficulty in holding a referendum on any new EU treaty on the consolidation of fiscal policy, the so-called “fiscal compact”.

If not a referendum, perhaps the Government will be good enough to explain how they intend we are going to keep to the terms of the treaty?

Micheál Martin wants “a referendum” on the latest inter-governmental treaty.

Environment Minister of State Fergus O’Dowd claims that fracking will create “thousands of jobs”.