This is not a chess game — politicians should go ahead and put a democratic government in place, rather than treating as pawns the honest people of Ireland who elected them.

The pre-election circus is thankfully over; the people have spoken and the die is cast.

I would like to see fairer delivery of justice and a review of the imbalance in distribution of the country’s wealth during the coming year.

Inevitable from the outset, the Banking Inquiry has become the obvious debacle now on our plate. After costing the taxpayers millions, the 11-member committee seem helpless in providing a clear-cut credible draft report, never mind a final one.

I recently overheard a heated discussion on the number of people on hospital trolleys awaiting beds. The conversation went like this:

Surely Irish Water are not again contributing further to the fortune already squandered by hiring an external outfit to conduct a survey on customers who complained about the utility?

The National Asset Management Agency, NAMA, rather appropriately, is sometimes referred to as the ‘toxic bank’.

James Gleeson (Letters 2 July) refers to “starving migrants “ from Africa trying to reach Europe.

Before the Great Famine, the population of Ireland was approximately 8.2m people. Mass starvation caused a death toll of close to one million people and another one million were forced to emigrate to the US, Canada and Great Britain.

It’s not just because of the current Greek problem, there is ongoing turbulence with the euro. Ireland already had its share. Then there was Cyprus and Portugal.

Another outbreak of BSE would be a dagger in the heart of, not just farmers, but the entire community.

The Government’s spring statement, and Finance Minister Michael Noonan’s pledge to lure thousands of emigrants home, via more favourable tax measures, were as welcome as the flowers in May. Or would be, if either had an iota of credibility!

Seven years after the country suffered the worst banking crisis in Europe, Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan comes along to tell us tougher rules are required to crack down on irresponsible bankers. 

A double housing problem exists. Homeowners on sky-high variable mortgage rates are desperate for the Government to intervene with banks because they cant afford them.

What a start to spring. Ireland goes into the annals of international rugby history for all the right reasons.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny visualised himself riding on the crest of an imaginary wave during his recent St Patrick’s Day mission to the States. 

At last, there is now scope for real optimism in rural Ireland, after being obsessed with quotas for over 30 years.

The pension pots of our Ministers and TDs are too much, comparable to other countries, for what they achieve.

I agree with James Gleeson (Irish Examiner, February 28) concerning the possible takeover of Aer Lingus by IAG. Willie Walsh seems to be obsessed with the acquisition.

It’s nice, once in a while, to compliment the Government, this time for rejecting the sale of Aer Lingus. Selling would be retrograde, similar to casting a salmon to catch a trout.

Aer Lingus is part of our family silverware. It gives us independence and guarantees control over our key air connections, from airports all over Ireland and Britain.

We possibly forgot the Government was only still in its initiation stage when the Troika took charge, making our leaders their stooges and bidding them act accordingly.

It would appear everything in Irish Water is now hunky dory, other than the costing or not costing of water.

A terrible cloud of failure and boredom seems to hang over this Government. Too many false promises, as well as some of the old traits of corruption as they place their cronies in big jobs in unnecessary quangos.

The genocide of Jews in the last world war was one of the greatest atrocities ever recorded.

Modern highbrow comedians may have third level qualifications, but unfortunately they have lost the art of extracting spontaneous laughter from an audience. Or could it be possible people no longer laugh as much?

Consequent to the recent controversy about a young asylum seeker whose pregnancy was induced early, there are whispers in the wind for a more liberal abortion law.

What a turn-up for the books! It’s hard to imagine Finance Minister Michael Noonan suddenly realising he could chop, possibly, up to €1bn from this year’s budget! A new crock of gold was discovered. I believe he can do it because of gains from certain illegal activities — ranging from fuel and drug smuggling to drug dealing and prostitution.

A study of Facebook users has found a strong tendency towards copycat behaviour leads people to select apps based on their friends’ choices rather than the most popular.

The Government has learned little if it goes ahead with a farcical bank inquiry on the 2008 economic collapse. It happened because of State leaders and the offences committed by the banks.

A house like, anything else, has a definite value. With a house, however, location is the real determining factor.

Our Irish Water project has been compared by some to the Rural Electrification Scheme of the late ’40s and early ’50s. Even Phil Hogan might agree with that — but only in so far as it is distribution of a national utility.

Exiting the bailout is possibly an opportunity rather than a conclusion (Irish Examiner, Dec 14).

This horrible budget promotes inequality — giving to the banks and the wealthy, while taking from the vulnerable and needy.

The now humiliated Taoiseach feared to debate the Seanad issue and was even unaware he was putting the cart before the horse.

I understand why Pat Kenny made the big jump in the autumn of his years.

A landmark hotel in Killarney, Co Kerry, has still not reopened after being damaged a month ago by a fatal gas explosion nearby.

The irony of how a gentle person who loved peace and nature could die in a terrifying gas explosion that ripped through his launderette was reflected upon by mourners at his dignified funeral service yesterday.

The Health & Safety Authority has launched an investigation into a gas explosion in which one man died in Killarney on Saturday.

Emergency services at the scene of a fatal gas explosion in Killarney, Co Kerry, at the weekend did not immediately carry out a search of the scene because of safety concerns for their personnel.

A relative of a 59-year-old businessman, killed in a suspected gas explosion, has called for sensors to be made available to emergency services to check if a trapped person is alive inside a building.