Dear Sir....Readers' views (30/5/2016)
Tusla should have shown gratitude to grandparents
One would think that Tusla would be grateful for the two loving Grandparents who for the last four years took care of their adored 12-year-old Grandson. No, in spite of the obvious fact that in six years time he will be independent enough to go to College someone has decided that this decision is in his best interests.
We hear every day about the shortage of social workers and reports of serious abuse and neglect of vulnerable children and the failure of the HSE to manage these cases.
Why then, when it is obvious that this child was well cared for, was he removed from his relatives and placed with strangers. It sets a dangerous precedent when the State appears to be saying they know best in spite of evidence to the contrary in this case.
No country for old people
According to a Government institution people in their mid-60s are considered too old to care for children.
We paid our taxes and got this country out of a huge mess. Now does the State want us to go away and expire. We are living far to long, and putting an awful strain on finances by drawing our pension’s into our 90s.
Compulsory euthanasia for anyone who dares to reach 66 must surely be on the cards.
Got to go now! Must get my teeth out of the cup, and warm-up my Zimmer frame before going to the gym.
Kenny may not be great, but ‘better’
Joe Brennan may have a point when he says applying the term ‘great’ to Enda Kenny might be going a bit too far (Irish Examiner, Letters, May 25).
A more realistic assessment might result from a comparison of Mr Kenny’s 2011 austerity government with the ‘awash with cash’ governments of the Celtic Tiger era which went before. A comparison with Greece which had a bailout at much the same might also be relevant.
In the pre-2009 Celtic Tiger period there seemed to be no shortage of money, all in the garden seemed rosy and as a consequence there was a relatively favourable media. The problem was that ended in 2010 with a bankrupt government, bankrupt banks, a bankrupt country and an €85 billion bailout.
That necessitated major cuts in services, increased taxation and charges for some services that were previously ‘free’. In other words ‘AUSTERITY’ writ large all day every day in media coverage.
Therefore when the 2011 government took office Ireland was in the same or worse position than Greece which had a bailout at the same time. Now, while Greece is still in the throes of its third bailout, Ireland has made some recovery.
Kenny and his government may not be ‘great’ but they sure are better than the Celtic Tiger governments.
Missing Children’s Hotline services
May 25 marked International Missing Children’s Day. It is marked throughout Europe and the world over, commemorating the lives of children who are missing and remembering those who are victims of trafficking, parental abduction, or who have run away.
The ISPCC’s 116 000 Missing Children’s Hotline exists in Ireland to provide emotional support and advice to children and young people who are missing, their family, and others responsible for the missing child. It also offers guidance and advice to callers regarding a missing child. The hotline is free, confidential and is available to take calls 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
The calls received by the Missing Children’s Hotline were for a variety of reasons but primarily focus on parental abduction and children who have run away.
Other aspects of the Missing Children’s Hotline service that are available include an automated text service offering support to young people who have run away, face-to-face support, and advice on the website at www.missingchildrenshotline.ie.
Any instance of a child going missing is very serious; this is why the ISPCC established the Missing Children’s Hotline. It is available to take calls providing emotional support and guidance to adults and children.
As the awareness of the service continues to grow, the ISPCC reminds members of the public to always call the Gardaí first in the case of a child going missing.
The ISPCC continues to raise awareness of the service in order to reach out to the most vulnerable children and families.
The organisation is asking members of the public to save the Missing Children’s Hotline number and to share this phone number.
Parents must bear their responsibilities
There should be more to teaching than being a skilled babysitter. Schools should not have to cater to the emotional needs of their students; surely this should be the duty of parents?
People should not be allowed to have children if they aren’t bothered about their anti-social activity, or if they can’t encourage some backbone in them. Providing a guide book for every event has only created a spineless society as well as condoning irresponsible parenting. No amount of hand-holding can supplant experience.
UK will have EU trade after ‘Brexit’
Joe Gill writes that if the UK votes to leave the EU “trade barriers will emerge between England and various parts of Europe” (Irish Examiner, May 18). Switzerland is not a member of the EU so how come a Swiss Company (Liebherr) has been manufacturing tower cranes in Killarney for decades? Another Swiss company (Roche Chemicals) have a manufacturing plant in Clarecastle since the eighties.
A Swiss company (Logitech) have a 750,000 sq ft office near Cork Airport. Zurich Insurance have a large office in Kerlogue Business Park, Wexford. Novartis, Nestle, Hilti Power Tools, etc, are all Swiss companies trading throughout the EU.
Norway is not a member of the EU. Statoil own a large share of Ireland’s gas reserves in the Corrib basin and operated a chain of petrol stations all over Ireland as recently as 2006.
A Canadian company is now the largest private landlord in Ireland after buying large blocks of Nama’s portfolio (according to a recent Sunday Business Post article).
Another Canadian company now own Irish Life. Yet another Canadian company operate Ireland’s search and rescue service (according to a recent Irish Examiner report). Is Canada a member of the EU?
God knows how many American multinationals have bases in Ireland. Is America a member of the EU?
An Australian company have a part-share in operating the speed cameras on our roads (according to another recent Irish Examiner report), is Australia a member of the EU?
The next time Joe drives on the Ballincollig by-pass he should ask himself how did a Turkish company (Gama) come here and build the Tuam by-pass and Ballincollig by-pass. Is Turkey a member of the EU?
Why do Europhiles like Joe Gill keep claiming that the EU market will be closed off to the UK if they leave?
Use lottery funds to fix the health crisis
We have some very serious problems with the Health Service. Having people on trolleys is difficult to understand and hundreds of patients waiting years for admission to hospitals for surgical operations. Some people in high places have an explanation for it, but it is wrong. Some Government Ministers are taking the brunt of the criticism for the crisis in the Health Service. But the buck for this crisis does not stop with them alone.
The Irish Hospital Sweepstakes — whose funds were devoted exclusively to hospitals — was replaced with much fanfare by the National Lottery, whose funds have been spread over many areas. The National Lottery was introduced in 1987, by the then Minister for Sport, Donal Creed TD, to be used specifically in the promotion of sport. It is now a ‘kitty’ dipped into by all politicians for their favourite activities and to promote their own interests. Will the health crisis be pursued at National Lottery level by our politicians? Time will tell.
There is a health crisis — so why doesn’t everyone stop looking for someone to blame, and just get down to treating it like a crisis? I suggest that for the next five years all funds from the National Lottery are added to the dept of Health budget. I’m quite sure the public will see sense of this and be happier to have a first-class health service, rather than some of the various “luxuries” that have been funded to the tune of millions of euro over the years by the National Lottery. Yes, these projects might have had their individual merits, but when you have a crisis, you treat it like a crisis. In the health crisis we need fewer words and more action to save more lives.
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