Dear Sir... Readers' Views (05/11/16)
Focus on the real cause of discontent
Daniel McConnell (Irish Examiner, November 2) blamed the Garda and teachers’ dispute and the threats of strike action on what has happened “since the crash”.
That ignores the fact that there would have been no crash if the small number of people in powerful positions at the head of government, financial institutions etc, during the years prior to 2009 had not made reckless decisions that caused the country to go broke.
Daniel McConnell quotes Michael Doherty, professor of employment law at Maynooth University, as saying that the situation “where budget after budget, line departments saw their funding slashed” gave “economic-centre decisions”.
That ignores the fact that it was the lack of just such economic-centre decisions that caused the recklessness of the Celtic Tiger bigwigs in the years 2000 to 2009. This recklessness was unchallenged by media or academia in those years.
The present situation, therefore, is not just the result of what has happened since the crash. It has more to do what happened in the heads of the powerful prior to 2009 which contributed to the crash.
More perspective and a bit more realisation of the causes of our present predicament would enlighten the contribution of both McConnell and Doherty to the debate.
Selling state assets not a smart move
The plight of the homeless is deeply worrying, but the inertia around solving the problem is shameful. Part of the solution is indeed to build new houses, but what is so wrong with the social housing that was built in the first place?
The council/corporation estates were first built in the 1930s and 1940s to provide homes for those people who couldn’t afford to own a home or pay the market rate of rent.
Why were so many of these homes privatised in the 80s, leading to the gentrification of those estates? A bizarre concept that social housing would not be needed in the future?
A toxic cocktail of beliefs was behind this: There is no such thing as society; greed is good; wealth will spill down the generations; and we’ll all live happily ever after.
No worries, I hear the politicians saying. Cheap blocks of apartments for social housing in the inner city will work fine.
And during the boomier times, who needs social housing anyway? Sure isn’t everyone buying a second apartment in Spain?
May I offer a partial solution. Over the coming years give the local authorities a budget to repurchase all the corporation housing that was privatised in the 80s. It will be slow, and they will have to buy back at current market prices, but it makes sense. Selling off state assets (eg, social housing) was not smart, is not smart and never will be smart.
By the way, I heard there is a tidy sum of €14bn resting in an escrow account somewhere. I propose we give the Department of Finance permission to dip into this pot in order to kickstart this plan.
Why are we heeding Ahern’s views now?
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern says there needs to be a dedicated minister to deal with Brexit.
Maybe, maybe not.
My reaction is simple: If this was 2009 would we pay any attention to Bertie Ahern on any subject? Of course we wouldn’t, and rightly so.
Does this mean the media believe he has “served his time” and he is welcomed back in mainstream commentary?
How quickly we have forgotten.
Waxing lyrical on an autumnal theme
We hope all readers are getting out and about during this lovely autumnal weather, whenever possible. The poets describe it as the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness.
We think it was PB Shelly who described it in his Ode to Autumn as having the colours “Yellow and black, and pale and electric red”. These are very evident here in Munster, plus our probably 40 shades of green, tinges of brown etc. Watch out and count the beauties of our lovely country.
Please get out and enjoy it, and protect nature.
Pay less for a higher class of politician
A Leavy (Oct 31) says paying elected representatives well is crucial to a functioning democracy and that they should be paid more than public officials.
In Sweden, politicians also have second homes and offices, but they don’t own them. The state provides them for the person elected for a constituency and when they retire or lose their seat, their successor moves in and there are a range of options from a single-bedroom flat to those more suitable for people with family responsibilities.
So the way things are done in Ireland is not the only way things can be done.
The premise at the heart of the argument is that politicians deserve more pay because otherwise we won’t attract the right sort of people.
Well it seems to me that when politicians were paid among the highest in the western world leading up to the crash, it didn’t attract much talent to the gene pool. Yet decades ago, when politicians were paid normal salaries and lived lives similar to their voters, the class of politician was far higher than it today.
Peddling opinions about airhead cyclists
With airbags in cycle helmets, will cyclists who take foolish risks be called airheads?
Woman’s right to choose new career
Mike Mahon suggests that women only should be permitted to vote in any abortion referendum as they are ultimately the ones who suffer from our outdated laws (Letters, November 2). I hope you will permit me to quote a woman who would be unlikely to support the idea of “a woman’s right to choose”.
Abby Johnson was director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who was one day called upon to assist in an ultrasound-guided abortion. In her book Unplanned, she relates how while viewing the image of the 13-week-old foetus: “The detail startled me. I could clearly see the profile of the head, both arms, legs, and even tiny fingers and toes. Perfect. ...At first the baby didn’t seem aware of the cannula. ...The next movement was the sudden jerk of a tiny foot as the baby started kicking, as if trying to move away from the probing invader. ....And the uterus was empty. Totally empty.”
Ms Johnson left her employment with Planned Parenthood soon afterwards.
Trump is home and dry in US election
Trump cannot fail in becoming the next president of the United States, and if we are to reflect on the media tactics, test polls, and other gimmickry that passed unnoticed in the Brexit referendum, he is home and dry.
Have no doubt that in every dodgy State, Trump will have “loyal Hillary Clinton fans just until pencils touch paper”.
I’m convinced it was similar strategy that got Brexit over the line in the UK.
Presidential elections are based on mega-bucks, in this case not piloted to success by a great jockey or driver, but by an energised orator called Trump.
His mission is innocently non- judgmental, in so far as he classes the wheat with the chaff, the good with the bad, and demeans and depersonalises the rest, with neither respect for man nor beast.
He has established the technique of convincing millions of voters that “downright facts” are totally lies, and that he has the power, “the techniques, varied experience, personnel, unlimited finance and ability to bring the great American dream to a truly happy ending.
Vegetarian or vegan Christmas wishes
Will somebody think of the vegan and vegetarian?
Reading the Christmas party menus of local restaurants it is evident that the proprietors are still in the dark about veganism and vegetarianism.
In their offering of the usual tired Christmas-themed meat dishes there is no reference to a non-meat option. Thinking beyond the dish seems a bit too much for those trying to drum up Christmas party trade.
For years us vegans/vegetarians have had to put with the vegetarian dish of the day; pasta bake or Portobello mushroom tartlet. as restaurants struggle to understand that vegetarians eat more than pasta or mushrooms.
As for getting a vegan dish; on a good day you might just get a plate of overcooked vegetables.
At Christmas time we don’t want to be special. All we ask is to sit down and pick our dish from the Christmas menu and not have to ask or request a non-meat dish.
This is a lucrative untapped culinary market. We must never forget that trite statement, farm to fork. For it to exist, a heartbeat must be stilled.
Vegans and vegetarians want to celebrate a humane Christmas.
All we ask is that those who cater for our Christmas party night out think of our requirements when drawing up the Christmas menu.
An Old Head idyll
I had the pleasure to play the Old Head Golf Links in idyllic weather in the last week of this season. Tee times were fully booked all week. The resort has enjoyed one of its busiest seasons ever, pre bookings reaching 86% of available times.
The late John O’Connor’s vision of ensuring that the Old Head Links continues to improve each year has been adopted by his niece, Lhara the resort’s general manager. The manicured fairways and sleek greens are an absolute dream to play on and, with the breathtaking surroundings, it is no wonder that the rich and famous continue to visit the Old Head every year.
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