Letters to the Editor: Oireachtas needs to seriously challenge RTÉ

Education Minister Norma Foley has been accused of not listening to students' concerns. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Your writer Paul Hosford asks if an
Oireachtas committee questioning RTÉ over the flouting of Covid guidelines is really necessary (‘Does RTÉ deserve the after-party hangover’, Irish Examiner, November 24).

The better question is: will it do any good? When the BBC appears before the similar House of Commons’ committee its executives are properly held to account. As a result the BBC has been forced to admit that it has not always reported certain issues fairly. It is now threatened with major reform.

RTÉ on the other hand is never seriously challenged in the Oireachtas. Thus RTÉ’s news website is allowed unfairly compete with Irish-owned newspapers. Nor do TDs challenge the many incidents of RTÉ News defaming innocent people, ranging from Fr Kevin Reynolds to journalist Kevin Myers. This despite the taxpayer ultimately footing RTÉ’s huge bills for settlements and legal fees. Finally, no Irish politician will address the dismissive manner with which RTÉ treats members of the public who dare to complain.

Karl Martin

Dublin 13

The GAA is all about community

Pádraic Neary (Irish Examiner, Letters, November 24) joins what seems
begrudgery-fuelled calls to do something about the current dominance of Dublin in Gaelic football. There will always be teams who dominate from time to time in any sport but what must always be kept on mind is the fact that amateur sport is all about the taking part and not the winning. The GAA is all about community, with the club at its heart. The All-Ireland is about giving players the chance to represent their county on a national stage.

It is marvellous entertainment to see the game played well and the current majestic Dublin side are simply poetry in motion. My advice to Mr Neary is, ditch the rancour, sit back and enjoy, it will not last forever.

Jim O’Sullivan

Rathedmond, Sligo

Dubs’ dominance: Play the ball folks

Even in the strangest of GAA championship seasons there remains one constant, the Dubs continue to be subjected to much more close marking off the field than they are on it.

Having brushed Meath aside at the weekend, they are blamed for the corpse that the Leinster championship has supposedly now become. Their advantaged of having Croke Park as the venue for the vast majority of their games and the disproportionate amount of funding they receive (whither the Dublin hurlers) are among the persistent fouls and off the ball tackles to which they continue to be subjected.

This isn’t the first time that there has been a dominant team in Gaelic games, the Kerry footballers of the 1970s and, in more recent times, the Kilkenny hurlers immediately come to mind. Neither the games of football or hurling nor the provincial championships in which these sides participated died because to these dynasties.

In fact, the aftermath of Kilkenny’s dominance saw the resurgence of Wexford and Waterford while Clare, Galway and Limerick bridged a considerable number of years to win All-Ireland titles, all consequently bringing the game of hurling to new levels of skill and competitiveness.

The message is clear, therefore, to the football community, focus maximum energy, contrariness and guile on surpassing the standards set in this outstanding Dublin era. For those who do, the potential for their county and for the game of Gaelic football will be immense.

Michael Gannon

Kilkenny

Shut the schools early for Christmas

I am concerned at the rising mental health pressures facing Leaving Cert 2021 students and give my backing to the TUI call for schools to shut for Christmas on December 18 rather than December 22.

This is in the wake of a poll conducted on my Instagram page over the weekend which showed 97% of more than 700 students responding expressing the view that LC2021 students are under the same amount or more pressure than LC2020 students.

The poll showed 86% of students expressing support for the TUI call.

The mental health pressures on students are clearly rising and the Government needs to take some action.

Mick Barry TD

Solidarity

We must stand by those with no voice

I’m an advocate for those who have no voice or who are to afraid to stand up for themselves.

I believe that no man should ever raise a hand to any woman or child and I would encourage women and children to ring the helplines if they are suffering domestic or sexual violence in the homes.

I have written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and other Government officials making them aware of what is happening.

There are roughly around 10,000 people homeless in Ireland and at least half of them are children and its an absolute disgrace. What will happen if thousands of people, who may have families are made redundant from their jobs. Will they end up being homeless just because they weren’t able to pay the bills or the rent or even the mortgage. Who will give them accommodation to keep them and their families safe and warm?

I cannot change things but be sure I can express my opinion but we need you the public to support the organisations that deal with domestic and sexual violence in the homes and to help those who are homeless, those living alone or who are elderly and are finding it difficult to get through this lockdown and show them we care.

I know this lockdown is affecting my own and probably other people’s mental health and they need support to get through this difficult time.

Denis Michael O’Sullivan

Carrigadrohid, Co Cork

Food: Healthier to subsidise farmers

As the old saying goes “you are what you eat” but the process of trying to eat properly has become increasingly confusing nowadays.

We are bombarded by a plethora of advice and information by environmentalists, scientists, and nutritionists, as well as being exposed to exotic ingredients, cooking techniques, and new terminology. Our attitudes to food are also affected by other variables such as cultural customs, together with concerns about body image which can particularly influence young people into presenting beach-ready figures on social media.

Followers of vegan and vegetarian-type diets choose cooked, raw and fermented fruit and vegetables together with milk derived from imported soya, coconut, rice sources. These can be nutritious if consumed as part of a balanced diet containing dairy products, fish and meat.

It has been scientifically proven that such calcium-rich foods are essential to health and bone-structure. Confusion is further exacerbated by fanaticism about over-exaggerated food allegories. It could, indeed, be argued that some of these trends may be driven by a food-biased purity obsession to project a post-modern self-identity.

Unfortunately, the pros and cons of food choice are also influenced by financial considerations and the ability to purchase good quality organic products. Unsurprisingly, the poor invariably tend to buy processed fatty, sugary, foods which are cheaper, tasty and addictive. Such unhealthy consumption habits may cause ill health and obesity.

Consequently, we are dealing with an economically-driven food situation as organic and various homegrown products are too expensive for many shoppers. Would it not be beneficial if our Irish farmers were properly subsidised rather than being pillarised by an ever-increasing plethora of crippling rules, regulations, inspections and environmentalists? Such an approach might prompt healthier eating habits, which could, in turn, decrease pressure on our over-burdened health service.

Margaret Humphreys

Blarney, Cork

Answer thatone Taoiseach

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, State centenary memorials commemorating the deaths of Cork Lords Mayor
Terence MacSwiney and Tomás McCurtain, the execution of Kevin Barry in Mountjoy Jail, the Bloody Sunday massacre in Croke Park and the burning of Cork City by British forces were cancelled, yet the Taoiseach Micheál Martin could travel to Enniskillen, wear a poppy, and commemorate the armed forces which were responsible for these atrocities. Shamed again.

Tom Cooper

Templeogue, Dublin 6

Australia leads by example on Covid

For those that doubt the value of compulsory masks and a heavy lock down, today Victoria, Australia with a population of over 6m had a 0,0,0 day, 0 deaths, 0 new infections and finally 0 active cases of the virus. Don’t think — ACT!

Dennis Fitzgerald

Vic Melbourne, Australia

Vaccine safety

With the speed of development of a number of Covid vaccines — less than nine months — one wonders to what extent their safety has been tested to ensure that there will be no adverse effects for the unborn child.

Swithun Goodbody

Ballydehob, Co Cork

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