Letter to the Editor: Misery at Christmas begins with cheap alcohol

This year, we are told, we will have a Christmas like no other, probably true but there are some things that won’t change. One in particular — the sale of cheap alcohol in supermarkets.

Ten years ago my family experienced a Christmas like no other, it was our first Christmas without our son, David, who sadly took his own life after attending a house party where alcohol was freely available.

It states on his death certificate that alcohol was a contributing factor in his death. David had just turned 19. My wife and I campaigned for change in the laws regarding the price, availability, and promotion of alcohol. While some progress has been made, the law surrounding minimum unit pricing has not been implemented. This law would prevent the strongest, cheapest alcohol from being sold at ridiculously low prices in supermarkets and other outlets.

It won’t stop alcohol abuse but minimum unit pricing will contribute to the reduction of alcohol consumption. Covid-19 has contributed to an increase in home drinking which can only add to incidences of domestic abuse and all the dangers associated with unsupervised house parties. 

I would ask the health minister to continue the good work of the Public Health Alcohol act 2018 and enact the act for minimum unit pricing now.

John Higgins

Ballina

Co Mayo

A time to rebuild after ruins of Covid

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” — Charles Dickens might well begin his novel about the effect of Covid-19 on our country with these words. ‘A tale of two countries’ could be its title and truly they sum up the impact on Irish society of this virus with the measures taken to combat it.

For some people, the restrictions and lockdowns have proved disastrous. Jobs have been lost, never to return, far more loved ones have died without comfort, funerals have been held without proper mourning, weddings have been cancelled, etc. Yet for others new ways of living have been discovered: Working from home, moving to the countryside from stressful city life, a cleaner environment, quieter roads, old values and skills revisited like home cooking. However, on the whole, the impact of Covid-19 has been at least inconvenient and disruptive if not devastating.

We can look forward to the new year as the beginning of an economic boom and a true rebirth and resurgence of the human spirit where we will be born again believers in the values, priorities and aspirations of Irish society. Let us begin to rebuild what has been destroyed, attend to what has been neglected and revive all hope in our future achievements.

John Coughlan

Innishannon Rd

Cork

Poor treatment of politicians on TV

I fully agree with Ray Cawley ‘Class Coveney treated poorly by RTÉ presenter’ (Irish Examiner, Letters, December 9) and one has to ask why do politicians bother because there would be very little news without their co-operation.

Michael Foley

Rathmines

Dublin 6

Deconstructing our State’s narrative

A campaign to remove references to British monarch Queen Victoria in street names in Ireland is a noble and worthy initiative — ‘Men who painted out queen’s name on Cork signs are ‘of utmost sincerity’’ (Irish Examiner, December 8). 

Even today, the queen’s name conjures up images of famine, evictions, tenant farmers, landlordism, workhouses, and coffin ships. Ireland’s avoidable famine deaths were inflicted almost exclusively on the Catholic peasantry in what can almost be described as an act of genocide.

What a pathetic nation we have allowed ourselves to become. We have issued pardons and apologies to those Irish soldiers who deserted their posts during the Second World War while Ireland was in danger of invasion by Nazi Germany or Britain, and have to endure an annual commemoration of the Royal Irish Constabulary in Glasnevin Cemetery.

The RIC was a body of police which incorporated the odious thugs of the Black and Tans and Auxiliaries in its ranks. It seems that decades of revisionism and propaganda with the specific purpose of incrementally deconstructing the narrative of the Irish state is bearing fruit.

Tom Cooper

Irish National Congress Aras an Phiarsaigh Pearse St

Dublin 2

Pay students for ‘professional’ work

Our Chief Justice is a leader. He has decided, in these extraordinary times, not to take a pay increase. This is a personal choice — but an exemplary one. Student nurses in this country have, in some cases, been given the duty of dressing dead babies and the responsibility for consoling bereaved mothers.

This is not, by any stretch, “work experience”. It is traumatic professional work that I for one do not want to do. 

These people should be paid for their work. If for no other reason than the fact that they have shown that they will do it anyway.

We have excellent judges in this country and they do an extraordinarily stressful and responsible job.

But as far as I am concerned, our nurses and student nurses are just as important — if not more.

Michael Deasy

Carrigart

Co Donegal

Deliveries in doubt

Substantial coverage was given to An Post and the company’s arrangements for Christmas deliveries on RTÉ News. 

An Post indicated the difficulties they would have completing deliveries presented to them by some on-line suppliers after December 14. 

It would be interesting to know if the other couriers operating in this sector were able to cope with a similar increase in volume.

Sean Murtagh

Dooradoyle Rd

Limerick

Pass it forward

During the past month we have witnessed the depths to which football has sunk. Whether it was the Kerry v Cork or Dublin v Cavan matches, the abysmal standard of football was the same. 

Endless handpassing of the ball backwards then forwards, then again in loops and circles across the field; I would hazard at a guess 600 to 700 handpasses. This is a low-grade skill, which is executed poorly, and many passes go astray.

There is endless talk about the structure of the championship and little discussion around the appalling standard of football. For a start, could the powers that be decide that all handpasses must be positively forward, i.e, any pass that is flat or backwards results in a turnover of possession.

This will not be difficult to adjudge for a referee and should lead to much quicker release of the ball and a greater emphasis on the skill of kicking, which is what it should be about.

Tony Long

Model Farm Rd

Cork

Double standards

The EU harp on about preserving ‘standards’ which the UK may default on. I believe they should think again.

The EU-Mercosur trade deal is not complying with their rules, or ‘standards’; the use of growth hormones which is banned in EU beef production, is widespread in South America, particularly Argentina.

So it is disappointing to hear them go on about standards, which can be perceived as talking out both sides of their mouth. 

So why not weed those obstacles out first, pull the plug on Mercosur, and retain existing non-tariff status quo on UK-EU beef and lamb trade. Everybody wins, including the Irish farmers.

Ian Hester

Ballymacurley

Co Roscommon

Outraged at lyrics

Those who feel “offended” because of a few words in the magnificent song, ‘Fairytale of New York’, are welcome to jump around feigning distress every time it’s played on radio and TV. The lyrics as sung by Kirsty and Shane are the language of the truly suffering and marginalised desperate outcasts of this world, who express their sorrow in this way every day of their lives.

Any perceived “offending” words belong to us all who believe in honesty and freedom of speech. Songwriting and words used lay no claim to being deliberately demeaning in their content.

The same must apply to the watchful ones who feel the world must write and speak with only themselves in our thoughts, lest they begin to cry.

No ‘outraged’ community has the right to censor language and specific real words just because it plays into their self-pitying and shrill narrative.

Robert Sullivan

Bantry

Co Cork

Singing praise

Happy, heavenly 105th birthday to Frank Sinatra tomorrow, December 12. His incredible talent in all fields of the entertainment industry is legendary, especially in music. His gift of phrasing a song was exactly that, a gift. Add acting in comedy, drama, or musical plus conducting an orchestra and his philanthropic involvement with hospitals and children and we have much to be thankful for.

Herb Stark

Mooresville

North Carolina