Letters to the Editor: Sinn Féin have nothing to learn from Labour's time in coalition

The Labour Party ran in the 2011 general election, knowing austerity would not work.

Their viewpoint was subsequently confirmed by the International Monetary Fund, in 2013, by its then chief economist, Oliver Blanchard. He wrote  that every dollar governments cut from their budgets reduced economic output by $1.50. This knowledge is nothing new: Austerity contributed to the collapse of the political mainstream in early 1930s Germany.

Ireland is safer with Sinn Féin sticking to their promises than compromising. In 2011, Labour offered their way or Frankfurt's way: They should have stuck with Labour's way.

Shane Burke

Monasterevin,

Co Kildare

Closed churches an affront to Christians

The decision by the Government to further delay opening of churches for public worship until Easter Monday, immediately after the most sacred week in the Christian liturgy, lacks any medical justification.

The continued insistence on empty churches across the country, right into the heart of Easter, simply makes no sense.

It shuts down communal and family worship, especially for children  and their parents.

It shuts out the hope and promise of Easter for a demoralised, and increasingly divided, country.

It is gratuitously disrespectful to Christians.

Ray Kinsella

Ashford,

Wicklow

Martin undermined by party’s grassroots

I'm annoyed and angered at the way Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the leader of Fianna Fáil, is being unfairly criticised for the way he has communicated and for how he has managed the Government. He has done so in good faith. He has made Irish history. And he has done more for Irish democracy, in putting our country first and political gain last.

It is heartwarming to  see him, in his very Irish style, managing matters in extremely unprecedented and challenging times. Yes, he took the risk in easing social-distancing and the lockdown to allow the economy to breathe for a short period at Christmas. That took courage,  knowing the risks involved. Unfortunately, it did not pay off for us, despite good intentions. This would be the case no matter what leader was in charge.

It is disappointing, therefore, that some of the Fianna Fáil grassroots are so anxious to get rid of their leader, rather than  the party communicating in unison to the public. It is unpleasant behaviour.

Back-benchers are harking back to the past glories of Éamon de Valera, Charlie Haughey, Jack Lynch, and other Fianna Fáil taoisigh, but it's not a one-party state now.

Those in Fianna Fáil ought to remember the real meaning of democracy and be able to finally bid goodbye to Civil War politics and show that we can work together as a proud nation, small as we are.

Brian Kane

Knockloughlin,

Longford

Giving away our natural resources

For how long more are  the Government going to place ownership of the nation's natural resources in the hands of private companies and their shareholders, denying the public purse lucrative, badly-needed revenue? Energy and broadband giveaways are typical of their ideology, and the National Children's Hospital overruns are typical of their incompetence and profligacy.

Is it any wonder that even before Covid-19, the national debt was well over €200bn; the waiting list for health services was over 600,000; and housing and homelessness a crisis.

A headline in Friday's Irish Examiner read, ‘Energy Prices on the Up, So What Can be Done About It?’ For a start, the Government could end the privatisation of the nation's natural resources, which places huge profits and jobs in the hands of private boardrooms and shareholders.

The Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael Land Development Agency Bill is another such move to control public lands by political parties that have, for  40 years, demonstrated all too clearly their preferences when it comes to building houses, private and social.

Joe Brennan

Ballinspittle,

Co Cork

‘Racism’ used to promote superiority

Before this kerfuffle over the two millionaires, Harry and Meghan, gets out of hand, perhaps we should listen to the words of Professor Thomas Sowell.

Sowell, who is black,  grew up in poverty in the 1930s and 1940s, when US race laws oppressed black people. He recently said: "The word 'racism' is now like ketchup. It can be put on practically anything. Racism is not dead, but it is on life support,  kept alive by politicians, race hustlers, and people who get a sense of superiority by denouncing others as racists."

Karl Martin

Bayside,

Dublin 13

Israel’s refusal to vaccinate Palestinians

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, rejoices that "we are coming back to life", as the Israeli state re-opens restaurants and bars to holders of the 'green pass' (which indicates that a person is inoculated) and as the country announces a tourist corridor with Greece and explores similar deals with the UK and other European states.

But Netanyahu's government still refuses, in breach of the fourth Geneva convention, to vaccinate the 2.75m Palestinians in the occupied West Bank — apart from those who have permits to work within the Israeli state.

This must be placed in context: The Israeli residential construction sector has seen an 18% drop in new-builds over the past year, mainly due to Palestinian labourers not being able to access Israeli building sites.

How can Israeli authorities proclaim their vaccination drive a success, or promote their tourism sector to international holidaymakers, when 120,000 Palestinian workers, key to the Israeli construction sector, are forced to queue for hours in cramped conditions at military checkpoints every morning, and return every evening to a region in which Covid-19 cases have quadrupled within the past six weeks?

This immoral and strategically dubious approach calls to mind the late Gerald Kaufman's  assessment of a previous Netanyahu-led government: "They are...  fools."

Brian Ó Éigeartaigh

Donnybrook,

Dublin 4

Fine Gael’s lack of devotion to Gaeilge

It was good to read about the exciting new music acts in Irish that you highlighted in the article, ‘Déanta in Éirinn: 5 Irish-language acts to check out for Seachtain na Gaeilge’ (Irish Examiner, March 3). The popularity of these acts proves that the language is still very much alive for the younger generation.

It's a pity more of our politicians don't take their cue and use some Irish more often in the Dáil.

It was disappointing to learn that when the Dáil held its yearly debate on the Irish language last week, to coincide with Seachtain na Gaeilge, only 18 TDs participated. While Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Green Party, and the Independents were well represented, there wasn't one Fine Gael TD.

Despite the good example of Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and former Gaeltacht minister, Joe McHugh (both of whom took the trouble to relearn their Irish), it is a sad reflection on the poor status accorded the language by politicians that the second main party of government couldn't be bothered to send a representative to the one debate in the year that is devoted to Irish.

Sách ráite; enough said.

John Glennon

Hollywood,

Co Wicklow

Angelus reminds us of faith and compassion

Broadcasting the Angelus on RTÉ at 6pm daily may be a thing of the past, but it should be kept, as a reminder  to us.

Conflating Irishness with Catholicism should also be of the past, but we cannot, and should not, cancel this aspect of Irish history.

While the Marriage Equality Act and the repeal of the Eighth Amendment are evidence of change in Irish society,  they are not evidence that we are leaving the Church.

They are evidence of evolution and of recognition of a wider and more inclusive society.

Let the Angelus reflect that change, while also reminding us of faith — the message of which is compassion and care for others, the most notable and recognised attributes of Irish people.

Joyce Anderson

Belgooly,

Co Cork

We’re at thin edge of liberal wedge

The impeding of Séighin Ó Ceallaigh's career in national politics purely on account of his gender (Sinn Féin deemed Limerick a female-only constituency for the next general election) is an outrage.

The imposition of gender quotas is a travesty against free and fair democracy.

I expect, and politicians have indicated, that the next proposal will be mandatory migrant quotas to increase the ethnic diversity of Leinster House.

We are reaching the thin end of the liberal wedge in this country.

Caoimhín Ó Maolchalann

Kilsaran,

Co Louth