Letters to the Editor: Green Party ‘gains’ don’t justify staying in coalition

'Surely they do not believe that any gains they consider they have made justifies the continuation of this incompetent Government'

Is the Green Party rendering itself irrelevant?

Have they, in propping up the same old failed parties, become the fly in the ointment?

Surely they do not believe that any gains they consider they have made justifies the continuation of this blunder-prone, disunited, profligate, and incompetent Government for whom the words transparency, accountability, and sanction are just words in a dictionary.

Keeping their heads down despite the government parties continuing to blunder their way through crisis after crisis will not be enough for their survival but only taint the Greens’ standing in the next election, as it has done before.

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They should also realise that they do not have a monopoly on passion and resolve for a clean environment.

Every government from now on will be bound by duty and EU directive to ‘pull out all the stops’ on the environment for the sake of the survival of the planet and will answer to the people if they do not.

Surely they must also realise by now the toxicity of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil which, for former supporting parties, including the Greens themselves, have had such a malign influence.

All the signs are there to indicate that there is a tsunami of austerity measures just waiting to roll in when the shock wave of “upwardly mobile” European Central Bank rates begins. This to add to the huge debt still being paid off since the crash.

The Opposition in its entirety have a duty to the citizens to agree a strategy and find common cause to take the reins of government and lead the nation into the future, unafraid to make the hard decisions before this Government gets into the full swing of buying the next election.

Joe Brennan

Ballinspittle

Co Cork

Conviction politics on a sticky wicket

Thanks to Fergus Finlay for his “Boris” piece (‘Fergus Finlay: How is Britain still backing Boris Johnson?’, Irish Examiner, October 19).

The UK may be in a tailspin under British prime minister Boris Johnson, but what is Labour vision to take advantage of freedom from EU laws, asks a reader.

I’ve side-stepped the postcard response, but, briefly, the answer to his hypothetical Boris re-election horror is simply down to populism.

As with former US president Donald Trump, despite the superior British education, all these leaders need is approximately 40% of the vote to get elected. Without going into their psychological make-up, the Boris voters will be essentially anti-taxation, anti-immigrant, anti-big government, and anti-globalist.

I would guess Fergus to be a morally upstanding member of the liberal elite, (absolutely no insult intended), and he would probably concede that these liberal groups are readily split up on election day.

Finally, regarding Covid, both Boris and Trump have successfully fired up their bases to doubt the scientific community (Boris has backed up a little since his near-death experience), but it appears most anti-vaxers will be in their camps, and they will doubt the reported Covid death numbers.

As you more than most, Fergus, know, conviction politics in the face of “fake news” is on a sticky wicket.

Seán Seartan

Shanakiel

Cork City

Irish drivers need to fog-off this autumn

It may be well-intended, but leaving vehicle fog lights on permanently is at least a nuisance and at worst dangerous. The drivers of Ireland need to fog-off in autumn.

Fog lights are not intended to be pathfinders. They are bright beacons intended to be seen through dense fog, snow, and rain fantails by other drivers. In good visibility, fog lights dazzle oncoming drivers, especially when the road is wet.

Drivers should use fog lights only while driving through dense fog, snow, and rain fantails.

So, the message is: Fog-off, please!

Simon O’Keeffe

Schull

Co Cork

So, what is UK Labour’s vision?

In reference to Fergus Finlay’s column, it’s not about Boris. It’s who he is up against. It’s about an opposition leader as inspiring as a wet paper bag. It’s about an opposition that has a leader who fought against the democratic choice of the nation. It’s about an opposition party that has still not even attempted to paint a positive post-Brexit vision.

Brexit was a big decision. But it was a democratic decision. Boris, unlike leaders in Ireland, fought to implement the democratic decision rather than overturn it. If you want to understand the English try speaking to a person like me... A son of working-class Irish immigrants. A graduate. Working for a blue-chip company. Living in the so-called Red Wall. Labour isn’t listening. I implore them to accept that Brexit has happened. What is their vision to take full advantage of our freedom from EU laws?

Paul Cassidy

Crewe

Cheshire

UK

We must stand firm against fascism

In response to Irish Examiner columnist Fergus Finlay’s good article on Boris Johnson, it’s worth pointing out that, since 2010, the democratic process in the UK has been under systematic attack. The UK is in a tailspin. Ireland must stand firm against fascism and hold the line.

Anne Lawton

Dublin 15

Government let the guard down

As the same voices who got their way against the judgement of health experts last Christmas again take to insisting that we all ‘live with Covid’, I fear a dose of reality is sorely needed.

Having basked in the vaccine optimism during the summer months, the Government oversold vaccination as a panacea. This is despite countless warnings from multiple angles insisting we would still need a suite of other health measures in order to see us through the pandemic. Ignoring this advice has only served to undermine what could have been the most successful vaccine rollout in the world.

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The Government deferred, as it always does, to business interests. Getting ahead of itself once more, the Government ushered people back onto public transport and into offices prematurely. Then the Taoiseach has the nerve to say that we have let our guard down. This Government has always wanted the credit for everything and the blame for nothing.

The Government has notions that we shouldn’t go back or reimpose restrictions. The State needs to stop letting the business lobby be the tail that wags the dog and finally commit to placing the utmost focus on public health for the foreseeable future.

Glenn Fitzpatrick

Blessington

Co Wicklow

Who should get the last ICU bed?

Two people arrive in hospital. Each requires an intensive care bed. Both are of similar age profile, etc. One, however, is not vaccinated by choice and the other is fully vaccinated. The unvaccinated person is suffering from acute Covid infection, the other has been in an accident through no fault of their own.

Who should get the one remaining intensive care bed?

Eddie Cotter

Ballinhassig

Co Cork

Cork’s murals are just me daza

I disagree with Pat O’Connor re murals (‘Cork City street murals not for me’ Irish Examiner, Letters, October 18). I love the murals in Cork. So much so I took some photos of them the last day I was in the city.

Waterford city also has some amazing ones.

John Williams

Clonmel

Co Tipperary

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Letters to the Editor: Now is  the time to reimagine educational experience