I take issue with David Sprott, who advocates that the unvaccinated foot the bill for any medical treatment they receive if infected with Covid or its variants in his recent letter 'Medical Bill Spur for the Unvaccinated'.
It’s now clear that existing vaccines neither prevent infection nor transmission.
When I was in hospital briefly with Covid, all other five patients in my ward were double-jabbed according to themselves, and it was the same story in the adjoining Covid ward.
The idea that the unvaccinated are filling all the hospital beds does not tally. It is far more likely that many vaccinated people regard their vaccinated status as a ‘get out of jail free card’ falsely thinking themselves immune to infection, or perhaps the ‘even if I get it, it won’t be too bad’; crowd together in social settings and the resultant surge is then blamed on the unvaccinated.
If the issue is lack of hospital beds, perhaps our Government, in the 1980s, should have heeded calls not to close down and sell off so many hospitals. Perhaps they should heed more recent calls to attract more staff into the haemorrhaging health system by offering them decent pay and working conditions.
Nor will vaccinating everyone ever eradicate coronaviruses, as long as it has reservoirs in the natural world.
The Hippocratic oath requires medical staff to treat all patients to the best of their ability without discrimination. If we’re going to tinker around with this concept, then maybe we should charge people who engage in risky sports, such as hillwalking, sailboarding, and diving, the costs of their rescue or hospitalisation in the event of an accident; and that’s only the beginning.
Nick Folley
Carrigaline
Co Cork
Well hello Mary Lou, what about you?
She is a Taoiseach-in-waiting. But, when you think about it, we know very little about Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald. A defining force in contemporary Irish politics. Now there’s a book that will sell a million copies.
I must say, I’m intrigued. This won’t do at all. Sure we asked Jack Lynch what he had for breakfast.
Michael Deasy
Bandon
Co Cork
Binning student loans: Full marks
It is fantastic news that the Department of Further and Higher Education has formally abolished the idea of introducing a student loan system in the State (‘Third-level €3k fee to be cut and student loans ruled out’, Irish Examiner, December 22.)
We owe it to our young people not to follow the extortionate funding models of the US and the UK. USI president Clare Austick is right — we must strive towards a fully funded, public system of higher education; such a move will help tackle the skills shortages Ireland is experiencing in areas such as IT, modern foreign langauges, social care, and other such disciplines.
It will also ensure young people from disadvantaged areas are fully supported to achieve at third level, if that is what they wish to do.
Without Government support, I would never have managed to become a langauge teacher — and it is heartening to see that my students will be afforded the same opportunities that I was at university without huge costs to them.
Caolán McManus
Longford
Brexiteers' attitude is so disruptive
One of the things that your comprehensive editorial on December 24 tells us is that we, and the people of the UK, are tired of Brexit.
Despite that tiredness your editorial also stated that we need ‘a modus vivendi that allows us all to co-exist’.
Before the referendum in June 2016 nearly 30 European democracies had done exactly that when they were all members of the EU.
Since the referendum and subsequent ‘negotiations’ it is obvious that has ended and Brexiteers do not seem to want a modus vivendi.
Disruption of existing agreements and non-compliance with any new agreements seem to be ongoing.
That Brexiteer attitude is not just tiring it is also very disruptive of any future attempts at mutual co-existence, either with the continent of Europe or within these islands.
Anthony Leavy
Sutton
Dublin 13
SF no Judas goat, just a scapegoat
With some rare exceptions, of late I have been reading, with growing concern, the sanctimonious brow-beating of the mainstream Irish press at large. The now almost regular submissions, posted by the usual suspects, speak of the atrocities of the IRA, and the infantile bleating of the naysayers for a Sinn Féin apology does the Irish press a disservice.
Remember the bloodletting that took place in the civil war? Why should one political party be made the Judas goat for the past sins of a bloody history?
Gerard O’Keeffe
Penclawdd
Wales
Energy crisis? Turn on Christmas lights
I’m looking around at all the houses and streets garishly bedecked in neon and whatnot.
Just wondering if that last energy crisis where we were told that the lights were about to be extinguished without warning, was but a red herring spread by the wolves in sheep’s clothing crying ‘’woe is me’’ seeking to gouge further price increases from their customers?
Liam Power
Blackrock, Dundalk
Co Louth
Bowen and some intriguing art
Recently while reading the article Cork In 50 Artworks, No 23: Portrait of Elizabeth Bowen by Patrick Hennessy reference was made to Elizabeth Bowen’s first book Encounter, published in 1923.
This intrigued me as I had just acquired a painting by Patrick Hennessy painted in 1973 titled ‘The Encounter’.
As Hennessy was never known to explain his paintings I thought this was a reference to Elizabeth Bowen who had died that year.
The main characters in this surreal painting are a man and an elderly woman standing on an empty sunlit beach. She is turned away from the man whilst he appears to be beckoning to her.
My question is who is this couple? Is it the artist and his mother or is it the artist and Elizabeth Bowen?
Francis Gough
Clitherow Avenue
London
You’re right there Michael, you’re right
Michael Moynihan’s recent column 101 things to enjoy about Cork was a joy to read. It made me laugh a little. and cry a few times, but it was great. It brought back so many memories of meeting people unexpectedly and being dragged into pubs, etc. My wife Breeda is from the northern side of Christy Ring Bridge, though the bridgehead at Opera House Plaza was the best thing about the article. Happy Christmas Michael keep up with the perceptive stories.
Frank Clarke
Rathanker,
Passage West, Co Cork
My 2022 resolution is no resolution
My new year's resolution is not to make a new year's resolution.
Tom Gilsenan
Beaumont, Dublin 9
