While some TDs in Dáil Éireann acknowledge the serious failures and lack of trust within An Garda Síochána one cannot get away from using a sporting analogy, that the team no longer has trust in the coach, apart from the usual suspects on the board, ie, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice, and most surprisingly Sinn Féin.
Is this the same Sinn Féin who opposed or failed to support the need for the Special Criminal Court over many decades?
The same Sinn Féin that annually attends commemorations for their terrorist martyrs?
I digress.
The substantive issue concerning the public and most, if not all gardaí, is that the position of Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is no longer tenable.
Rightly or wrongly, depending on your position, the vast majority of people and frontline gardaí have lost faith and trust in him.
The overwhelming vote of no confidence by GRA members in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris should be a shot across the bows of government that if they don’t take matters in hand the possibility of industrial action or other action, like sickness or refusal to do overtime, etc, by frontline gardaí, could escalate leaving our country and its citizens at the mercy of criminals and terrorists.
The basic principles of policing; prevention and detention of crime, the preservation of life and property and respect for human rights for all, are the pillars or cornerstones of this organisation.
For too long we have allowed the dictats of the few and malcontents to dictate the direction of the force.
As a former member of a once proud force I have come to the conclusion that those at the top of the pyramid are tone deaf to the genuine concerns of those of us who have, both in the past and now in the present, put our bodies and reputations on the line, holding that thin line between anarchy and our hard fought for democracy.
ChristLy Galligan
Letterkenny
Co Donegal
Ireland must back Taiwan in their bid for seat in UN
As Ireland celebrates the centenary of the recognition of its statehood by The League of Nations, one of the notable observations from the reports of the time is the confidence and joy this recognition brought to the people of Ireland. Of course, this is not surprising as membership affirmed international support for Ireland’s political independence and territorial integrity following centuries of repression by a very powerful neighbour.
The modern day successor to the League of Nations, the United Nations, will hold its 78th General Assembly in New York this week under the theme of “rebuilding trust and reigniting global solidarity”. Areas of the world still exist where populations yearn for recognition of their statehood. This year, the democratic island nation of Taiwan will again bid for a seat at the United Nations table.
In 1971, the UN passed resolution 2758 which recognised the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as “the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations” and removed “the representatives of Chiang Kai-shek” (or the Republic of China) who had withdrawn to Taiwan following the civil war in 1949. This left Taiwan’s status undetermined.
In a recent statement, Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu said, “this resolution neither states that Taiwan is a part of the PRC nor gives the PRC the right to represent the people of Taiwan in the UN and its specialised agencies.”
While the PRC understood this back in 1971 they accepted that the resolution did not contain the Taiwan conclusions they might have wanted and did not reject it. However, in the intervening years they have ramped up their efforts to distort its meaning and conflate it with their so-called “One China” Principle.
Taiwan has made many attempts to participate in UN agencies as an observer, but has been rejected. As China has gained more influence, it has used its position and power to isolate Taiwan and deny its 23m people a voice in this global forum.
The aspirations expressed in WT Cosgrave’s League of Nations acceptance speech of September 1923 together with the aptly titled commemorative book and exhibition would suggest that few countries are better placed than Ireland to appreciate what it means to be granted a seat at the international table and be “on an equal footing with all”.
As Ireland celebrates this important centenary, I sincerely hope our government representatives will hold true to those ideals and resolutely support Taiwan’s bid for a seat at the United Nations table.
Neil O’Sullivan
Listowel
Co Kerry
Constitution calls for a united Ireland
I admire Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for his views on the future of Ireland, and the vacuum in Northern Ireland where the parties are failing to come together to give the people a government that will be responsible for implementing measures that would help and support people.
The Taoiseach is quite entitled to express his own personal view on how he sees Ireland in his lifetime, and expressed the natural aspirations of the people living in the Republic of Ireland, that they would aspire to a united Ireland.
The views of secretary of state for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton Harris, are difficult to comprehend. Does he realise and understand articles 2 and 3 of the Irish Constitution — our wish to have a united Ireland?
John O’Sulivan
Innishannon
Co Cork
No consulting with hunting fraternity
To say I’m astounded by the new ‘Open Seasons Order’, published recently by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) would be an under statement.
Four species of duck — Pintail, Scaup, Pochard, and Goldeneye — have been removed from the hunting list, with national numbers of each ‘scientifically’ estimated to be as follows: Pintail, 1,017; Scaup, 167; Pochard, 4,729, and Goldeneye, 1,256. I don’t believe for one second that any of the above numbers reflect even part of the actual wintering population present.
In relation to the new Open Seasons Order I hear lovely flowery language such as, ‘extensive public consultation’, ‘sustainability of hunting’, ‘stakeholder consultation’, as if to say that all relevant parties involved had the same input and we, ‘as one’, came to this conclusion. Wrong.
The hunting fraternity was overlooked by and large, and if the truth be known I’d say any submissions that were put forward were given little if any recognition.
Let’s be honest ‘public consultation’, was merely formulated so as to be seen to be fair and non-biased. The results of their findings seem to be anything but.
Rupert Butler
Cashel
Co Tipperary
Lack of children’s disability services
Well done Minister Rabbitte for taking the HSE to task for failing to provide services for children with disabilities.
I believe that the HSE has, for some time, had funding allocated for five therapists in the Cork area but nobody has been appointed. These “short term” savings no doubt being used on something more urgent than life-enabling services for children with special needs. Perhaps car allowances or even flip-flops who knows.
Joe Mason
Montenotte
Cork

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