Letters to the Editor: Replace the big parties if they collapse the North's institutions

John Cushnahan says power-sharing must be put on a firmer footing, while other readers consider topics including student accommodation, EV charging infrastructure, and the forthcoming referenda

First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly at Stormont Castle in Belfast following the restoration of the powersharing executive. Picture: Liam McBurney/PA

During a time when world headlines have been dominated by depressing accounts of human suffering caused by man’s inhumanity to man in the Middle East and Ukraine, it is rather ironic that a “good news” story from Northern Ireland has temporarily displaced them.

The restoration of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing executive which was the central objective of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA) is a heart-warming welcome development. It has been enriched by the positive and reconciliatory tone of the acceptance speeches delivered in the Stormont chamber by the new first minister, Michelle O’Neill, and deputy first minister, Emma Little-Pengelly.

If the sentiments they expressed are at the heart of all their actions in their new roles, it provides great hope for the future.

However, the future success of power-sharing institutions is not dependent on them alone. It is dependent primarily on the parties to which they belong and the procedures under which the Stormont Assembly functions.

The first power-sharing executive under the GFA took office on December 2, 1999, over 25 years ago. During this period, the executive has not fully functioned for more than 12 of these years because it was collapsed. The main culprits were both Sinn Féin and the DUP. Unfortunately, the St Andrews Agreement provided both of them with a veto which they used to suit their own selfish political objectives.

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As we approach a new and hopeful future, the British and Irish governments together with Northern Ireland’s political parties should avail of the current climate of goodwill to ensure that neither the largest major unionist or nationalist party is able in the future to collapse the institutions to suit their own narrow political objectives.

This can simply be done by amending the St Andrews Agreement to ensure that when either the largest nationalist or unionist party withdraws from government, then a voluntary coalition of other parties, provided these parties together can command substantial widespread cross-community support, is enabled to establish a power-sharing executive.

John Cushnahan, former Alliance Party leader and former Fine Gael MEP

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Reality of student accommodation

It has become a regular occurrence that Simon Harris and his colleagues attempt to mislead students and staff of third-level institutions by rehashing old news and obfuscating information about government plans.

Colleges get €5m to help students’ mental health (Irish Examiner, December 18) announces a €5m investment in mental health services. Firstly, this is the exact same funding given since covid-19 in 2020. Secondly, it will merely maintain current service provision.

It is clear that spin departments are hard at work to hunt for young votes yet this is nowhere near what we are asking for. Student unions are lobbying for it to be made core multi-annual funding rather than temporary funding, and for the amount to be increased by €11.5m to meet the student-counselor ratio of 1:1,000.

I also refer to ‘Ministers Harris, O’Brien and Donohoe unveil plans for 500 student accommodation beds’ on gov.ie, which announces the government’s policy intention. 

Firstly, it describes student housing that has already been in the public domain for months, such as the Trinity College Dublin Dartry redevelopment’s 358 beds.

Secondly, it brandishes the word ‘affordable’. The devil is in the details. The framework prescribes 70% of the beds to be at (university) market rates (circa €10,000 to €14,000), allowing third-level institutions to profit, and 30% of the beds to be subsidised at a circa €7,000 rate for disadvantaged students. It is unfortunate that a supermajority of the beds still have to be paid for by the academic institution. Additionally, if affordability is defined as being 30% of the national monthly minimum wage income, the definition used by the Union of Students in Ireland, and given the usual nine-month contract lengths, neither match the criteria. Conveniently, the department has not defined what housing affordability means.

As we face a socioeconomic climate in which students are struggling to continue their studies and staff are quitting lifelong careers in academia, this is not good enough, and we will not be taken for fools.

László Molnárfi, President, TCD Students’ Union

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Mark our national day at home

During my time with the United Nations, I have lived and worked in 22 countries. Each of those countries celebrated their national day — yet not one send representatives abroad.

In fact, in general, most recalled their ambassadors to attend the celebrations in their capital.

Ireland continues to send more and more representatives to attend celebrations abroad. Each representative is accompanied by support staff and or assistants.

Why does each representative need to be accompanies by a spouse, partner, or family member at taxpayers' expense? As a taxpayer I consider such travel unjustified and unfair to the hard-working taxpayers of this country.

Michael A Moriarty, Rochestown, Cork

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Rugby tickets

I am an ardent Munster Rugby supporter and travel to most away games. My most recent trip was to Toulon. Myself and seven friends have booked the trip to Northampton, but obviously, tickets are a challenge. We had zero luck on the Northampton website.

Munster Rugby have their allocation, which is currently on sale to supporters club members. However, they have advised that they have no plan to sell the remaining tickets to Munster fans, and will, in fact, send any excess back to Northampton. The ticket office at Thomond Park suggested we contact Northampton.

Is this what Munster Rugby has become? How does it make sense to give Munster tickets back to Northampton? If they are serious about winning surely we need the maximum number of Munster fans in the ground. This is a total scandal.

John Rochford, Meelick, Co Clare

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EV charging points

The Irish Examiner has reported a call by the Society of the Irish Motor Industry (SIMI) for the reversal in cuts in subsidies for purchase of electric vehicles because the increase in sales of EVs is lagging behind the sales of fossil fuel vehicles (Irish Examiner, February 1).

This seems a classic example of a lobby group wanting to apply taxpayer-funded sticking plasters to symptoms rather than dealing with the fundamental problem.

Naturally, many members of the public looking to purchase a car will be reluctant to invest in an EV if the public charging infrastructure is not keeping pace. The latest EU data I could find (2022) showed Ireland with 43 accessible public charging points per 100,000 inhabitants which placed us at just 7% of what was available to motorists in the Netherlands and only at 40% of the EU average.

In Midleton, where I am fortunate to live, the number of public accessible charging points is just six, with no high-speed chargers. This for a town of 14,000 people. Why would you buy an electric vehicle when the public infrastructure in Midleton is 4.7% of the EU average and 0.86% of that in the Netherlands?

The answer to growing a market is not to subsidise SIMI for its EV sales into our very poor infrastructure but to massively accelerate our slow rollout of charging infrastructure to make owning an EV an appealing choice.

In the year to July 2023 in the Netherlands, sales of EVs and PHEVs accounted for 56% of all car sales. That is what happens when action has been taken to have an effective infrastructure.

Paul Fellows, Bailick Rd, Midleton

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Support parenting

Regarding the article in our Constitution: “Mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.”

The word “should” was mentioned many times. I feel the word “need to” is a kinder option to use as many of us grew up with a lot of “shoulds” ie should be good, should be quiet, should be seen and not heard, etc.

If women feel they need be at home (instead of should) with their children as they need a parent (father or mother), especially from birth till five years of age, which is the most important time in a child’s life when they need love and attention, well then I feel they need to be properly supported as parenting is the most important profession in the world which needs to be recognised

Kathryn Healy-O’Leary, via email

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What is a ‘durable relationship’?

The word “durable “ is incompatible with contemporary society when built-in obsolescence is de rigueur in all areas. Let the Government define durable first and then I’ll consider my position prior to the referendum.

Aileen Hooper, Stoneybatter, Dublin 7

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Gaza in ruins

This past week saw reports of a conference in Israel discussing the possibility of Israeli settlements in Gaza after the current war. This was attended by high-ranking officials in the Israeli

government whose leader has indicated he is not in favour of a Palestinian state. The conference occurred as reports of IDF-controlled demolitions were being undertaken in the Gaza strip, to add to the estimated 50-60% of homes already destroyed by aerial and artillery bombardment.

Meanwhile the IDF continues its progress south towards Rafah pushing the Gazan population in front of them. Northern Gaza is a wasteland, in effect a blank canvas in the eyes of those attending that conference.

Barry Walsh, Blackrock, Cork