Are we delusional in Ireland? Have we an inflated opinion of ourselves?
If we are to believe the hype we can save the planet by stopping our natives cutting turf and instead import peat by ships and trucks from Europe where obviously it must be allowed. Are we saving the planet by killing cows that produce the milk for the most sought after healthy butter in the world? Are we helping the planet by cutting down trees in urban areas for cycle lanes? When itâs proven these trees are beneficial in every way including helping to lower temperatures in urban areas?
Are we really serious we can solve the refugee problem? We have finite financial resources, we have a housing crisis unsolved for many years now. A health system proven to be not capable of looking after our people before the influx of migrants. Our children leaving our country to work in other countries because of the crisis here... when is common sense going to prevail over the delusional notions we have that we are the leaders in solving the crisis of the planet, when reality is so different?
Ask young people who canât get crazy expensive accommodation or purchase a house. Ask the 600 people who have been on trolleys in our hospitals every week or waiting months or years for treatments. Common sense is not far-right ideology... Ireland is the emperor with no clothes.
Tony Lewis, Mitchelstown, Co Cork
Garda discipline
The comments made by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris regarding the disciplinary processes that cleared the Garda member involved in giving a bike to a pensioner created further upset to that same Garda member who has returned to full-time duties after four years in the wilderness.
The fact that he alluded to that ânot all facts were in the public domainâ casts doubt over the disciplinary process that he himself oversees, and is the final arbiter, but also impugns the integrity of the Garda member who was put under the spotlight, and put through the ringer, using a heavy- handed approach, by senior authorities and this commissioner.
Rightly so, this Garda memberâs solicitor questioned the commissionerâs comments and sought clarification. Who wouldnât?
This debacle over an unclaimed bike could have so easily been resolved locally, but some supervisor, sergeant, or inspector, or a district officer decided for, whatever reason, to make capital out of something that could have been dealt with at local level. What their reasons were is anybodyâs guess.
The issue here was that no one shouted âstopâ.
A common sense approach to this most minute of infractions could have been adopted without bringing, at great public expense, the heavy squad from Dublin down to investigate what would be seen in criminal investigations as a very minor offence, if one at all.
The jackboot approach to this and other issues within the force adopted by this commissioner and his inner circle highlights, once again, the deep mistrust and fear within the ranks of An Garda SĂochĂĄna, when using their initiative and charitable common sense approach.
Mr Harris may talk about the integrity of the Pems process regarding public property but he comes from a police force where communities and police did not engage like their counterparts in the South.
How many disciplinary processes did he oversee while in the PSNI for infractions such as this and did he use the full resources of that force to ensure the integrity of said processes. Did he hell.
Christy Galligan (retired garda sergeant), Letterkenny, Co Donegal
Live calf exports
A truck carrying a load of Irish calves caught fire last week near Turin. Ironically, they were on their way to veal farms to be slaughtered. These unweaned calves are the waste product of our dairy industry. On dairy farms, calves are taken from their mothers at birth so humans can consume the milk intended for them. If a litter of puppies was taken routinely from their mother at birth, we would call the gardaĂ.
How astonishing that we can normalise doing so in farmed animals, who are sentient just like your dog or cat. All live export of animals is completely unnecessary and should be stopped.
Refrigeration has been around since the last century, giving us the means to safely transport meat and other goods. Calves are not goods or produce, they are sentient animals and need to be treated as such.
Joan Burgess, Annmount, Cork
US use of Shannon
The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Sunday that Israel had informed the UN that it will no longer approve UNRWA food convoys to the north of Gaza (Reuters, March 24). This decision is likely to cause the death of thousands more Palestinian women and children. It represents a continuation of the use of starvation as a weapon of war and deliberate neglect of Israeli responsibilities as the occupying military power.
The US is continuing to provide military, logistical, and diplomatic support to Israel, and is continuing to use Shannon Airport and Irish airspace for these purposes in breach of US and Irelandâs duties under international laws including the Genocide Convention, and the International Court of Justice.
Since October 7, 2023, at least 75 aircraft associated with the US military have passed through Shannon Airport and Irish airspace on their way to and from the Middle East and Europe, including five aircraft over the past weekend.
All these flights are being approved by the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Department of Transport, making the Government, and by default the Irish people, complicit in war crimes and in breach of the Genocide Convention. Such misuse of Shannon Airport and Irish airspace must be ended immediately, as the death toll in Gaza increases daily.
Edward Horgan, Castletroy, Limerick
Career politicians
There has been a lot of talk in the last week, from your own columnists and others, about both Leo Varadkar and Simon Harris being driving forces of the marriage equality referendum of 2015 and the abortion rights referendum of 2018.
In 2010, Leo Varadkar voiced his opposition to adoption by gay couples; in 2011, Simon Harris was elected to the DĂĄil for the first time while calling himself a âpro-lifeâ candidate.
Of course, both men deserve credit for being able to evolve their views, but it was not they who laboured behind the scenes for decades when these matters were neither popular nor high-profile.
The authors of those victories were grassroots activists and civil society campaigners, not career politicians.
Lucy Boland, Rebels For Choice co-convener, Dunmanway, Co Cork
Unsafe heating
How will Fingal County Council cope with the European Parliamentâs legislation to achieve zero-emission buildings in Europe? It is currently signing off on domestic heat pump systems which are not compliant with the national building regulations and the manufacturersâ safety instructions. It is listening only to corporate bodies rather than consumer complaints.
One such system, of which there are many thousands in operation according to the manufacturer, is unable to control the domestic hot water temperature while the space heating is on.
Fingal County Council is accepting isolators on safety devices, contrary to the manufacturerâs warnings, on the opinion of the builderâs consultant who claims âthe current valve set up is common practice across the Irish marketâ.
Householders are paying a premium for inefficient heating systems while our building control agencies are standing idly by.
Unbelievably, the Government is subsidising these systems with SEAI grants.
Michael Terry, Lucan, Co Dublin
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