Letters to the Editor: Being treated as a human, not a statistic, restores faith in public service
People need to feel they matter when accessing services. Picture: Larry Cummins
A quick internet search for a number to ring was easy. The pre-recorded message informed me that all lines were busy and an “agent” would be with me as soon as possible. Eventually, my call was answered, followed by a number of questions including what was my mother’s maiden name. I was advised to contact my local Intreo Centre (Dept of Social Protection). I didn’t relish doing so based on past experience.
I called into D’Olier House and in the space of five minutes my faith in public service was restored. I met the most helpful, professional woman, Joan, with a wonderful smile that would brighten one’s day. She even offered to give me a letter to ensure my bus trip would be embarrassment-free pending arrival of my updated card.Â
Joan clearly saw me as a fellow human being, not just a statistic to facilitate box-ticking. We clearly need people like her to help people feel they do matter, and there are a lot of people needing services in our technical-dependent age who feel they don’t matter.
The nation of Israel was created by British rulers in 1948. Lip service was offered to Palestinians. Their destiny was left to fate. Meanwhile, Israel became a recognised state. British colonialism left its legacy; seizure and settlement (sound familiar?) of another’s land.
Forcible evictions (we know about that) followed. Bullies had the upper hand. The biggest concentration camp the world has ever seen. Squashed together like sardines. A close-knit mass of humanity. Close in body and in mind. They feel each other’s suffering. Life is cruel and unkind.
October 7, 2023. A date remembered in infamy. A Hamas attack, an atrocity. In the birthplace of Christianity. The burning bush became a wildfire, burning out of control. A massacre of 1200 Israelis. Humanity lost its soul.
Where is the holy in the Holy Land? Where is the promise in the Promised Land? A holy vow. A sacred promise. Enshrined in a proclamation. For despicable crimes against Israelis, Hamas will face annihilation. The ferocious attack by Palestinians outraged Israel’s population. But the scale of Israel’s response would send shockwaves through every nation.
There would be no shelter from the storm of retribution. But 30,000 dead Palestinians is not the solution. Indiscriminate bombing of Gaza reveals genocidal ambitions. Men, women, and children dead, allies, stop sending munitions.
Acts of war must be replaced by acts of peace. It’s time for doves to fly and for hostilities to cease. It’s time for the Last Supper and Palestinians need a seat.
The minister cannot ignore the negative reaction to this bill. To do so would, in my view, be a complete derogation of duty, including ethical and moral obligations to the citizens of this country.
The reality is politics is not a game. Decisions made in the Dáil are impactful and lasting. The people who make those decisions ought to be held accountable. So, if you’re one of those cynical people who thinks politics is just a game, this is one of those times you should set politics aside and look at the situation for what it is.
Fine Gael under Leo Varadkar’s leadership continually prioritised the market over the people. They clung to the ideological falsehood that the market would provide what we need, regardless of the inarguable fact that it has not. The seemingly endless crises our healthcare and housing sectors suffer from are examples of this. These issues are often brought up to criticise Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, for good reason, two areas where their governments have failed miserably to provide for the people of Ireland, where their failings have done the most damage to our daily lives. It is only right that those whose job it is to represent us in the Dáil hold these failings up to the light, regardless of whether the Taoiseach is stepping down or not.
As to Elaine’s laudations for the successes of Leo Varadkar’s leadership? What good is full employment to the people of Ireland when the cost of living has risen so sharply under his leadership that a full-time job is no longer enough to support a single person, let alone a family? What good is a budget surplus unless that surplus can be used to provide what we need? And what good are journalists if all they tell us is that we should forget about the suffering caused by a person’s decisions so that we can give them a proper farewell?
My contention was that Ireland is in a poor position in relation to our rapidly-increasing energy requirements. We should have a country-wide public discussion on all this would entail, depending on a consistent supply of on-shore and off-shore wind and sunny days, which doesn’t and never will exist.
At the same time there could be an open and honest discussion on how it might be with a small proportion of a reliable, low-carbon, baseload; perhaps one of the developing low-carbon small nuclear reactors might be worth an investigation.
There is a presumption of innocence until proven guilty, so, often a suspect’s face is blurred in press releases. However, police in Murrieta outside LA have taken the novel approach of using Lego heads to hide faces.
Lego head images come with a surprisingly wide range of emotions including fear but unfortunately, Lego has asked that they stop infringing copyright which, though fair and legal, is boring, not the image Lego presents for its toys.
Given that Lego pieces can inflict pain and suffering if stood on in the dark, will there be a picture of an offending piece’s identity covered by a police officer’s cap?
Copyright should be supported though perhaps an exception could be considered for a very funny answer to a legal requirement for privacy.
The world needs more fun.
The latest ad from the RSA extols the virtues of the 30kph urban upper-speed limit. All seems so relaxed, with a backing soundtrack of a well-known folk song.
So relaxed, that the young male driver featured looks right and left as he drives along, taking in the gentle urban ambience either side of him. And then he looks down at the speedometer to ensure that he’s below the limit. He is indeed — 28kph.
Presumably, that is the basic objective of this new limit. Why should the outdoor diners, pedestrians and cyclists have exclusive rights to savour the public realm?
