Sir, – On May 30th, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said in Dáil Éireann that: “If Trump’s comments are racist and dangerous, which they are, there is an alternative to vote for”. Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar made similar comments: “I don’t think there can be any doubt that many of the speeches he has made were racist and showed a very misogynistic attitude to women”.
Given that Mr Trump is now president-elect of the United States, and that it is not appropriate for senior Irish politicians to intervene in the democratic process of foreign countries, then perhaps Mr Kenny should resign as Taoiseach sooner rather than later, in the national interest. His successor needs to be carefully chosen. – Yours, etc,
EDWARD HORGAN,
Castletroy,
Limerick.
Sir, – Perhaps the time is now right for the next taoiseach, whoever he or she may be, to resume spending St Patrick’s Day at home. – Yours, etc,
CHARLES DALY,
Abbeyside,
Dungarvan,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – The median wage in the United States peaked in 1973, stagnating and declining ever since. This means that for over 40 years, the average American has been getting slowly poorer. With that in mind, it should be no surprise that voters chose to cast aside a candidate who so thoroughly embodied the system that has failed them. Yet the lasting shame is that when Bernie Sanders made this exact point during the primaries, the Democratic establishment tossed him aside. If only they had listened. – Yours, etc,
COLM O’MAHONY,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – The success of Brexit in the UK, and of Donald Trump in the US, is in part the dangerous result of late 20th- and 21st-century capitalism, which, unlike its mid-20th-century predecessor , has created the widest division between “haves” and “have-nots” since the 19th century. In the UK there is an increase in poverty, as evidenced by an increase in food banks. In the US, the average blue-collar worker earns less than he did 20 years ago. It is not so surprising that those who consider themselves dispossessed would grasp the coat tails of anyone, even Beelzebub himself, who could promise them hope. The most pessimistic of the observers now consider that both democracies are on the highway to hell. – Yours, etc,
CONSTANCE MORRIS,
Shankill,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – In this post-truth era, who needs truthful hyperbole? – Yours, etc,
PAUL CREEDON,
Dublin 4 .
Sir, – The silver lining? Another blow to the tyranny of the pollsters, whom international media organisations – including The Irish Times – have given far too easy a time over the last 10 to 15 years, allowing them to influence news cycles to an unwarrantable degree and allowing excitable journalists to write articles about poll changes that are usually within the margin of error instead of pursuing deeper stories. – Yours, etc,
LAURENCE FENTON,
Cork.
Sir, – Poll results have become so unreliable in recent years I am left to wonder how they are conducted. My own poll of friends, family and anyone I get into conversation with reveals that I have never spoken to a person who has been polled or who knows of anyone who has been polled! The fact needs an explanation. How is polling conducted? Is it being conducted by or for those who have an interest in shaping an outcome? Are they attempting to provide their own popular trend? In other words, are they attempting to shape an outcome by polling? – Yours, etc,
ROY STOKES,
Dublin 12.
A chara, – Many in Government, media and positions of authority – and indeed the general public – have all expressed considerable surprise at Brexit, the election of Donald Trump and the general rise of protectionism. But the reality is that the world is still rocked and buffeted by the aftermath of the 2008 financial shocks. In the 1930s, after the 1929 crash and the Great Depression, there was a similar rise in protectionism. So this cycle is nothing new. This is all the more reason why history needs to be a mandatory subject in all schools. And, dare I say it, why many of our politicians ought to go back to school themselves! – Is mise,
E DILLON,
Farranshone,
Limerick.
Sir, – A sizeable plurality of American voters, decidedly less than a majority, has chosen to ignore the blunt reality of Donald Trump and has instead propelled him to become president. It decided for whatever reasons to ignore Mr Trump’s hate-filled and violence-condoning words, listening instead to vague promises of a return to “greatness”. The entire world is now forced to confront the bleak consequences of a Trump administration. – Yours, etc,
DAN DONOVAN,
Dungarvan,
Co Waterford.
Sir, – Donald Trump’s election proves that the only thing most Americans really believe in, and on which their value system is based, is money. – Yours, etc,
CIARAN BYRNE,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Welcome to the new democracy; one where the slime of lies that rises to the surface of our so-called smart-screens carries the day. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT DUFFY,
Hacketstown,
Co Carlow.
A chara, – The US has suffered through an embarrassing presidential election campaign and now has suffered an embarrassing result of that election. It is doubtful whether any redemption will be found in the presidency of Donald Trump without a strong Congress to hold him to account. The only positive note is that maybe this is the jolt that America needs to get its house in order for the next election in four years. – Is mise,
JOHN KELLY,
Bennekerry,
Co Carlow.
Sir, – The “same old, same old” is gone for ever. An “American Spring” revolution is about to begin. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN MORTELL,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I have to concede that Donald Trump was correct – the election must indeed have been rigged. – Yours, etc,
MARY CAULFIELD,
Howth,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – Could it be that a lot of US voters found the one-syllable name Trump easier to support than the more complex two-syllable name Clinton? – Yours, etc,
BRIAN CULLEN,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Do we believe in democracy or not? Although I am shocked and worried about the future, the American people have spoken. The challenge now is to understand who will be running the US and how we can work with them. The US president, senate, and house of representatives in alignment. Wow! Life is going to be interesting for the next four years. – Yours, etc,
ERIC CAMERON,
Calgary, Canada.
Sir, – Now that Donald Trump is US president-elect, I am sure he will discover an Irish ancestor. – Yours, etc,
DEREK HENRY CARR,
Dublin 2.
Sir, – It would appear that liberals the world over, with the Irish branch very definitely included, only believe in democracy when democracy steers in their favour. – Yours, etc,
PM WALSH,
Letterkenny,
Co Donegal.
Sir, – Do we have a sufficient stock of passports available to cater for the large number of Americans of Irish descent who may now be expected to apply for Irish citizenship? – Yours, etc,
DAVID M ABRAHAMSON,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I sit in my townhouse in the suburbs of Chicago. I have just poured a Jameson to help lessen my anxiety. Can I live in a country whose leader disparages women and builds walls around a country whose history is built on immigrants just wanting a chance at a better life? I’m a proud Irish-American. With The Donald in charge, I don’t know if I can live here. Would you welcome me into your country? I might not be the only one. – Yours, etc,
JULIA BYRNE,
Chicago.
Sir, – Donald Trump represents nothing that is great about the United States. This country is inclusive, loving, beautiful, and welcoming. It is not full of hate, racism, sexism, and lies. Please know that America has made a horrible decision to elect this man as our president. I want the world to know that we are better than this. – Yours, etc,
JODINE PAHL,
Denver,
Colorado.
Sir, – You call yourselves journalists? I have a box of salt if it will help you lick your wounds. – Yours, etc,
JOHN LEMANDRI,
Williamsburg,
Virginia.
A chara, – Donald Trump might not have been the media’s darling, but he beat Hillary Clinton – and in doing so, ensured that the US supreme court will stay pro-life for the foreseeable future. Now for the battle here to retain the Eighth Amendment. – Is mise,
KIERON WOOD,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Who said the lunatic fringe couldn’t win? – Yours, etc,
ÁINNLE O’NEILL,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.
A chara, – Fintan O'Toole fumes that with the election of Donald Trump "The United Hates of America has raised its middle finger to the world" (Opinion & Analysis, November 9th). Hardly; it is a little vain to think the American people were thinking about us as they voted. But I would think they were raising two large fingers to a couple of other groups: to the big polling companies, which spun numbers to try and give and give them the impression that Hillary Clinton was unassailable; and to the US mainstream media, which were so nakedly pro-Hillary that trust in it has fallen to an all-time low – as demonstrated, ironically enough, by a recent Gallup poll. So it is a finger each for them, and the presidency for Trump. And what that really means for the rest of the world is anyone's guess. But we shall know soon enough. – Is mise,
Rev PATRICK G BURKE,
Castlecomer,
Co Kilkenny.
Sir, – Would shares in a major cement and block supplier be a safe bet? – Yours, etc,
MG STOREY,
Glencar,
Sligo.
Sir, – Wanted: bricklayers. – Yours, etc,
COLIN ROGAN,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – What makes and what has always made America great is its openness, its tolerance and its acceptance of people whatever their faith, their class, their colour or creed. It gave a home to millions of Europeans looking for freedom in the 18th century, a home to Irish fleeing famine and oppression in the 19th century, a home to Jews fleeing genocide in the 20th century, and out of all these disparate groups, one America was made.
That promise written at the base of the Statue of Liberty, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”, is dead. The door to America is firmly shut. Extreme nationalism, isolationism and the misnomer of American exceptionalism have replaced the openness.
The dream of a more open, more liberal, post-national world has taken its second blow in less than six months. This is day one of a new era, and liberals everywhere need to arise and realise that apathy is no longer an option. – Yours, etc,
HUGH O’DONNELL,
Sandymount,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – The Disunited States of America. – Yours, etc,
MICHELE SAVAGE,
Dublin 12.
Sir, – The people have spoken. Orange is the new black. – Yours, etc,
FRANK BYRNE,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – It is difficult to convey my genuine shock and sadness at this result. Not only because the most ostensibly unsuited and unqualified person has won and will hold the most powerful political office on the planet from January, but because he represents a type of cynical politics that has division and anger at its core.
This wasn’t just a vote against Hillary Clinton, but a vote against every reputable newspaper, corporation, public figure and celebrity that endorsed her. And, to a large extent, it was America’s way of saying to the rest of the world that it won’t be told what to do.
2016 has proven that anti-establishment and nativist sentiment is very real and is a threat to a more diverse, prosperous and open world. Unfortunately, it might take four years of a Donald J Trump presidency to realise that he and his populism are not the answer. – Yours, etc,
SIMON FOY,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – Listening to the shenanigans being trumpeted in the US, is it just me or does anyone else feel we are watching democracy sinking into terminal decline? Viktor E Frankl warned, “Freedom is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness.” The lack of anything close to “responsibleness” in someone who is going to occupy the office that has traditionally most represented democracy is menacing. As is the use of non-facts, assertions and accusations. A structure whose foundations are eroded collapses eventually. Is that also true of an ideology? – Yours, etc,
WENDY PHILLIPS,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Those of us who smilingly dip in and out of celebrity news-bites and reality TV might now reflect on the effect of giving oxygen to this subtle brainwashing. Americans have had Mr Trump in their living room each week, looking fabulously successful and, yes, presidential in his weekly TV show, The Apprentice. The programme each week reinforced him in this role. Voters think they know him, and the line between fantasy and politics has been blurred. If she plays her cards right, Kim Kardashian has a good chance of being the first female US president. – Yours, etc,
ART McGANN,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – I wonder if there are any spaces left on the Mars One mission to establish a permanent human settlement on the red planet.
I would speculate that the organisers may well be inundated with new applicants in the coming days. – Yours, etc,
ALLAN SWEENEY,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.
A chara, – You report that “Enda Kenny congratulates Trump on behalf of the people of Ireland” (November 9th).
I understand the importance of Irish-American relations. However in this case, I believe a sizable amount of Irish people would join me in voicing their disgust and abhorrence for some of the positions Mr Trump and his running-mate Mike Pence have taken. For that reason, I believe Mr Kenny should retract his generalised congratulations and offer his own personal wishes.
I would like to officially remove myself from that particular list “of the people of Ireland”. I’m sure many citizens of this country would join me. – Is mise,
SARAH CURRAN,
Donaghmede,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – Every Irish citizen and politician should take the time to reflect on where, on balance, this country’s real friends and supporters are now: in London, in Washington or in Brussels? From the answer to this question should then flow the necessary profound changes not only in terms of our economic and political orientation, but also in terms of the educational, social and cultural policies determining the future of this country. The time of sitting on the fence and keeping everybody happy is drawing to a close. – Yours, etc,
JOACHIM FISCHER,
Ballina,
Co Tipperary.
Sir, – The election of Donald Trump is another example of anti-establishment sentiment in lots of western countries. We have had Brexit in the UK and a move away from establishment parties in Ireland. The rampant globalisation of the past 20 or 30 years has been fuelling out-of-control capitalism. The establishment parties have badly underestimated the power of social media in educating and mobilising the ordinary person in the street, in convincing them that they were the ones being screwed. This has created an anti-establishment sentiment that is driving people to vote for anybody who opposes the status quo. This is gaining momentum everywhere. It is not easy to put the genie back in the bottle! – Yours, etc,
JOHN EGAN,
Carlow.