Sir, – As evidence of UK decline, Una Mullally (“Queen’s death is another tentpole removed from ever-collapsing marquee called the UK”, Opinion & Analysis, September 12th) cites the British government plan to send refugees to Rwanda, dinner ladies crying over having to refuse hungry children lunch, sewage-filled seas, Nigel Farage launching a brand of gin, Liz Truss moving her body awkwardly during a 2014 speech, and tips from the Tory press for “stiff-upper-lipping” one’s way through forthcoming food and energy poverty.
Meanwhile, on the page preceding her column, I see that Pricewatch “preaches 10 money-saving tips” for reducing energy usage in Ireland this winter.
On July 19th, you reported that “Visa-free travel for refugees into Ireland from 20 ‘safe’ European countries will be suspended for a year in a hardening of the State’s immigration policy.”
The Irish Refugee Council described the decision as “regressive and disproportionate” and quoted one refugee that the Government’s decision “reminds me once again, like when I was in direct provision, how insignificant I am here, how little rights I have, and how easily those that I have can be taken away from me, despite all my commitment and all my contribution to this country”.
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On July 5th, you reported shock among school principals that 60,000 students in 310 new Deis schools, including Ukrainian refugees with limited access to kitchen facilities, will not get the free school lunches that are provided to the students of the existing 884 Deis programme schools.
In multiple reports in recent years, you have drawn attention to the continuing discharge of raw sewage into Ireland’s seas, lakes and rivers, notwithstanding Irish Water’s ongoing investment in wastewater infrastructure.
I am not sure how Nigel Farage’s new gin is a portent of the end of days, but partial to a gin and tonic myself, I recall reports in your pages that there are at least 50 Irish gins on the market now, so presumably we are no longer dependent on English gins such as Mr Farage’s new offering.
That 2014 video of Liz Truss will likely be superseded by coverage of her with the 2,000 heads of state, prime ministers, presidents and public figures who will attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II next Monday in London.
All around the world, societies are grappling with grave threats arising from war, climate change, energy insecurity, migration and the fall-out of the Covid pandemic, among others.
The UK is far from unique in this, and we share many of the problems of our nearest neighbour.
We will need to work in tandem on solutions.
Ireland and Britain are tethered by close ties of geography, history, economy, trade, family and friendship.
Queen Elizabeth contributed much to the closeness of our ties, especially in her words and actions during her state visit in 2011.
I do not think I am alone in wearying of the distinct lack of perspective in what reads to me as increasingly unbalanced and immature vituperation in articles about Britain and her people in some pages of your newspaper. – Yours, etc,
JANE MAHONY
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Una Mullally’s sneering description of Liz Truss and her physical demeanour is demeaning and irrelevant to the point of her article.
By all means criticise her politics but her physical manner has no bearing on these. – Yours, etc,
DEIRDRE DEVINE,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.