Sir, – We are going through a particularly cold spell at the moment, with only a few places experiencing snow and even then, not in any great quantity. After all, it is winter!
And no sooner does it get cold, than the so-called National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) convenes with the apparent goal of helping us all get through this “crisis”!
In some reports, I have seen a huge, four-sided conference table with somewhere in the region of 30 people, all peering at their laptops. There is talk of hourly forecasts from Met Éireann, a Government Minister of alert, and all for what purpose? To tell us that there might be ice and remind us that it is very cold?
What exactly is this “emergency?”
What, on earth, are 30 or so people gathering around a table actually talking about? To tell us to go slow? To wrap up well when going out? I dread to think of what would happen in a real emergency – a cast of hundreds!
This is Government at its worst, treating its citizens as if we are complete idiots and who could not survive some cold days without being told what to do at every minute. Yesterday, I heard someone say that the Department of Education had advised that schools will not close, and the same person followed this by saying, that in the end, it is the decision of the board of management in every case.
An illustration, if one is needed, of the nonsense that is taking place. – Yours, etc,
T GERARD BENNETT,
Bunbrosna,
Co Westmeath.
Sir, – Some time ago, I invested in a Fitbit device and, as recommended, set a target of 10,000 steps per day. As winter approached, as well as old age, I reduced my target to 8,000 steps per day. However, yesterday, with snow and ice on the footpaths, I took my steps very carefully, opting for short, dainty steps to avoid slipping. To my great surprise, my Fitbit registered 16,000 steps for the day. – Yours, etc,
TONY CORCORAN,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – How long is a cold “snap” when it occurs in winter? – Yours, etc,
TONY SHEEHAN,
Dublin 15.