Madam, - I note Eddie Holt's opinions over three of the past four weeks (Connect, September 10th, 17th and October 1st), in relation to the proposed provision of major infrastructure in Fingal County Council's administrative area.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion. However, the articles do not display any evidence of knowledge, facts or information on which to base the expressed opinions.
Repeating terms such as "Ceaucescu-style" and comparisons to "Sellafield" when referring to proposals to develop essential infrastructure for a rapidly expanding capital city and county is emotive but unfounded.
The annual budget and ongoing three-year capital programme of Fingal County Council is subject to the scrutiny and approval of our elected councillors.
More importantly, in the context of the proposed developments to which Mr Holt refers,they have also determined the extent of development proposed for the county through the exhaustive process of agreeing a county development plan for Fingal for the next five years.
Provision of infrastructure, including waste-water and waste management facilities, is an essential component of that plan and not, as Mr Holt assumes, a money-making exercise for the local authority. Any analysis of the legislative basis, statutory processes involved and annual financial statements of local authorities will confirm the inaccuracy of this assumption.
Mr Holt makes comparisons with waste treatment infrastructure in Canada with no reference to scale, population density, legislation or development pressure. This is followed by a head-in-the-sand criticism of the provision of facilities including landfills and prisons, while omitting to mention proposals to provide a new port, a metro and a new hospital for Fingal, for example.
The conclusion of the second article is perhaps the most puzzling, where the elastic argument attempts to draw analogies that demonstrate an anti-British tone. In the most recent article further baseless analogies are drawn and more emotive language used.
There is no discernible attempt in any of the articles to discuss the proposal for a regional waste-water treatment plant in its proper context, i.e. providing essential infrastructure for a rapidly growing metropolitan area.
I realise the futility of trying to win an argument with an opinion writer. That is not the intention of this letter. It is simply this writer's opinion that the above comments should be made in the interest of balance. - Yours, etc,
JOHN TIERNEY, County Manager, Fingal County Council, Swords, Co Dublin.