Sir, – Politicians’ insistence on using a rising cadence at the end of non-question clauses is a current trend that drives me to distraction. It is ubiquitous? At the moment? Across all parties? It makes me want to scream? At the radio and television? – Yours, etc,
JULIE DAVIS,
Stepaside,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – A question on the doorstep for those parties who are promising to abolish the water charges if they get into government – what are they going to do about those of us who obeyed the law and opted to pay for the water we use? Will they compensate us?
Populist promises like abolishing water charges is like taking penalties without a goalkeeper. Lots of people will fall for it, but there will be a price to pay. – Yours, etc,
LOUIS HOGAN,
Wicklow.
Sir, – Election promises are fickle things. They can come and go, and after the election there is no way to ensure that they are carried out. And, in any event, they are rarely aimed at the poorest and weakest in our society, who have no political influence.
It would be better if the political parties would commit to a set of basic human rights that would be legally enforceable, such as rights to accommodation, food and healthcare.
We have already signed up to most of these rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and various UN treaties but successive governments have failed to make them enforceable. The ECHR Act, 2003, which was supposed to enable people to obtain their rights through the domestic courts, is so weak and takes so long to deliver a result that it does not provide an effective remedy.
And to our great shame, we have not yet ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. We are one of only three EU states that have not ratified it.
It is sometimes argued that the provisions of the Constitution prevent us from making economic and social rights legally enforceable.
In fact, the Constitution already contains a set of “directive principles of social policy” that would make a good start except for the fact that it also says that these principles cannot be taken into account by any court.
The Convention on the Constitution recommended that social and economic rights should be included in the Constitution. Which of the parties in the election will commit to amend and strengthen the ECHR Act to make it effective and to hold a referendum to include rights to accommodation, food and healthcare in the Constitution? – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL FARRELL,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Storm Imogen has wreaked its havoc on a large number of the election posters in the country. Today I saw many election posters lying in ditches, and many are sitting at the base of poles like fallen stockings that have lost their elastic. Posters nowadays are much bigger and heavier than those of yore and come equipped with sharp plastic corners. It’s only a matter of time until someone suffers a serious injury through being struck by a flying poster. Perhaps in future a limit needs to be set in respect of the size and shape of such posters. – Yours, etc,
JOHN FAGAN,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.
A chara, – Election posters represent candidates. Is their ability to withstand Storm Imogen a test of the staying power of the candidates? – Yours, etc,
DIARMUID O’LEARY,
Kilfinane,
Co Limerick.
Sir, – I went to bed on Wednesday evening and woke up Thursday morning to have a certain politician staring into my bedroom window from the lamp-post outside! I will now have to look at him every morning and every night for the next three weeks! And he’s hoping I’ll vote for him? – Yours, etc,
SHEILA FAGAN,
Howth,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – To avoid differences in interpretation, perhaps W Arthur Tanner (February 5th)) might consider changing his doorside request from "No junk mail" to "No unsolicited mail". – Yours, etc,
PAT MURPHY,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – The blight of the election poster once again looms large.
As an habitual walker, I note that quite a large number are affixed in such a way that a bottom corner could act as an efficient aid to eye removal. As our society is quite litigious, are the candidates not concerned?
For God’s sake, hang ’em high, and yes, I am still alluding to the posters. – Yours, etc,
FRANK BYRNE,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.
Sir, – Can I vote for the troika to come back? Please? – Yours, etc,
JOE HACKETT,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – If we may look forward to what Joan Burton predicts will be “a job for everyone who wants one by 2018”, will that translate into a job that everyone, within reason, would want?
Will, for example, the promised 200,000 jobs by 2020 be full-time and pensionable? Will they be mainly or partly minimum-wage jobs? Or consist mostly of part-time and casual employment? How many will be temporary appointments and how many zero-hour contract positions?
This vital information may help the employed, underemployed and unemployed of the electorate to separate the wheat from the chaff in the pre-election vortex of statistics, claims and assertions. – Yours, etc,
PATRICIA MULKEEN,
Ballinfull,
Co Sligo.