Sir, – When all is said and done, it still comes down to the same old clash of irreconcilable similarities. – Yours, etc,
PAUL LAUGHLIN,
Derry.
Sir, – It is interesting to note that 100 years after the Rising, Kerry politicians are again vying for parliamentary seats in a united Kingdom.– Yours, etc,
CHRIS HORAN,
Milltown,
Co Kerry.
Sir, – The only occupants of the “fiscal space” during the lifetime of the next government must be homeless children, and children living in poverty. – Yours, etc,
NOEL FOX,
Lisnagry,
Co Limerick.
Sir, – Do we suffer from amnesia as a nation, or is it just the media?
Back in 2011, the general consensus was that we were faced with decades of economic deprivation. We were then a prominent member of the Pigs (Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece, Spain) group. Remember that particular compliment? Now it seems to be just a vague memory, if a memory at all.
The previous crew left the ship of state in a shocking condition, with many of its officers abandoning ship in a very disorderly fashion in the dying days of the last administration.
The present crew took over in extraordinarily stormy weather. Of course, mistakes have been made along the way but the over-riding strategic objective – economic survival – seems to have been achieved.
Regardless of who actually forms the next administration, a programme for government will inevitably mean compromise between coalition partners, thus providing “broken promise” fodder for the media. If international markets contract, that will probably require further “broken promises”. It is illogical to demand certainty in a very uncertain world.
It is a foolish sailor, or passenger, who insists on maintaining his current course when deteriorating weather conditions dictate he should be running for shelter.
We will shortly be selecting the crew for the next five years. Do we want the crew that abandoned ship in 2011, a crew which has never stood on the bridge, or the present crew? As we face into gathering storm clouds, I know who I want to see at the helm. – Yours, etc,
PETER MOLLOY,
Glenageary, Co Dublin.
Sir, – It’s the recovery, stupid. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM BURKE,
Newmarket,
Co Cork.
Sir, – The claim that Fine Gael is hiding Enda Kenny away is a myth. I am sure the Taoiseach will debate, as he did in 20011. Then he debated with the opposition no fewer than three times on television – twice on RTÉ and once as Gaeilge on TG4 – and performed admirably in all of them.
I would remind some that in 1989 the much trumpeted Charles Haughey would not appear even once in debate with then Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes, so RTÉ had to do separate interviews with both of them. He did appear just once before the earlier elections with Garret FitzGerald. There was also just one debate between John Bruton and Bertie Ahern in 1997, Michael Noonan and Mr Ahern in 2002, and Mr Ahern and Mr Kenny in 2007. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN CAFFERTY,
Ballina, Co Mayo.
Sir, – I see from our recent hurricane that all political posters have either dropped or fallen from their lofty heights.
Could this be a portent of future polls? – Yours, etc,
PATRICK BYRNE,
Ballincollig, Co Cork.
Sir, – While driving on the Ennis Road , Limerick, I counted three large election posters “blowing in the wind”. Prospective TDs have a duty of care to the public not to endanger pedestrians and motorists with these flying objects. – Yours, etc,
KAYE MAHONY,
Limerick.
Sir,– I am reminded of a quote from Adlai Stevenson. “It’s not enough to have every intelligent person in the country voting for me. I need a majority.” – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN CASSERLY,
Bishopstown,
Cork.
Sir, – For many years I have bought my daily Irish Times in order to keep myself informed and up to date on current affairs. Much as I believe that the electorate needs to inform itself in order to make the best choices on polling day, the dedication of three or four pages of The Irish Times to the subject every day is gilding the lily somewhat. And we are not a week into the campaign yet. Perhaps restricting coverage to actual news as the campaign progresses might sustain our interest for the full three weeks.
In the meantime, my daily paper has grown no bigger, so I am losing three or four pages of “other” news somewhere. – Yours, etc,
PAT MULLEN,
Dundalk,
Co Louth.
Sir, – Kudos to The Irish Times. The red banner across the top of the election pages makes things much easier. If you know what I mean. – Yours, etc,
PAT CONWAY,
Douglas,
Co Cork.
Sir, – I note that Renua’s Frank Cronin has an election poster at Glenageary Dart station in Dublin showing only his silhouette. Is he hoping for a shadow cabinet position? – Yours, etc,
ANDREW ABBOTT,
Killiney, Co Dublin.
A chara, – When challenged on not building future inflation and demographics into spending plans, Brendan Howlin said that the plans were based on a “proven projection”. Such an invention – a “proven” crystal ball – is new to science. Please put me down for one. – Is mise,
JOHN CRONIN,
Terenure,
Dublin 6W.