Madam, – Brian Lenihan says there is “considerable shock” in Europe that a debate on bond default is taking place here at home (Business, February 16th). Mr Lenihan is right – we have some cheek debating decisions that will shape the future of this country for generations to come. We should apologise immediately to the bondholders of Europe and remember our place in the new world order – ie,wherever they say it is. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – After weeks of deafening and most likely deliberate silence, Jack O’Connor has finally succumbed and entered the general election debate to describe a Fine Gael one-party government as a recipe for “disaster”.
In a letter to The Irish Times on December 2nd, 2010 Mr O’Connor stated “We do not have the luxury of ignoring the democratic wish of the electorate”. I, for one, saw this as a breathtaking statement. However, with his proxy Labour Party stumbling in the polls, Mr O’Connor has again revealed his thinly disguised wish for a return to the heart of power through the avenues of a Labour Party role in government.
Mr O’Connor continues to bemoan the government actions of recent years but has Siptu not also been in power for the last 14 years through the partnership process? Surely it is now time for SIPTU to also enjoy a period on the opposition benches? – Is mise,
Madam, – I welcome Jack O’Connor’s warning with regard to a majority Fine Gael government. Does this mean real public sector reform might finally be in sight? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I presume the voters will remember that Jack O’Connor and David Begg must bear a large portion of responsibility for the financial mess that now engulfs us. They certainly lined up at the trough on behalf of their trade union members. We would do well to ignore their current advice. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Deaglán de Bréadún does not accurately reflect what I said in the leaders’ debate about Sinn Féin’s position on the bank guarantee scheme (“Best and worst: how the leaders fared”, Home News, February 15th).
I clearly and correctly said on Monday night that Sinn Féin had not supported the blanket guarantee to the banks.
When the initial vote on the guarantee was taken in the Dáil in September, Sinn Féin sought to protect ordinary bank depositors. When it emerged that the Government wanted a blanket guarantee Sinn Féin voted against this in every subsequent vote.
We have been entirely consistent on this issue. We opposed the Budget and the Finance Bill. The Labour Party and Fine Gael facilitated this despite our appeals to them not to. – Yours, etc,
Deaglán de Bréadún writes: The scheme which Sinn Féin voted for in the Dáil and Seanad on October 1st, 2008, was commonly known as the blanket guarantee and it applied not only to deposits but also to “covered bonds, senior debt and dated subordinated debt (lower tier II)” with the relevant financial institutions, (as stated in a Department of Finance press release on September 30th, 2008).
Madam, – I find it surprising that Leo Armstrong (February 16th) has “never voted for Sinn Féin” as the sentiments and views expressed in his letter suggest otherwise.
I would not presume to lecture those whose economy is at issue in this election, but would suggest that whatever merits Mr Armstrong says he can see in Sinn Féin, an understanding of economics is not among them. Living in Northern Ireland it not easy to forget what your correspondent concedes were “terrible atrocities” committed by this party’s “military” wing. I accept entirely that we must move on, but struggle with the mantle of economic saviours that this party has claimed for itself.
While it is welcome that, somewhat belatedly, Sinn Féin has sought to move away from its support for violence, it has never convincingly dispelled suspicions, for example, as to the role of IRA members in the £26.5 million Northern Bank robbery. This robbery has been said to have been sanctioned at a senior level by Sinn Féin. This is the same party that now says that it wants to protect the rights of bank depositors.
It is not clear from his letter how Mr Armstrong can justify his claim that Sinn Féin has a “logical approach to the bank crisis”. Further scrutiny of Sinn Féin’s economic position suggests that this is a one-trick-pony party and when the peace process is not in view it has nothing meaningful to say. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – As someone who is a founder member of the Green Party and its first TD, it saddens me that the precious media time available to the party is being squandered by attacking other political parties instead of outlining how this financial mess could have been avoided by Green policies on banking and the economy which are radical in the true sense of the word.
Had Government policy included community control of the banks, this crisis could have been avoided. The opportunity has been missed to spell out green ideas on basic income/refundable tax, co-ownership of businesses and profit-sharing and a land/site value tax and a tax on non-renewable resources which would replace all taxes on income and VAT. In the short term, the party with perhaps a couple of seats or maybe none at all will be regarded as an irrelevance. Come the time of the next election our media time will be minimal. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Yet again, we are subjected to the false and lazy view that “we are all guilty of being far too greedy during the good years” (Terry Healy, February 16th). It is self-serving, because it seeks to spread the blame. It is a view worth correcting, because only those who live in a wealthy, insular bubble could possibly hold it. Let those who feel guilty speak for themselves. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I agree with Niamh Bhreathnach (February 14th) that there should be a quota system for selection of woman candidates in political parties, but I believe that quota should be based on the percentage of women party members.
People like Niamh Bhreathnach, Senator Ivana Bacik, Gemma Hussey and the National Women’s Council of Ireland should be out encouraging women to join political parties instead of playing the victim card and moaning about patriarchy. It is by activism, not speechifying, that they will change things. All women don’t have to become activists or have political ambitions – they merely have to join a political party so that they have a say at selection time. If they’re not in, they won’t win. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Fine Gael’s promise to reverse the ban on stag hunting (Home News, February 16th) while simultaneously promising “to update existing animal welfare rules which are outdated and need to be reformed” shows an astonishing lack of integrity. Presumably it means to ignore the parts of the proposed animal health and welfare Bill which refer specifically to “potentially cruel activities”. With no mention of which parts of the 1911 Act they consider to be outdated, we can only treat this promise as political lip service. So much for a new era of politics. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The Labour Party has come under fire (Home News, February 12th) for its support for a tiny tax on speculative international financial transactions that could generate hundreds of billions of euro each year to eradicate global poverty. Fears have been raised that such a tax could put Irish jobs in the IFSC at risk.
Trócaire, which has campaigned for the introduction of such a tax for years, believes these fears are unfounded. The majority of the work in the IFSC, such as fund management, is not speculative in nature and would not be taxable under the scheme.
However, even the tiniest tax of 0.05 per cent on the speculative activities of banks could create significant revenue: an estimated $26 billion on currency transactions alone, or anywhere up to €500 billion if applied more broadly. This revenue would be invaluable in providing additional financing for the eradication of global poverty, and in working to address the impacts on the poor of climate change. It would also have the effect of dampening the volatility of financial markets.
Ireland would not introduce such a tax unilaterally, as it would only produce negligible revenue. Most speculative financial transactions take place in few locations, including London, New York and Tokyo. To be most effective the tax should be introduced at a global level, as advocated by President Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Merkel of Germany in advance of November’s G20 summit. At the very least it should be introduced at a Europe-wide level. People all over the world have watched from the sidelines as governments used taxpayers’ money to keep banks and financial institutions afloat.
Regardless of which parties come into power in Ireland after the election, I urge them to support this tax. It is fitting that the international financial sector should absorb some of the cost of helping to lift millions out of poverty. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – From the Latin candidus meaning white, we get the origin of the words “candid” and “candidate”.
In ancient Rome, candidates wore white robes to show honesty and purity of motive. Let us hope more candidates, in the true sense, will be chosen here on February 25th than has been the case in the past few elections. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I was delighted to see Trevor Sargent’s election workers promoting recycling at Malahide train station on Tuesday. They were retrieving from bins around the station Mr Sargent’s election leaflets, which, only minutes earlier, they had handed out to commuters – who had duly disposed of the leaflets. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I read with interest Jamie Smyth’s article on UNHCR’s appeal to all political parties to overhaul the current shambolic asylum system (Home News, February 14th). I have written to five candidates standing for the three major parties in my constituency of Dublin South East on this precise issue, asking them to commit to the election pledge of the Irish Refugee Council. I have received not so much as an acknowledgement of any of my emails, let alone any responses. This speak volumes about a lack of political commitment or public debate on this issue. Perhaps I should now branch out to the Independents and see if they have any interest in my vote? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I was appalled to hear Micheál Martin attempting to mimic a Chinese accent (Home News, February 15th). He showed a complete lack of cultural sensitivity, not something you would like to see in a man intent on representing this country internationally. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Voting for the candidate who promises to finally get that playground installed or that school extension built in your local area is well and good; but if that candidate’s party has policies that are so regressive that you can’t even afford to have kids, then that playground will never echo to the sound of your kids’ laughter.
It’s time for a change. It’s time to think nationally and finally rid ourselves of the parish pump politics so engrained in this society. By voting wisely we can at least try to undo the decade of damage inflicted on our country by Fianna Fáil, which has made the rich even richer and the rest of us poorer in every respect! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – There are a lot of independent candidates running in the general election, but I feel some of the candidates are not as independent as they make out. Quite a number of candidates are from what is commonly called the “party gene pool”, and they are often people who are disgruntled with “the party in Dublin” or they didn’t get selected for the ballot and are going it alone.
Single-issues candidates are fine for single issues, but there are so many problems facing our country, we do not know where they stand on other vital issues.
Do these candidates offer much in the way of national politics, or are they more concerned about their own self-interest? This country has been strangled for long enough because as an electorate, we appear far too often to vote for the person who gets the pothole filled. Maybe we should be voting for the person and party who can best get the national pothole, which is our economy, filled? – Yours, etc,