TONY O'CONNOR,
Madam, - I applaud the recent decision to increase the television license fee. The additional revenue generated for RTÉ should ensure plenty more "Irish" programmes from its excellent radio and television stations. We need to discriminate more and more in our own favour; otherwise Ireland Inc. will be swallowed up by globalisation's lowest common denominator - Sky, for example.
Where we find excellence within our own shores we should support it aggressively. The alternative is to become a meaningless colony on the very edge of the brave new world - perish the thought!
And while I'm at it - why can't we go ahead and appoint Brian Kerr as the next manager of the Irish soccer team? He has already proved he can bring national under-age teams to the very pinnacle of success. Why not give him the opportunity to prove he can go all the way? - Yours, etc.,
TONY O'CONNOR,
Balheary,
Swords,
Co Dublin.
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Madam, - Those who have recently been lost in the wilderness can surely have been the only people in the land who did not expect RTÉ to get its full increase award on the TV licence. Since this announcement, RTÉ is going out of its way to reassure the public about greater visibility and accountability and, of course, home-made programmes. Therefore I can take it that Glenroe will be restored to our screens as quickly as it was taken off them.
After all, it was due to lack of funding, I understand, that Glenroe was withdrawn, leaving the country bereft of a superb home-grown rural drama. Payback time, I feel. So how about it, RTÉ? - Yours, etc.,
YVONNE HAMILTON-TARLETON,
Barntown,
Wexford.