Sir, – As Donald Trump has left office, I am reminded of the immortal lines from F Scott Fitzgerald’s great American novel of power and privilege, The Great Gatsby, describing characters with similar backgrounds and temperaments: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy– they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” – Yours, etc,
DAVID DOYLE,
Sandymount,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – We all surely remember when as small children we woke up in the middle of the night, terrified, coming out of a nightmare. We remember too how our parents appeared right there to hold our hands and assure us that everything would be all right.
That is how it feels now after the last awful four years.
We have hope again and the fear has mostly gone away.
I cannot bear to think what another four years of Donald Trump would have been like. – Yours, etc,
NED MONAGHAN,
New Canaan,
Connecticut, US.
Sir, – Welcome back, United States. We can now look forward to four years of civility, dignity and respect. – Yours, etc,
EDDIE MURPHY,
Newcastle,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Begorrah, tears of joy were running down my freckled face on reading Suzanne Lynch's latest report from Washington ("Irish at the heart of Biden's administration", World, January 20th). The sub-heading above her article reads, so it did: "With several Irish-Americans in new cabinet, Ireland's position is stronger". And then, as I gulped down a celebratory buidéal of poitín, bejaysus didn't I notice the news from India.
There its media outlets are claiming that more than 20 Indian-Americans are playing a part in Joe Biden’s new administration.
I wonder what India’s version of paddywhackery looks like? – Yours, etc,
KARL MARTIN,
Bayside,
Dublin 13.