Sir, – I have read many a biased editorial in The Irish Times and other publications over the years. But your recent one on the Venezuelan coup wins the prize (May 2nd). It states in no uncertain terms that Juan Guaidó's attempt to overthrow violently the elected government of Venezuela is not a coup. You are in need of a dictionary. A coup is precisely that, the violent overthrow of a government. Just say it out loud and be proud of it. Own it, as the Americans would say. You support the coup and presumably you will also support the opening up of Venezuela's oil industry to the US. Do us all a favour and be honest about your intentions, rather than trying to distort the meaning of words to such an extent that no dictionary could accommodate it. – Yours, etc,
GEARÓID Ó LOINGSIGH,
Bogotá,
Colombia.
Sir, – Venezuela is a country rich in natural resources. It is one of the world’s top oil producers. Tragically, despite its richness, this is a country whose shelves are empty of basic foodstuffs – meat, rice, coffee, flour, corn. The reason for these empty shelves have been the unintended consequences of the strict price controls on basic foodstuffs first introduced by Hugo Chávez in 1999 and followed on by his successor Nicolás Maduro. The intention was to favour the poor and working class. However, the price controls were set so low that, unintentionally, farm production of food sank. Venezuela now imports almost three-quarters of its food. Foodstuffs can be found on the black market but at much higher prices and can be purchased by the wealthy. Tragically, the price controls introduced by Chávez and Maduro have hurt the poor and working class – those they intended to help. – Yours, etc,
THOMAS POWER,
Dublin 1.