2 weeks Ago
I write this on my 12th consecutive morning without power. I write in a cafe; my home, normally a comfortable and pleasant environment, is bitterly cold and, frankly, uninhabitable. This current outage is my sixth in 11 months.
I have thrown out the contents of my fridge and freezer three times over that period. I am, at present, a nomad, living out of a rucksack, staying with friends, my life on hold as I wait for my daily text message from ESB Networks informing me yet again that restoration of power will be the following day at 21.00.
I can stay with friends, but many vulnerable people are living in freezing houses and have no alternative accommodation. This has been a national disaster, yet the Government seems to be blithely unaware of the hardship of tens of thousands of people who, I believe, deserve to be compensated for the acute inconvenience, the loss of income, the lengthy period of having to live in cold houses without light or heat for 12 days and counting. I propose the Government compensates all those affected to the tune of €100 a day.
I promise to use my €1,200-plus wisely by asking my local builder to reinstall the fireplaces I asked him to remove five years ago. Gerry Boland, Keadue, Co Roscommon Threatened trade tariffs are a rollicking great victory for the Americans It appears Christy Galligan sent his letter lamenting threatened American tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China (Letters, February 4) before the story had played out. Following “constructive” phone calls in which the leaders of Canada and Mexico pledged to significantly beef up their border and anti-fentanyl policies, Trump has postponed the imposition of tarriffs for a month.
The consequences of the threatened tariffs are 10,000 Mexican soldiers to stop illegal migration across the US border and $200m (€193m) in additional Canadian investment to stymie the flow of lethal fentanyl across the US border with no impact on the prices of tequila or maple syrup. This will reduce the numbers of people entering the US illegally and begin to bring down the 38,000 fentanyl-related deaths in the US each year; these are policy objectives that Trump based much of his 2024 campaign on and that received the imprimaturs of more than 77 million American voters. Given that these outcomes cost just one day of market jitters, and although it remains to be seen whether China will bow, it is hard to view the whole affair as anything less than a rollicking great victory for the Americans.
Killian Foley-Walsh, Kilkenny Unforgivable and horrible demands on war-weary Ukraine by Donald Trump Yet another disturbing statement from Donald Trump: “We’re looking to do a deal with Ukraine, where they’re going to secure what we’re giving them with their rare earths and other things.” At the simplest level this is the equivalent of a police officer saying we will investigate your robbery if you give us a free coffee every day for a year. That is blackmail.
The other worry is that this implies that all aid, about $300bn, is to be repaid. Aid is usually given without an expectation of repayment, but not in the Trump financial world. Given the amount of damage that has been done to Ukraine, they are not going to be able to repay it, so what happens instead? How can anyone place these demands on a war-torn country, unless they are bullies? Denis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia Canada’s Justin Trudeau embodies true leadership – look to him for guidance So, it was “black-and-white” after all (Regional Independents will not be given opposition speaking rights in Dáil, Ceann Comhairle rules).
Far from being “brow-beaten” by the opposition, the Taoiseach was uncharacteristically trying to defend the indefensible as evidenced by the most recent Sunday Independent /Ireland Thinks poll in which the vast majority of people believed he was wrong in this regard. Micheál Martin might look to Justin Trudeau to see what true leadership looks like. Pejoratively branded the “wokest” politician of them all by Ian O’Doherty in this paper last month, the Canadian prime minister united not just the whole of Canada, but many Americans as well in standing up to Trump’s tariff plans.
Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy displayed common sense in not granting Michael Lowry and his bunch of merry men opposition speaking time. Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry Well done to all in finally resolving that ridiculous speaking-time fiasco At long last, Sinn Féin has shown itself to be an effective opposition. Verona Murphy has shown she can put her role as Ceann Comhairle ahead of the political background that got her the job.
After a shaky start, she has now established her authority. There was no way that any TD could declare public support for the Government “in good times and bad” and still be entitled to question the Taoiseach. I imagine Micheál Martin must have known this at the outset and, experienced politician that he is, just let events play out to get the result he wanted.
Will the Regional TDs now take umbrage and back out of the deal? Will they heck. Anthony O’Leary, Portmarnock, Co Dublin I hope a government with guts will some day end the horror of hare coursing After the staging of the three-day National Hare Coursing Meeting, I’ve listened to local radio commentary reminding us that hare coursing is not only still legal in Ireland, but commands strong cross-party support in the Dáil. A leading supporter said a ban would just drive it underground.
I’m not impressed by that argument. The same excuse was offered by advocates of cock fighting, dog fighting and badger baiting before their abolition almost two centuries ago. Those of us who oppose hare coursing need to understand that politicians will only act when the pressure becomes so overwhelming they can no longer ignore it.
This is a simple, brutal fact of political life. A long and bitter road may lie ahead for those who choose compassion over cruelty, but I honestly believe that, one day, a government with guts will end this horror. John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co Kilkenny.
