1 week Ago
When I was a boy in the 1960s, I thought America was the greatest country in the world: US president John F Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, Neil Armstrong, Geronimo, The Man from U.N.C.
L.E. , Lucille Ball, skyscrapers, fast cars, private detectives.
As I got older, I began to realise that all was not as it seemed: the genocide of indigenous Americans, slavery, political assassinations, the Vietnam War, Watergate – the image of greatness became increasingly tarnished. I find it hard now to remember back to the time when images of JFK and Pope John XXIII hung next to the picture of the Sacred Heart in kitchens the length and breadth of Ireland. Seeing the newspaper headlines day after day of late makes it impossible for me to believe America can ever be great again; at best, it was an illusion.
Chris Fitzpatrick, Dublin 6 Oval Office theatre is quite compelling, if you ignore the bluster and falsities There was a time when the customary Oval Office sit-down with visiting foreign leaders was monotonous and fairly predictable, something akin to a forum in which both the president and their contemporary could reaffirm things everybody already knew. Not so with Donald Trump. The 45th/47th US president has turned the affair into a kind of carnival – a long and winding show in which he talks about everything, anything and even a bit more.
The latest instalment, which co-starred Benjamin Netanyahu, took place in the White House on Monday. Mr Trump churned through the different subjects, covering everything from the market turmoil arising from his tariffs to the war in Gaza, Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine and talks over Iran’s nuclear programme. He quoted numbers that don’t exist, repeated historical falsities regarding the foundation of the EU and even deferred on one occasion to his defence chief Pete Hegseth, who answered obsequiously to address the situation facing the Houthi rebels in Yemen.
If you’re into it, it’s wildly entertaining stuff, and it might even be funny to some if it weren’t all so serious. It must be said, however, that while the Trump administration has clamped down on media freedoms in certain respects, it also allows unprecedented access to the most powerful individual on the planet, and these rambling Oval Office sit-downs play a crucial part. Mr Trump should be commended for this – but very little else.
Thomas Conway, Ballina, Co Tipperary Reduce tariffs to zero so that we can strive towards a better, fairer world order I wholeheartedly agree with your editorial (‘EU should hold its nerve and shift focus beyond United States’, April 8). In reality, you can’t completely ignore the US market, but shifting focus also leads to diversification, and that is positive. The EU also needs to shift focus away from Trumpian economics of high tariffs to counter trade deficits.
Retaliation with higher tariffs is useless. It’s like a punter chasing a losing streak. I believe the EU should, with the stroke of a pen, reduce tariffs on US imports to zero for a significant range of goods.
Ursula von der Leyen said the EU stood ready to negotiate a “zero-for- zero tariff pact for industrial goods”. So why wait? Just do it and negotiate later. Tariffs are, as we believe, bad for world trade, so why have any? Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18 China is not backing down as Trump tries to bully the world’s smaller nations I note China has vowed to “fight to the end” as US president Donald Trump threatens to impose further tariffs on Chinese goods.
I think China has sent very clear signals about its position, with its recent military exercises around Taiwan, which was a most extreme and radical move by the Chinese. It’s fascinating to hear Mr Trump claiming he’s a big admirer of Chinese president Xi Jinping. Trump says they both respect and understand each other.
It seems to me that Xi Jinping is not buying into this obsequious and unctuous rhetoric, in that he is not playing around here as he assumes the role of Chinese protector. We are now seeing China’s leader standing up to this US bully. I do think China is doing this as a sort of gesture for all the smaller nations.
It seems to me the Chinese are not going to back down on this. I think they have a reading of Trump, in that they can call his bluff. I believe they are convinced they can actually reach some kind of an accommodation with the US president regarding this trade war.
John O’Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Proposal to hit medicines with ‘major’ tariffs on a whim is deeply shameful Donald Trump has announced that he, or really the US, will impose a “major” tariff on pharmaceuticals. The word “major” is vague, but it can be suggested that it will be in the 30pc to 50pc range, rather than the general 10pc. This is shameful.
In an ideal world, any necessary medicine would be free, but that’s not realistic – so the best that can be hoped for is cheap and readily available. Costs should be minimised, not subjected to extra tariffs at the whim of an individual. Our savings may be taking a hit, but that’s not likely to be life-changing, whereas decreased access to medicine will cost lives.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia AI fears aside, technology can also deliver the news with a welcome warmth Like Ian O’Doherty, (‘I may hate technology, but AI genuinely scares me – and you should worry too’, Irish Independent , April 9), I remember the terror of frozen bank accounts and remote controls that defied reason. But unlike Ian, I’ve decided not to be terrified by artificial intelligence. Why? Because if AI ever truly learns from humans, it will one day open the fridge, forget what it came for and stand there bewildered until it gives up and goes back to bed.
One of the blessings of technological progress is that I can now read the Irish Independent on my iPad at 3am without having to wait for the local newsagent to open and then drive into town in the cold, clutching a coat over my pyjamas. So, yes, technology can be maddening – but it’s not all dystopia. Sometimes it’s just convenience with a warm mug in hand.
Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh.
