1 day Ago
I must admit my guilt. I once published an article in a US magazine entitled “Donegal: The Forgotten County”. In my defence, it was written entirely out of sympathy and admiration for that great county.
Kathy Donaghy is absolutely correct in her assessment of how Donegal has been treated (‘I hate the Forgotten County moniker, but Donegal is a prime example of Government’s rural Ireland neglect’, Irish Independent , November 19). Donegal’s beauty and community spirit mask deep issues of neglect, from poor transport links and shuttered services to housing challenges and economic stagnation. While locals hope for change in the election, the county remains an emblem of rural Ireland’s slow pace of progress and marginalisation by a Dublin-centric government.
If Ireland continues to centralise power and neglect rural infrastructure, it risks fostering a deep divide between thriving urban hubs and struggling rural regions. True progress for Donegal will require visionary leadership that values regional balance. Enda Cullen, Armagh Sinn Féin needs to mug up on Irish political history before throwing shapes Sinn Féin’s constant pitch to the Irish electorate is that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have been in power for 100 years.
This is not correct. Fianna Fáil came to power in 1932, and since then has served the country in various shapes and forms – as an overall majority party, a minority party, a leader of coalition governments and as an opposition party. Fine Gael, by contrast, was formed in 1933 by the merger of Cumann Na nGaedheal, the Irish Centre Party and the Army Comrades Association.
The main difference is that Fianna Fáil spent more time in goverment than Fine Gael. Sinn Féin only decided to abandon its policy of abstention from Dáil Éireann in 1986; before then, it often referred to the Dáil as a sham assembly. Sinn Fein finally managed to elect its first TD to the Dáil in 1997, at a time when it looked like peace was the only way forward for progress.
Kieran O’Regan, Dublin 9 The truth is our politicians would go into government with anyone to gain power As I hear various politicians talking about who they would or would not go into government with, I am reminded of the man about to swim across a river. As he entered the water, he whispered to himself: “I’ll be fine, the Lord is good.” But halfway across and beginning to tire he calls out: “And the divil is not too bad either.
” Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin 9 We’ve a large number of political representatives, but are we getting value? In Dáil Éireann we have 174 TDs for a population of 5.2 million. In the Netherlands, its parliament has 150 members representing a population of 17.
8 million people. Are we getting value for money? John M Nolan, Dublin 3 It’s time to take comedians seriously and politicians as the absolute jokers I found it rather hilarious to read a report that the Labour Party’s finance spokesperson, Ged Nash, described the election promises of Fianna Fáil as being akin to a Charlie McCreevy and Brian Cowen tribute act. The above observation by Mr Nash reminded me of an utterance once made by the late Will Rogers, the humorous American social commentator: “Everything is changing.
People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.” John O’Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary This posturing by Harris, Martin and O’Gorman on Palestine is disappointing It was sickening to listen to Simon Harris and Micheál Martin, supported by Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman, on RTÉ’s Upfront trying to defend the indefensible. They are saying all the right things about the crisis in Palestine, yet they are refusing to do anything apart from symbolic posturing.
If they were genuinely concerned about the slaughter we are watching nightly on television, they would introduce sanctions unilaterally. They would not wait for approval from the EU or the UN, but would instead show some leadership and challenge Israel’s genocide. They are a disappointment to the people of Ireland and to the beleaguered people of Palestine.
Art Ó Laoghaire, Bray, Co Wicklow Ukraine cannot be faulted for doing everything in its power to defend itself Can we just say that Ukraine cannot be faulted in bringing all its resources to bear in defending itself against an unprovoked assault by Russia? Every day, Putin directs the levelling of Ukraine’s vital infrastructure and the slaughter of its people and warns of dire consequences should President Zelensky reach further into his arsenal to blunt this onslaught. History is lost on Putin where Russia’s complicity in triggering World War II by facilitating Hitler’s onslaught on Poland in 1939 is concerned. Russia lost over 27 million people between 1935 and 1945, mostly at the hands of Stalin.
Putin will wither from this earth, like the aforementioned tyrant, leaving Russia with the option of joining humanity in making this world a place for all. Timothy VJ Sutton MRGC, Moneygall, Co Offaly Biden’s decision to allow Kyiv to use long-range missiles is concerning Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use long-range US missiles against Russia is deeply worrying. Vladimir Putin could easily overreact and nuclear weapons could be used.
Donald Trump said he could end the conflict within 24 hours, so the final decision should be left to him in January. Dominic Shelmerdine, London Trump’s picks for high office paint a grim picture of the future for humanity It is tempting to scoff at Donald Trump’s picks for high office in the US as a collection of goons, but the sobering truth is that this dangerous far-right cabinet will be running the most powerful country in the world. The medium-term future for humanity and the planet suddenly looks decidedly bleak.
Fintan Lane, Lucan, Co Dublin.
