2 weeks Ago
Regarding Azmia Riaz’s article (‘Charities now buying more homes than cuckoo funds as state-funded housing bodies bought close to €1bn in property last year’, Irish Independent , February 1), approved housing bodies (AHBs) currently own and manage about 65,000 social and cost-rental homes. There are 438 AHBs registered with the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority. However, many are inactive with no housing developments (and draw no funding from the State) and 32pc are classified as ‘micro’ AHBs, predominantly volunteer-led and with stock representing only 2pc of the sector’s total.
In 2023, our member AHBs provided almost 6,000 new social and cost-rental homes. AHB delivery, alongside local authorities, is essential to the State increasing its stock of social housing. The majority of AHB homes delivered over recent years have indeed been completed through various ‘turnkey’ delivery models.
Turnkey forward-funding and forward-purchase often results in new homes being delivered that would otherwise not be built due to viability issues – especially apartments. The recent Mitchell McDermott report states that in 2023, the public sector stepped in when the private sector left, leading to 10,000 to 15,000 units that would not have been built. Donal McManus, CEO, Irish Council for Social Housing A unified Ireland would mean the North giving up its Nato protections Martina Devlin makes some valid points in relation to our neutrality (‘Ireland’s neutrality is sacred, but we can’t keep relying on our neighbours for safety’, Irish Independent , February 7).
However, given her declared support for a “united Ireland”, I am surprised she did not mention the increasing significance of defence in the reunification of Ireland. In the world of modern warfare and communications, the island of Ireland holds an extremely important strategic location. Given our relative defencelessness and our non-aligned defence position, any assault on the island of Ireland or its surrounding waters is more likely to occur on the Republic’s land or water than in the North.
An attack on the North would be an attack on a major military power and member of Nato. No doubt our nearest neighbour and Europe would come to our aid if necessary, but only to the extent that it is in their interests to do so. We may have to request Nato to send troops to a non-member nation that has been aware of its own defencelessness for decades, but has done nothing about it.
There is increasing instability in the world. Against this background, in any border poll, we would be asking the people of the North to abandon their security within Nato to unite with a relatively defenceless state. Until the defence issue addressed, the chances of a border poll being held, let alone resulting in any constitutional change, are about zero.
Anthony O’Leary, Portmarnock, Co Dublin Have we just given green light for domestic abusers to continue to stay hidden? The shelving of legislation to establish a register of domestic violence offenders (‘Jennie’s Law: Anger at shelving of domestic violence register’, Irish Independent , February 6) is disturbing. Are we to take away the autonomy of coercive control, abuse and domestic violence victims and allow perpetrators to continue their cruelty and murder to many partners? Surely enough abuse, violence and harm in our society has been hidden by those in authority? Hugh McDermott, Dromahair, Co Leitrim Trump’s plan for the Gaza Strip is ethnic cleansing, just by a different name Among the atrocities I witnessed during a working life exposed to a number of the world’s conflicted areas was the curse of ethnic cleansing. This took various forms, such as direct removal by deportation, by coercion through murder and rape and by what I perceived as “homeland obliteration” – the destruction and removal of a people’s physical vestiges and indigenous heritages.
This week we have seen the US president add to ethnic cleansing “methodology” in his proposals to turn Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. The civilised world must understand and not be duped into thinking Trump’s intentions are anything other than a cynically camouflaged attempt at ethnic cleansing. Michael Gannon (Defence Forces retired), Co Kilkenny Sadness at passing of Paddy Cullen, but he will forever be a hero of GAA It was with sadness that I read of the passing of legendary Dublin goalkeeper Paddy Cullen (‘Paddy Cullen obituary: The gregarious and personable Dublin goalkeeper involved in two of the most pivotal All-Ireland football final moments’, Irish Independent , February 7).
As it happens, I recently picked up (in Killarney library) a tribute DVD to another footballing legend of the same era, John Egan, who left this world in 2012 at just 59 years of age. Of course, it contains lots of footage between the great rivals of GAA in the 1970s and early 80s that for many was the golden age of Gaelic football. Con Houlihan’s words may have immortalised Paddy Cullen, but Kerry people will mourn the passing of a true footballing legend.
Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry Taoiseach must use his Patrick’s Day visit to get the White House onside I found Gabija Gataveckaite’s piece, ‘Irish ministers are not fretting over business bravado on show in White House ( Irish Independent , February 6) to be a compelling read. We learn that Taoiseach Micheál Martin is under pressure to charm Trump when he travels to meet the president as part of the St Patrick’s Day festivities in Washington next month. That’s assuming there will be an invitation from Trump.
It’s emboldening to hear that Irish diplomats in Washington aim to banish anxiety as they strive to build new ties with the Trump administration. It pains me to say the Taoiseach and his ministers will have to use their visit to gain favour and respectability by conspicuously displaying obliging and co-operative behaviour. I find the following words uttered by the late W Somerset Maugham to be pertinent: “The most useful thing about a principle is that it can always be sacrificed to expediency.
” John O’Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary.
