EDITOR – The Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers has declared that the National Gallery’s non-use to-date of a €124,000 scanner ‘shows a disregard for value for public money.’
That’s rich coming from someone whose party has voted in favour of over half a billion euro (€518,000,000) of taxpayers’ money being squandered on horse and greyhound racing. Scanning through Oireachtas records, one can see that since 2001, his party and others have approved a total of €1.8bn (€1,835,171,127) in payments to Horse Racing Ireland and Greyhound Racing Ireland. Much of the funds given to horseracing end up as prize-money in the pockets of wealthy owners and trainers who jubilate as jockeys whip horses across finishing lines.
The millions ploughed into greyhound racing, meanwhile, prop up an industry based on overbreeding dogs, keeping the quickest and killing the thousands who don’t make the grade.
Every week, there are more victims at the near-empty tracks around the country, where dogs can be heard yelping in agony when they fall and suffer injuries such as broken legs and necks, fractured ribs, torn ligaments and spinal paralysis.
Disregarding prevailing opinion, the government has committed to continue backing racing. This despite the latest survey, carried out by Norstat, showing that 70% oppose hand-outs to greyhound racing, while only 11% support them. Politicians have mis-spending down to a fine art and their wastage of public funds on two gambling activities decidedly dwarfs the scanner scandal.
Philip Kiernan,
Irish Council Against Blood Sports,
Mullingar.
The Dáil prayer does nobody any harm
EDITOR – The Social Democrats and the Labour party have proposed to rid our Dáil of the traditional prayer rendered before the start of the daily Dáil sitting. What an insult to our Catholic and Christian faith and to people of the faith. It’s disrespectful to those who laid the foundation of our State and to all those men and women who suffered and died for Irish freedom.
The prayer itself takes less than a minute and includes 30 seconds for reflection and was no great burden on anybody in the Dáil. Why push our creator out of important matters that affects all our people one way or other.
Jeremiah McCarthy,
Clonakilty
No good reason to tear up Territories Bill
EDITOR – A long-awaited ceasefire has finally been implemented in Gaza. After a horrifying 15 months, the unrelenting slaughter of civilians has stopped for the time being. This is a welcome break for the people in Gaza.
Before even making a statement on the ceasefire, Taoiseach Micheál Martin was quick to announce that he will once again be blocking the Occupied Territories Bill, calling for it to be rewritten and citing technical issues with the Bill.
This is unacceptable – we are waiting seven years for its implementation in law. The Bill has already gone through all the required steps and the Irish attorney general has said that there is no legal issue with passing it, so there is absolutely no good reason to tear it up and re-word it again.
Under the Genocide Convention, the Irish government has an obligation to prevent and punish the crime of genocide. Throughout the last 15 months of genocide they have refused to punish Israel’s crimes through sanctions.
In fact, they increased their military trade with Israel significantly.
We cannot change the past 15 months but we must demand that this government fulfils its minimum requirements under the genocide convention from now on.
Daniel Teegan,
Union Hall.
Holding some people accountable is ‘sacrilege’
EDITOR – Why would our government want to put in place a DOGE-like authority, that would mean close scrutiny of all government expenditure, which could lead to individuals being held responsible and accountable for the use of taxpayers’ money?
I suggest that, in the minds of politicians, holding either politicians or civil servants accountable for taxpayers’ money, would amount to sacrilege.
Michael Moriarty.
Rochestown.
We should embrace change in Irish politics
EDITOR – When canvassing in both the local and general elections in rural areas I was frequently met by electric gates. I asked myself the question – are my neighbours genuinely afraid of crime in their areas or are they ‘FO’ gates?
Being brought up in the countryside I sometimes hanker back for the times when one could lift the latch on the front door of your neighbour’s house and walk into the kitchen.
Also, canvassing doors in the past, I could guess which house was Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or Labour. That is no longer the situation.
The electorate nowadays are in a state of flux. They no longer have loyalty to long-dead leaders. This is change. Embrace change.
Michael Hallissey,
Mayfield,
Bandon.
