Letters to the Editor: Ireland does not need a president

Irish Examiner

9 hours ago

As the country faces another costly presidential election, one wonders if we need a president and can we afford to sustain what is largely a ceremonial office. For me, the answer is an emphatic no.
The Constitution expressly vests executive authority in the democratically-elected government.
The non-executive presidency is weighed down by protocols and formalities which are irrelevant in a modern republic grappling with very serious housing, health, criminal, and international issues.
The president holds office for an inordinately long seven years, and can be elected for a second term.
Unlike a general or local election, it's almost impossible for an ordinary Irish citizen to contest this election, as a nomination requires the support of at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or at least four local authorities.
In addition to expense-free living in the opulent, 92-room Áras an Uachtaráin, the president is entitled to an annual salary of €332,070, nearly seven times the average working salary of €47,967.
Presidential staff and ceremonial functions, at home and abroad, cost the taxpayer at least €5m per annum.
Some very fine people, including the present incumbent, have held the office but, in my opinion, the position is now unsustainable and the money spent in electing and maintaining a president of Ireland, a nominal and virtually powerless figurehead, is urgently needed elsewhere.
Billy Ryle, Tralee, Co Kerry
Ban will just move smoking problem elsewhere
It was with surprise that l learned of the suggestion by Cork county councillors to prohibit smoking and vaping in local authority amenity areas.
'The response of the local authority has been to ignore the enforcement of its own litter bylaws or general waste-management legislation.' Stock picture: Nicholas T Ansell/PA
The proposed rule will at best simply move the problem elsewhere or, as I believe to be the case from experience, lead to another bylaw going on the statute book of the local authority that will not be enforced.
As one who for many years has regularly gone on litter patrol, I can confirm that over 60% of all items dropped on our streets are cigarette or vaping related, yet the response of the local authority has been to ignore the enforcement of its own litter bylaws or general waste-management legislation.
My appeals over the years for the provision of cigarette receptacles outside all local authority and State agency buildings falling on deaf ears, this is apart from my advocacy of local authorities rolling out a pilot scheme where, on request, cigarette receptacles would be provided to ratepayers.
Until the mindset of the local authority changes in relation to litter and waste management enforcement, no amount of new legislation will have the desired effect
Tadhg O'Donovan, Fermoy, Cork
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Mayo County GAA Board should apologise
The choice of language used by the Mayo County GAA Board in sacking its management team was disgusting.
Exactly what might be expected of the owners of a an English Premier League club when sacking a manager; and indeed, even then not always so.
Gaelic Football is an amateur sport. An amateur sport that is now garnished with the worst aspects of corporate professionalism and elitism.
Major fixtures behind pay walls. Highly paid officials. Corporate boxes. Exorbitant ticket prices. All totally based on the efforts of unpaid amateur players.
Jarlath Burns needs to have a chat with his full-time permanent officials.
Pundits speak of managers losing the dressing room. If GAA HQ is not careful, it may well lose a lot more than that.
Mayo is a proud GAA county.
An apology should come from HQ. And an assurance that county management teams will be treated with respect in future.
After an opening phrase that a manager 'has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect' undermines whatever weasel words may follow.
Larry Dunne, Rosslare Harbour, Co Wexford
Profit of doom
I notice that crude oil prices fell 7% on the open market, as reported recently in the Irish Examiner, in the wake of war breaking out between Israel and Iran.
I also noticed that petrol and diesel prices went up at the forecourt pumps by almost the same amount at the same time.
Let it not be said there's no opportunistic money to be made during a war.
Nick Folley, Carrigaline, Cork
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Progress on speech and language therapy
After reading the article 'Speech and language, occupational therapies to start in 45 special schools in September' (Irish Examiner, June 19), I screamed out loud, 'Hallelujah!'.
It is about time! For the last several years I have been reading disturbing articles on the websites of various Irish newspapers telling of the long waiting lists for children to receive speech and language therapy.
I applaud the Department of Education for finally addressing the issue and moving in the right direction.
Stammering is one of the primary speech issues that affects children. Parents should know that there are great resources available on the websites of the Irish Stammering Association and Stamma (formerly the British Stammering Association).
Also, the website of the Stuttering Foundation provides many free resources, such as e-books and streaming videos.
Colm Ruane, Bronx, New York
Putting words on the plight of Palestinians
A lot of investment and effort is put into the production of TV shows and pop videos but I believe very little talent and imagination is being put into conveying the present extremely serious plight of the people of Gaza.
A video should be produced which plays the voices of actors speaking repeatedly and with feeling some of the moving lines from Shakespeare to the background of the horrific scenes of destruction and death which are being broadcast daily from Gaza.
Along with episodes of silence, the already recorded heartbreaking words and cries of the Gazan people themselves should also be included in this new video in an attempt to convey just a fraction of the pain and sorrow of their tragic situation.
Some such appropriate lines from Shakespeare which could be included in this video might be 'drown the stage with tears' and 'there's matter in these sighs, in these profound heaves'. Also 'they are cruel tears' along with 'if you prick us, do we not bleed?' and on and on.
Perhaps a few newly-written and appropriately matching lines could also be spoken to describe the plight of the people in Gaza.
Sean O'Brien, Kilrush, Co Clare
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Affordable homes are key to preventing crime
I commend the Irish Examiner in doing a three-day series on crime in Cork.
This investigation found that almost a quarter of the jail sentences handed down in Cork over the past five years were to homeless people. Theft, assault, public order, or drug offences were the most mentioned, with men accounting for 87% of all the jail terms.
As a Cork man, it breaks my heart to learn of these statistics. As a clinician, I have found that people who live on the streets often face a cruel choice — living rough in the cold or spending time behind bars.
Sadly, we see that the numbers trapped in sleeping rough have again risen. This is why more social homes are desperately needed.
It's hard to quantify the extent to which homelessness has contributed to chronic and mental poor health.
There is no question in my mind that homelessness and poor mental health are inextricably linked. Homelessness is harmful, as pretty much everyone instinctively knows.
It's my contention that charities on their own cannot solve this imbroglio. This is why it's incumbent on the Government to put pressure on developers and landlords. Homeless people sometimes have other problems too, but what the vast preponderance of these poor souls need more than anything else is an affordable house to live in.
I find the following words which were once uttered by the late Mother Teresa to be apposite to the above: 'We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our homes to remedy this poverty.'
John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
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