{"id":135629,"date":"2025-11-12T11:16:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T11:16:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/135629\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T11:16:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T11:16:17","slug":"on-beefing-up-our-defences-voluntary-hospitals-and-poppy-talk-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/135629\/","title":{"rendered":"On beefing up our defences, voluntary hospitals and poppy talk \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sir, \u2013 The report that Ireland may seek the aid of a French warship to bolster security during its upcoming EU presidency is both astonishing and deeply troubling (\u201cIreland may seek aid of French warship to boost security during EU presidency<\/a>,\u201d November 8th).<\/p>\n

This is a country that proudly elected a president who champions neutrality and opposes militarisation. Its largest political party remains vocally anti-Nato, and its political landscape is steeped in declarations of non-alignment and pacifism.<\/p>\n

Yet, by requesting military support from a fellow EU nation, Ireland tacitly acknowledges what it has long refused to confront: that there are real and present threats to its sovereignty and security threats that affect all EU member states. <\/p>\n

This move exposes a contradiction at the heart of Irish policy. It suggests that while Ireland is unwilling to invest in its own defence capabilities, it is perfectly willing to rely on the military strength of others when the stakes are high.<\/p>\n

Is this neutrality, or is it hypocrisy? If Ireland cannot or will not defend itself during a period of heightened international attention, then what does its neutrality truly mean? <\/p>\n

Is it a principled stance, or a convenient shield behind which the country avoids hard decisions? The presence of a foreign warship in Dublin, however symbolic, undermines the very values Ireland claims to uphold.<\/p>\n

Ireland must decide whether it wishes to remain a passive observer in a changing Europe or confront the realities of modern security with honesty and responsibility. Until then, the question remains: does Ireland have no shame? \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n

GARRY O\u2019REILLY, <\/p>\n

Barcelona,<\/p>\n

Spain.<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 We are very exposed to Russian aggression, being an island nation off the west of Europe. Hence, it is depressing to read of Department of Public Expenditure and Reform officials baulking at spending more money on defence (\u201cHarris may use EU loans to fund military,\u201d November 10th). The EU has acknowledged that it has been delinquent in making adequate provision for the defence of the continent generally. <\/p>\n

Ireland\u2019s defence budget per capita is minuscule in comparison with average EU countries and we have been lucky to be able to piggyback on the UK in that regard. <\/p>\n

We need to grab our share of the new EU Safe (Security Action for Europe) loans, so press ahead Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris and don\u2019t be shy. \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n

GEORGE HENRY,<\/p>\n

Blackrock,<\/p>\n

Co Dublin.<\/p>\n

Voluntary hospitals<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 Having read John McManus\u2019s excellent article on the Minister for Health v the voluntary hospitals regarding the national financial management system (\u201cJennifer Carroll MacNeill has taken on the hospital boards. There can be only one winner,<\/a>\u201d Opinion, November 7th), and having worked for almost 40 years in this sector, and as an amateur student of history, it appears to me that the Irish voluntary hospitals most closely resemble the medieval Italian city-states of Florence, Venice, Milan, Naples, etc, in that: <\/p>\n

(a) They have their own charters (many of which are ancient); <\/p>\n

(b) Each has a CEO (like a king or a prince or a Doge) and a replica bureaucracy under her\/him; <\/p>\n

(c) They are fiercely independent; <\/p>\n

(d) They inspire and demand the absolute loyalty from their workers and administrators;<\/p>\n

(e) Although they may form strategic alliances, they also go to war with each other (in a modern context over resources, the location of prestigious tertiary or national referral services);<\/p>\n

(f) They are centres of excellence for innovation and learning;<\/p>\n

(g) They have their own ethos and brand \u2013 and hubris; <\/p>\n

(h) They believe themselves to be the big fresco \u2013 and are paranoid about loss of identity, loss of control, and disappearance;<\/p>\n

(i) They build high walls around themselves to ward off attacks;<\/p>\n

(j) They believe in the city-state \u2013 but not in the big state; and<\/p>\n

(k) They want to hang on at all costs to the baby and the bathwater.<\/p>\n

There is, however, one important difference: unlike the city-states of the Renaissance, the voluntary hospitals (apart from private income, car park fees and fundraising) do not generate the bulk of their own wealth (to run services, pay wages, and to expand). <\/p>\n

History tells us that all good things come to an end \u2013 and, if they do not, they become anachronistic curiosities.<\/p>\n

In a world in which financial transparency is an essential component of good governance and in which taxpayers demand their elected representatives to account for how public money is spent, it is hard to argue against the introduction of a national financial management system into all hospitals providing public services. <\/p>\n

And in the context of the big fresco: as a small country, if we want a Renaissance in healthcare for Irish patients, perhaps it\u2019s time we unified our hospitals \u2013 while keeping the baby and throwing out the cold bathwater. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

CHRIS FITZPATRICK,<\/p>\n

Dublin 6.<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 The Ministers for Health and for Public Expenditure are now looking to take a stand against the independence of the \u201cvoluntary\u201d hospitals which are entirely funded by the State. <\/p>\n

This issue was raised with extreme urgency a few years ago when both Ministers voted in favour of the handover of the National Maternity Hospital \u2013 and the multi-billion euro investment associated with it \u2013 to one such body and its controlling religious order. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

BEN WALSH,<\/p>\n

Glasnevin,<\/p>\n

Dublin 11.<\/p>\n

Wearing the poppy<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 I refer to Mark Paul\u2019s article on the poppy (Irish Times, November 5th) and Philip Black\u2019s letter (November 7th). There are no stories from the first World War which were typical of the time. Behind each first World War individual is their own story like my first World War relatives who came home. This is in contrast to Mark Paul\u2019s granduncle and Philip Black\u2019s granduncle who were killed in action which must have been terrible for their relatives. <\/p>\n

Wearing a poppy or a shamrock poppy or not, is not the point. Remembrance is about not forgetting. <\/p>\n

Our president-elect\u2019s inauguration date is today, the same date as Armistice Day. The first World War is a shared history and a common memory on the island of Ireland. Perhaps our president-elect Catherine Connolly might acknowledge Armistice Day in her speech. For to be forgotten is to die twice. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

SABINA PURCELL,<\/p>\n

Kilmacud,<\/p>\n

Co Dublin.<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 With reference to Frank Neenan\u2019s letter (November 8th) on the wearing or not wearing poppies, his suggestion of a contribution to Commonwealth Graves Commission is admirable: having visited my late uncle\u2019s grave regularly in northern France, one cannot but be impressed by their immaculate upkeep over the years. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

PADDY FAWL,<\/p>\n

Leixlip,<\/p>\n

Co Kildare.<\/p>\n

The fine art of letter-writing<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 Armed with good quality writing paper and what we used to call a fountain pen, there\u2019s nothing more pleasant than to write to one\u2019s friends and family.<\/p>\n

Coibhe Butler found the essential ingredient \u2013 quality paper (\u201cReviving the lost art of letter writing: \u2018Any handwritten letter is a love letter of sorts<\/a>\u2019,\u201d November 10th). The type of pen is not important but it must be a pen with again, good ink. And then off you go. <\/p>\n

I write to my young grandchildren and the pleasure I get is unparalleled. They find it fun to receive a letter as it\u2019s an unusual experience for them.<\/p>\n

Years ago, I paid the milkman and wrote him a cheque but with a pen. He stood there rubbing his eyes; \u201cSo that really a pen, Guv\u201d?<\/p>\n

Try it. It\u2019s redemptive almost. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

ALASTAIR CONAN,<\/p>\n

Coulsdon,<\/p>\n

England.<\/p>\n

Tackling the future of rugby<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 The outlook for the future of Ireland\u2019s rugby team appears bleak when Gerry Thornley\u2019s match report of last Saturday\u2019s game, of Ireland v Japan, appears on page 7 of today\u2019s Sports supplement (November 10th). \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n

MICHAEL C O\u2019CONNOR.<\/p>\n

Dunmore Road,<\/p>\n

Waterford.<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 Modern-day rugby seems to be dominated by coaches in every aspect of the game to the extent that flair and class are no longer relevant. There now seems to be more coaches than players attached to the Irish squad with the result that the players are now being programmed to behave like robots. <\/p>\n

I wonder how the Irish \u201cgreats\u201d like Kyle, Gibson, O\u2019Reilly, McBride, etc, would have adapted to the modern game?<\/p>\n

It is so sad that the players of this once great game are now in danger of being reduced to pieces on a chess board where any feelings of freedom and self-expression are being eroded by their coaching masters. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

CHARLES SMYTH,<\/p>\n

Kells,<\/p>\n

Co Meath.<\/p>\n

Government\u2019s lack of energy<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 There have been two interesting stories in the past week concerning new building projects that have come to fruition.<\/p>\n

The first involves the new Lidl store in Maynooth, which is described as the country\u2019s first net zero energy supermarket. The article also includes a quote from Minister of Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O\u2019Brien, who welcomed the project as \u201ca powerful example of how innovation in the private sector can help meet the country\u2019s national climate goals\u201d.<\/p>\n

Good for Lidl. In fact their new store here in Bundoran incorporates a large solar PV panel on the roof as well as a large rain water harvesting tank under the car park.<\/p>\n

The second story concerns the customs control facility and border control post at Rosslare Europort, with the work being overseen by the Office of Public Works (OPW). The news story includes an aerial flyby of the new port facilities.<\/p>\n

From what I can see from this video, not one of the new buildings, or even any of the existing buildings, have been fitted with solar panels. Why not?<\/p>\n

Are we to take from this that the Government is quite happy for this country\u2019s climate goals to be met purely by the private sector? <\/p>\n

And what has the OPW against the installation of solar PV panels? I\u2019m quite sure the Rosslare port facilities rely quite heavily on electricity for their operations.<\/p>\n

If I, as a homeowner, can retrofit a solar PV system, with the help of the SEAI (notwithstanding that the grant has been reduced from \u20ac2,100 to \u20ac1,800), surely the OPW can oversee the installation of solar PV for this essential port infrastructure that relies heavily on electricity for its operation.<\/p>\n

Is there no joined-up thinking in Government? \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

ANTHONY MORAN,<\/p>\n

Bundoran,<\/p>\n

Co Donegal.<\/p>\n

Education and Northern Ireland<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 Does anyone really care about integrated education in Northern Ireland? The simple answer must be \u201cnot really\u201d. <\/p>\n

For too many years, we have been told that a significant majority of the public (perhaps 70 per cent plus) support the idea but little seems to happen (93 per cent are still educated in segregated schools). <\/p>\n

In recent times, proposed schemes have been rejected by the Minister for Education because of the lack of broad-based support in a particular area. Obviously there are demographic and financial difficulties to be overcome, but the lack of interest by our politicians is the greatest obstacle to any meaningful progress.<\/p>\n

At a time when there is much discussion about the future of Ireland and Northern Ireland, surely the progressive voices in our schools, universities and churches must make their voices heard on this issue. \u2013 Yours, etc,<\/p>\n

DAVID GRIFFIN,<\/p>\n

Co Down.<\/p>\n

A cautionary tale<\/p>\n

Sir, \u2013 When reading of the abysmal conditions of the men and women detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), on the orders of the Trump administration, one can only be grateful to live in a country where despite bureaucratic failures in delivery there is still humanitarian intent in our legal and policy frameworks for the care of immigrants and asylum seekers. <\/p>\n

The Broadview Ice Processing Centre near Chicago Midway Airport was the subject of an emergency class action lawsuit filed on October 31st alleging inhumane conditions and violations of civil rights.<\/p>\n

As reported on November 5th the adjudicating judge found the witnesses credible and called the alleged conditions \u201cunnecessarily cruel\u201d after a hearing about overflowing toilets, crowded cells, no beds. He ordered immediate improvement of the inhumane conditions.<\/p>\n

As a former health professional trained in medical ethics, I find the accounts of the detainees\u2019 conditions profoundly distressing. They show what happens when administrative systems lose sight of their moral obligations.<\/p>\n

Ireland doesn\u2019t need to fear becoming the United States of 2025 \u2013 but we do need to stay alert to the dilution of conscience through expediency. While surveys show that empathy for the migrant is strong in communities and civil society, the State\u2019s delivery systems are fragmented and reactive. <\/p>\n

Once ranked among the \u201ctop 10\u201d countries by the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX), Ireland\u2019s current approach is now classified as only halfway favourable to integration. A retrograde step. <\/p>\n

Grounded in Aristotelian philosophy and the Judaic-Christian tradition, the first rule of medicine is primum non nocere \u2013 \u201cfirst, do no harm\u201d, one that every profession that deals with human beings in distress would do well to adopt. <\/p>\n

It seems reasonable to propose the true test of a nation\u2019s health is not solely measured by the wellbeing of its people but also in how it treats the most vulnerable at its borders. \u2013 Yours, etc, <\/p>\n

MARY ELLEN HAWKEY,<\/p>\n

Co Wexford.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sir, \u2013 The report that Ireland may seek the aid of a French warship to bolster security during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17772,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60],"class_list":{"0":"post-135629","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-health-care","10":"tag-healthcare","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}