Revolutionary leader Daniel O\u2019Connell (1775-1847) said that, \u2018Nothing is politically correct that is morally wrong.\u2019 It is therefore difficult to rationalise Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin\u2019s decision to remove the necessity of a United Nations mandate for the deployment of Irish troops abroad.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The mandate is the core of the triple lock, which requires UN, government, and D\u00e1il approval before troops can be sent overseas. The Irish people voted to reject both the Nice (in 2001) and Lisbon treaties (in the first referendum in 2008) because of fears of a militarised EU, but were reassured after Fianna F\u00e1il introduced the lock.<\/p>\n
Now, there is the possibility that Irish troops could be deployed at the behest of the EU, and the EU is inextricably linked with Nato. To remove the lock would negate Ireland\u2019s credibility as a peacemaker. Ireland needs to work for reform of the UN and be a voice for peace. US president JF Kennedy stated in his speech to the D\u00e1il in 1963 that: \u201cIt matters not how small a nation is that seeks world peace.\u201d It does matter that the Taoiseach and Fianna F\u00e1il do what is right.<\/p>\n
\n Ed\u2019s note: The Government has proposed reforms to the triple lock, including removing the requirement for UN approval and replacing it with approval from the EU or other regional organisations, potentially including Nato.\n <\/p>\n
\n Elizabeth Cullen\n <\/p>\n
\n Lex Innocentium 21st century campaign,\n <\/p>\n
\n Naas,\n <\/p>\n
\n Co Kildare\n <\/p>\n
\u2018Plane\u2019 crazy<\/p>\n
Two decades ago, my uncle asked if the Irish government could tell him which hospital ward, which school building, and which section of motorway had been paid for by the wealth generated by the use of Shannon in the American war effort.<\/p>\n
If they could, then if he should ever be a patient in that hospital ward, send his children to that school, or drive along that stretch of road, he could spare a thought for the people who died in Iraq for his benefit and thank the government for their providence.<\/p>\n
My uncle asked that question in 2003.<\/p>\n
And now I\u2019m asking the current Government if they can point out every hospital, school, and road that has been completed in the intervening years by this money.<\/p>\n
And is it a fair price that hospitals, schools, and roads are destroyed around the world, with the help of US military planes allowed to land in Shannon, so that we can build those same facilities and infrastructure here?<\/p>\n
I just spent three months in the West Bank and saw many schools, houses, and toilets with plaques that said they were built with help from Ireland. In just the last few months, many of them have either been burned down, or the residents moved or killed so that illegal Israeli settlers can take over the land.<\/p>\n
Is the Government aware that the infrastructure Ireland funded is being destroyed by bombs that it helped to deliver by allowing the US military to stop over at Shannon?<\/p>\n
\n Diarmuid \u00d3 Cu\u00edv\n <\/p>\n
\n Indreabh\u00e1n,\n <\/p>\n
\n Gaillimh\n <\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Garden homes<\/p>\n
Dublin\u2019s housing shortage has become a public-service crisis. Garda\u00ed, nurses, teachers, firefighters, and paramedics are being priced out of the city they serve. No capital city can function effectively when its essential workers cannot live within reasonable reach of their workplaces.<\/p>\n
The Government intends to relax planning rules, exempting small, detached, modular \u2018garden homes\u2019 (typically up to 45sq m) from the need for full planning permission. If implemented thoughtfully, this measure is a rapid means of increasing housing supply. It must, however, be accompanied by high standards and clear protections.<\/p>\n
A well-specified, two-bedroom, timber or modular unit can be delivered for \u20ac70,000. When shared by two key workers, this equates to roughly \u20ac583 per person, per month, or \u20ac14,000 per year. That\u2019s an affordable rent by Dublin standards, particularly when aligned with the rent-a-room tax exemption. This equates to a return on investment of 20% net of tax.<\/p>\n
Warnings from Threshold and Age Action about the risks of substandard \u2018beds in sheds\u2019, insecure occupancy, and potential safeguarding issues for older homeowners are well-founded. These concerns do not justify inaction; they strengthen the case for robust regulation. Elderly householders will have the added security of key workers in their garden.<\/p>\n
To facilitate high-quality delivery, I propose a practical, \u2018one-stop shop\u2019 initiative: A volunteer panel of retired tradespeople, architects, solicitors, and other professionals to assist ageing homeowners in procuring compliant units at fair cost and with suitable key-worker tenants. Properly organised, such a scheme could add thousands of affordable homes, quickly and safely.<\/p>\n
\n Paschal Taggart\n <\/p>\n
\n Rathgar,\n <\/p>\n
\n Dublin 6\n <\/p>\n
Fermoy gridlock<\/p>\n
In the April 27 edition of your newspaper, reference was made to gridlocked traffic in Fermoy. This subject has made headlines many times over the years since the bypass around the town was completed in 2004.<\/p>\n
When the draft plan for the bypass first emerged by way of a presentation to the town council, of which I was a member, provision was made for a direct link on and off the bypass on the eastern side of the town to accommodate emergency vehicles from the local community hospital and the then proposed fire station. This was to enable immediate access and egress on and off the bypass.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, due to lack of foresight, the above eastern link route was withdrawn by the then government.<\/p>\n
The consequences of this decision have been evident over the last 22 years, with motorists experiencing traffic gridlock day in and day out, because of the lack of a direct route on and off the bypass on the eastern side of Fermoy.<\/p>\n
\n Tadhg O\u2019Donovan\n <\/p>\n
\n Fermoy,\n <\/p>\n
\n Co Cork\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Revolutionary leader Daniel O\u2019Connell (1775-1847) said that, \u2018Nothing is politically correct that is morally wrong.\u2019 It is therefore…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":431027,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[61,60,43],"class_list":["post-431026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431026","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=431026"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431026\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/431027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=431026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=431026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=431026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}