Villagers: Letters to the editor 2006-10-19

The recent announcement that the HSE (government by default) is going to refuse subvention for private nursing homes for an older person living alone in a house worth more than ?500,000 in Dublin and ?300,000 outside Dublin is to be condemned by all right thinking people.

What other disgusting measures will this government take to create more revenue for their overfull coffers. It is not the fault of house owners that their property which, bought at the time for a pittance, has gone up.

Paul Doran, Clondalkin, Dublin 22

Health system: Demanding healthcare rights

Last week my colleague Councillor Joe Reilly revealed that because of the refusal of the HSE to authorise the hiring of laboratory technicians in Drogheda and Navan Hospitals, the testing of blood samples at both hospitals had been privatised, outsourced at over a million euros per annum to private laboratories. GPs in Meath report a substantial decline in the quality of service.

In last week's Village (12 October) it was confirmed that there are delays of up to a year for developmental checks for babies by public-health nurses because of a backlog of work with 10 nurses for a population of 30,000. Statewide, the number of public health nurses has fallen from 693 in 2001, to 686 four years later. Again, the inability of the HSE to hire new staff because of Mary Harney's cap on recruitment was blamed.

So people have two options. We can shake our heads in frustration and think about voting for someone else in eight months time before putting the issue to the back of our minds again or we can do something about it. On 21 October, Sinn Féin is holding a public rally to demand our healthcare rights. You don't have to be a Sinn Féin member, or even a supporter, to be there.

You simply have to be outraged at a two-tier health system being openly privatised while assigning priorities to patients based on their income, not their need. Outraged and willing to take to the streets, to make and bring your own placards, banners and signs and to send the message loud and clear that the days of people being sent to the back of the queue in the Irish health system are over.

You can do that, or you can turn the page and leave it to the politicians.

Joanne Spain, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15

Response to Harry Browne: Browne can dish it, he can't take it

Wow! Who would have thought that Harry Browne could be so sensitive? Yes, the man who is able to "dish it out", apparently cannot take it. Well, unlike Harry Browne I do believe that the profession journalist is a "badge of honour" and a profession that many of us want to respect. In the course of his broadside (Villagers 12 October) Browne also tells us of his work as a lecturer "bringing students through the conventions and mechanics of the craft". Presumably that involves encouraging them to engage in informed quality writing based on research. In that respect I certainly hope that Browne preaches more than he practices. Finally, Browne tells us of his long and arduous hours at the keyboard. Quite frankly, if the end product of all that toil is the column Meejit, personally I wouldn't bother.

Councillor Dermot Lacey, Donnybrook, Dublin 4

John Waters and Muslims: Waters fuels the fire

I was shocked and dismayed when I first saw that John Waters had taken up residency at Village Magazine. I have been a reader of the magazine since the beginning as I felt Ireland was long overdue a publication which challenged the status quo and the political consensus characterised by neo-liberal politics, racism, asylum-seeker bashing and so on. However, I feel the arrival of the arch liberal John Waters signals a great departure from the original creation.

How can this sit comfortably with the magazine which has so many great contributers to have someone who made a show of himself on the Late Late Show alligning himself with a right-winger such as Ruth Dudley Edwards of the Daily Mail? I'm sure the Mail could do with a Kevin Myers to rival the Indo.

His method of argument was flawed and he contradicted himself on a number of occasions. He was incorrect in relating 9/11, and the Madrid and London bombings to Islam as it is clear to the majority that it has more to do with politics and the foreign-policy decisions of both Bush and Blair.

If his utterences did not have such serious consequences for our society one could ignore him, but his remarks only serve to fuel the fire.

Niall Smyth, Dublin 3

Family law courts: Family law courts lack transparency

There has been widespread welcome for the appointment of journalist Carol Coulter by the Courts Service as its first-ever family-law reporter. However, if people think that this development will improve the public's understanding of what happens in family courts, or bring about greater consistency in decision-making, they are likely to be disappointed.

The sheer scale of family law activity at all court levels throughout the country means that one reporter can only cover a tiny percentage of all cases. The likelihood is that Coulter will concentrate on precedent-setting cases in the higher courts. The vast majority of family law cases will still remain unreported and the inconsistencies and irrational decisions, which are so common in the Circuit and district courts, will still go undetected. Judges in these courts will remain unaccountable for the decisions they make and the effects these decisions have on the lives of individual citizens.

The benefits of this appointment will be minimal unless it is accompanied by other more important improvements. As family law activity expands, people's confidence in the system is rapidly eroding due to the lack of transparency, consistency and accountability. In order to address these serious problems there is an urgent need for the following changes:

• A comprehensive record of court proceedings should be kept in family law cases. This record should be made available to the parties.

• Reasoned written judgments should be made available to the parties setting out the basis on which the judge arrived at his decision. This is particularly important to enable parties to make informed decisions regarding appeals.

• A written summary of facts, claims and arguments presented should also be made available in each case.

Mary T Cleary, Navan, Co Meath

Dublin Bus: New bus fleet is fool's gold

The 100 extra new buses that the government has belatedly and begrudgingly agreed to give Dublin Bus have come with a sting in the tail! They will not be released to Dublin Bus until new routes have been opened up to private operators, which, given the archaic and cumbersome tendering process, could take many months or even years. In the meantime the hard-suffering Dublin commuter will have to suffer a further deterioration in the already sub-standard Dublin Bus service. Plus, these 100 extra new buses fall far short of the 200 extra new buses that Dublin Bus says it needs to cater for an expanding population. And those figures are several years old and will probably need to be revised upwards.

So, we're probably talking about 300 extra new buses that Dublin Bus needs.

So, these 100 extra new buses for Dublin Bus are a drop in the ocean and won't make any difference. And this is the government that you want to re-elect, according to the latest opinion poll? Unfortunately, many of you are gullible enough to be fooled by this Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrats trick of being seen to be doing something. No doubt that PDs transport spokesperson Tom Morrissey will do what he always does when he's cornered and resort to abuse to hide this government's abysmal failure in this area.

Paul Kinsella, Santry, Dublin 9

Muslims and the veil: Banning veils hardly shows tolerance

Jack Straw has suggested that Muslim women who wear the veil risk provoking a climate of fear and resentment that plays into the hands of the far right.

So, to appease the far right are Muslim women to forgo the public expression of their culture and religious beliefs? Those who "don't understand" Muslim culture might find the veil "frightening and intimidating" he adds. Then surely that is their own problem and the way forward is to educate such people away from their ignorant prejudices. Both Straw and Gordon Brown say they believe that removing the veil should not be compulsory but it is clear they are preparing public opinion for the day when it will.

However, anti-Muslim sentiment is only the tip of a problem that runs much deeper. What we increasingly see is the call to downplay any public symbols or expression of religious beliefs and identity. Witness the banning of the headscarf in France, the removal of crosses and other icons from public buildings such as hospitals, in case they might offend some unspecified persons. This is the pretence of the so-called pluralist society. Almost any form of self-expression that does not involve religion is accepted but we are told to practise our beliefs behind closed doors. The general excuse given is to avoid religious intolerance, as if trying to discourage all public displays of worship and affiliation were not intolerant in itself. We are reminded of all the deaths caused by religious wars. True, but people have killed and died in the name of many ideologies – communism, egalitarianism and capitalism to name just a few. And nowhere in the West is the call to tone down naked capitalism in the name of mutual respect very loudly proclaimed, except by the heretics – and the full force of the law is applied against these, as we have witnessed at Rossport and elsewhere.

A society where the religious are barred from wearing veils or skullcaps but where nobody raises an eyebrow at almost insatiable levels of shopping or people proclaiming their sporting affinities on t-shirts and so on is neither democratic nor pluralist nor tolerant.

Nick Folley, Carrigaline, Co Cork

Late Late laps up veil comments

In a week when well-sourced US medical data revealed that around 655,000 Iraqi's were killed since March 2003, the Late Late Show discussed the wearing of the face veil by Muslim women. This data on death was collected from approximately 1,500 Iraqi families in 50 different centres throughout Iraq and was substantiated with death certificates.

In Shannon airport, 400,000 soldiers are facilitated on their way to this war annually. There is a veil of darkness over this connivance by the Irish government and most of the opposition.

Jack Straw's diversionary tactic to avoid the above death figures was to criticise this face veil and this criticism was lapped up by some of the nasty and mean Late Late crew to further humiliate female Muslim modesty in a sectarian manner, creating more fear and menace for the Muslim women who surely have more than enough problems to cope with in these times.

Peter Kennedy, Sutton, Dublin 13

Straw revives: Islamophobia rhetoric

Former British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has been at the centre of some turmoil in Britain. In reference to veils worn by Muslim women he advised that the veil "is a statement of separation and difference".

Straw said that he asked his constituents to consider loosening their veils to allow for better communication. The Muslim community in Britain has given a mixed reaction and Islamophobia is the revived buzzword at the moment; and what undue tension the term brings.

Former Labour MP George Galloway has urged that Islamophobia be discussed at the upcoming conference of Galloway's breakaway political organisation, Respect. Respect contains members of the Muslim Association of Britain. What better opportunity for Galloway to kick up a frenzy that will do no good and achieve nothing concrete.

The secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, told a UN conference in 2004, "When the world is compelled to coin a new term to take account of increasingly widespread bigotry, that is a sad and troubling development. Such is the case with Islamaphobia."

The point is this: why discuss Islamophobia when discussing this can indirectly breed contempt for other religions. Integration is a slow process so why hinder an already stern test of communities and racial divides when tolerance, respect and appreciation can be taught through education to our young.

Brian Strahan, Rush, Co Dublin

STATEMENT: Participation of Irish forces in Lebanon must end

P eace and Neutrality Alliace (PANA) opposes Irish Participation in UN International Force deployment to Lebanon. PANA believes UN Resolution 1701, which provides the mandate for troops to be sent to Lebanon, is a one-sided document. It is a legal coup for Israel and the United States. It attempts to win diplomatically what Israel and it's US and UK sponsors failed to win militarily in their murderous assault on Lebanon: the disarming of the resistance in Lebanon.

Ireland is no longer a neutral state. Under the leadership of the Ahern government it is now an active supporter of the Bush/Blair "war on terrorism". Irish troops now guard Shannon airport to facilitate the use of the airport in that war making Ireland an integral part of the Bush/Blair war machine. When considering the latter, the governments decision to send Irish troops to Lebanon should come as no surprise.

Due to our past history of opposing British Imperialism and the constructive role played by Irish troops in Lebanon, it is more than possible that they will be initially welcomed by the people of Lebanon. The immediate mission to remove the many thousands of cluster bombs dropped on the civilian areas by Israel is, in itself, a worthy task. The Irish contingent in Lebanon is a small element of a much larger military force of 16,000 troops most of whom are from NATO states with troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The UN international force includes Germany, who recently sold two nuclear-capable submarines to Israel. One only has to scratch the surface of peacekeeping rhetoric to realise this UN international force is an army of occupation to be tasked with the job of disarming the Lebanese resistance movement.

What is happening in Lebanon cannot be viewed in isolation to the wider political and military attack on the Middle East region. The governments decision to deploy Irish troops to the Lebanon deepens Ireland's complicity in that attack. During the lead-up to the general election Irish people will have a decision to make. Do we want to continue supporting Ahern's collusion with the Bush/Blair/Olmert axis of war? Or do we want to restore our integrity by demanding our neutrality be re-established and that our solders not be used in such a duplicitous scenario as we see in Lebanon today. War is an election issue.

Roger Cole, PANA (Peace and Neutrality Alliance). More www.pana.ie