Letters

Mála Poist

Media sidelining important players amid Bertie hype?

EVEN though Bertie Ahern was an important part of the success of the Peace Process, is there not a danger that the media is so eager to fill its pages and air-time on his resignation as Taoiseach that it is sidelining the important parts played by Albert Reynolds, Senator George Mitchell, John Hume and, of course, Gerry Adams?
REBECCA DOYLE,
Drumcondra,
Dublin

Boris backs Ken

LONDON’S new mayor, Boris Johnson, seems to have spent all his time since his election night victory speech telling people what a great guy Ken Livingstone was as mayor.
This week, Boris told staff at City Hall:
“The differences between me and the previous mayor have been greatly exaggerated. We do have differences in our political philosophies but that does not mean there are not areas of common ground.”
Makes you wonder what the election was all about.
DAVID MAYES,
Cricklewood,
London

Workers unite against Lisbon Treaty

THE decision announced earlier this week by the country’s largest craft union, the Technical, Engineering and Electrical Union to call for a ‘No’ vote in the Lisbon Treaty is an indication of growing opposition to this unprecedented assault on workers’ rights. The TEEU joins UNITE, the coalition of the ATGWU and Amicus, the country’s second largest union and the Independent Workers Union in opposing the Treaty. Already there is a greater depth of union opposition to the Treaty than to recent referendums on Nice.
Workers in other unions need to start asking the hard questions of their union leaderships.
Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas. Trade union members shouldn’t vote for Lisbon.
Patrick Dempsey,
Dublin 1.

Thanks to Sinn Féin on HSE reversal

ON behalf of my mother Philomena and my entire family please allow me to thank Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, Councillor Louise Minihan and all Sinn Féin activists who worked tirelessly, with other organisations, to force the HSE to reverse its decision to remove respite care for the eldery at Cherry Orchard Hospital Ballyfermot Dublin. Your intervention and actions mean so much to my family and we are eternally gratefull.
B P Butler,
Ballyfermot Dublin 10.

Irish media more interested in personality than policy

I SEE Fine Gael are calling for the new Taoiseach to force Mary Harney aside as Minister for Health. Since Bertie announced his resignation the papers have been full of speculation about which Ministers might be thrown out by Cowen and which backbenchers might be in line for promotion. Wise commentators have told us that a Taoiseach needs to balance out regional demands for Ministers and the need to reward political allies and soothe the feelings of political opponents.
As always, our media class is more interested in faces on posters than in policies. More obsessed with schoolboy gossip about who’s in and who’s out than inequality. At least in the aftermath of Labour’s defeat in Britain last week, the media and politicians talk about policy changes. Here, a new Taoiseach, same old policies. Does it really matter which non-entity is in charge of the Department?
Cian
Ó Raghallaigh,
Rathmines,
Dublin

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