Cuireann An Phoblacht fáilte roimh litreacha ónár léitheoirí. Scríobh i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla, 200 focal ar a méid. Déantar giorrú ar litreachta más gá. Cuir do litir chuig [email protected]
An Phoblacht welcomes readers’ letters. Write in Irish or English, 200 words maximum. Letters may be edited for brevity. Send your letters to [email protected]. No attachments please

We need a new treaty, not Lisbon 2

A NUMBER of commentators and political leaders have been attempting to link Ireland’s ability to emerge from the current economic climate with the passing of the second Lisbon Treaty referendum. Ireland’s place in Europe was secure before Lisbon and will remain so into the future, regardless. There is no question about that.
What they fail to realise is the necessity for an economic package which will have job creation and retention at its core. They also fail to realise that it is the economic models being pursued at EU level that have been responsible for the downturn. Deregulation, privatisation, free market and free trade to the benefit of the wealthy have been the hallmarks of economic policy both in Europe and the USA. They continue to be the hallmarks of economic policy as espoused in the Lisbon Treaty.
What is needed is a wholesale change of political direction at EU level to take account of changing times and free from the inherent boom and bust of free market ideology and corporate greed which has left ordinary people in job queues while the wealthy and corrupt ride off into the sunset with millions in golden handshakes.
Essentially, what is needed is a new treaty for a new time.
KEN FOLEY,
Mornington Heights,
Trim,
County Meath

Smokescreens and spare tyres

THE government should buy up all available smoke canisters because they are going to need more smokescreens than ever for their Budget. The latest two were laughable but not to be missed as what they are but “smokescreens” nonetheless.
The first – Social and Family Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin’s “Dole Cheats” smokescreen – is not funny because they are now setting out to target once again the more marginalised in our society. No checkpoints in Dublin to stop and catch the “Bank Cheats” – bank directors on their way to their offshore accounts to collect their wages.
The second is the rubbish happenings around Conor Casby’s paintings of the Taoiseach. They created a smokescreen by sending Guards into the offices of Today FM to get Conor’s e-mail details so they could caution him. Let’s see what smokescreens will appear next week while Brian Lenihan tells us all to tighten our belts.
RAY CORCORAN,
Dublin

Hare parting

TOIREASA FERRIS asks An Phoblacht readers to accept that hare coursing is morally equivalent to boxing on the basis of the injuries caused to participants.
By that logic we should also find ‘human coursing’ to be morally acceptable. Of course, we would not, unless (and maybe even if) the human freely consented to playing the role of the hare. The hare, obviously, has given no consent. Does this really need pointing out?
Personally, I have no strong opinions about hare coursing one way or another, but if its advocates want to win people over they’re going to have to come up with better arguments than that.
WENDY LYON,
Dublin 7

Star editor’s wages of sleaze

I’VE just been listening to Sam Smyth’s Sunday Supplement show on Today FM radio with much pontificating about republicans’ fitness to hold high office by the editor of the Irish Daily Star, Ger Colleran.
Would this be the same Ger Colleran whose wages are funded through his newspaper’s running of sleazy adverts luring sad men into parting with their money through premium-rate so-called chat lines offering:-
“Live phone sex... From your favourite naughty housewives”;
“Let me talk you off”;
“Straight in! Live filth” and
“Filthy teen girls.”
If the righteous Mr Colleran was as forthright about his high morals with his newspaper’s classified ads managers about the wages of sleaze then I might take him a little more seriously.
GERALDINE O’MEARA,
Blanchardstown,
Dublin 15