Sir, – A corrosive trend in recent Irish politics has been the tendency, imported from the United States, to describe even the most minor attempts to disrupt the Government’s rigid control of the political agenda as “an attack on democracy” and the like.
Micheál Martin has added to this by stating, with his trademark furrowed brow, that the events in the Dáil on Wednesday were a “subversion of the Irish Constitution” (News, January 22nd). This is a ludicrous overstatement. The fact that the new Ceann Comhairle wasn’t capable of dealing with parliamentary obstructionism arising from a row with the Opposition which she herself had sparked did not mean that democracy had been threatened, and nor did the postponement of the election of a new taoiseach for 24 hours.
Before Christmas, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil deferred the election of taoiseach from December 18th to January 22nd. Are we to take it that the deferral of the election of a taoiseach for 24 hours by the Opposition is a “subversion of the Irish Constitution”, but a deferral for five weeks to suit the Government parties is perfectly acceptable? – Yours, etc,
BARRY WALSH,
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Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Micheál Martin has claimed that Opposition TDs were responsible for the “subversion of the Irish Constitution”.
Could Mr Martin specify which section of Bunreacht na hÉireann that the opposition TDs are in breach of?
Perhaps Mr Martin has overlooked the fact that Dáil Éireann receives priority in Bunreacht na hÉireann over the Government? The former is the subject of Articles 16 and 17 while the latter is dealt with in Article 28. In fact, Article 28.4.1 states clearly: “The Government shall be responsible to Dáil Éireann.”
Dáil Éireann does not solely comprise Government TDs.
A fundamental principal of democracy is the separation of powers, a concept stretching back to antiquity.
In carrying out their duty, Opposition TDs were not only representing the views of their constituents but were seeking to protect democracy in Ireland itself. Allowing the Regional Independent Group to straddle both Government and Opposition benches undermines the independence of the legislature. It results in the legislature being infiltrated by the executive, thus weakening the former’s ability to perform checks and balances on the latter. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN EGAN,
Artane,
Dublin 5.
Sir, – Simon Harris used the terms “farcical” and “stunt politics” in his description of the chaos inside the Dáil chamber. He could just as easily have been referring to the root cause of the issue. – Yours, etc,
RITA O’BRIEN,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Hours of great enjoyment.
Thank you, Dáil Éireann. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK WHELAN,
Mullingar,
Co Westmeath.
Sir, – Some stunt by the incoming Government to try and give people who were involved in formulating the programme for government Opposition speaking rights. Talk about hubris. – Yours, etc,
TOMMY RODDY,
Galway.
A chara, – So the deal negotiated by Michael Lowry TD to have one Healy-Rae in the tent speaking out and the other Healy-Rae outside the tent speaking in has come unstuck, as the Opposition unites to have none of it.
It has to be seen as an inauspicious start for the new Taoiseach and Tánaiste to have allowed this to develop in the first place. – Is mise,
JOHN GLENNON,
Hollywood,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – I find it difficult to understand the level of outrage generated by the issue of Dáil speaking rights. Admittedly, the prospect of Independent TDs supporting the Government while speaking in Opposition seems odd. However, we are well used to the notion of public representatives speaking out of both sides of their mouth. – Yours, etc,
TIM O’LEARY,
Carrickmines,
Dublin 18.
Sir, – I have no doubt that Verona Murphy’s baptism of fire should stand her in good stead for future battles in the Dáil chamber. Clearly, the redoubtable Ceann Comhairle is made of sterner stuff. – Yours, etc,
PAUL DELANEY,
Dalkey,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – As I watched events unfold in the Dáil on Wednesday I couldn’t but wonder what might have been if the (actual) Opposition had co-operated in such a manner before the election. – Yours, etc,
M DOWLING,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – Fine Gael have been resolute in defending the rights of Michael Lowry, while he has vowed to support them in Government on good days and bad. Perhaps a partial solution to recent arguments might be for Simon Harris to ask Michael Lowry to rejoin the party? – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL BROWN,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
A chara, – Who will compensate Micheál Martin for the delay in becoming Taoiseach, given the difference in salary with that of the Tánaiste? – Is mise,
LOMAN Ó LOINGSIGH,
Dublin 24.
Sir, – I spent some time in football, managing kids of all ages. In a squad of about16, 11 got a game, the other five were subs and waited their turn on our bench.
In all of my time, none of the waiting subs ever crossed the pitch and sat on the opposition bench hoping to get a game with them.
It wouldn’t be considered, not even by kids in parks. – Yours, etc,
JIM DUGGAN,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – Could the well-highlighted and controversial issues not have been dealt with in the days before the Dáil sat to elect the Taoiseach? Instead viewers witnessed Dáil business descend into chaos and absurdity.
Sadly this was not a good look at home or abroad. – Yours, etc,
CLARE BALFE,
Dublin 7.
A chara, – The chaos evident inside Leinster House this week has been more than matched by the street closures and chaotic traffic management outside. Thousands of commuters, workers and students were adversely impacted by the resulting city gridlock. Could this group be left alone to make our contribution to Ireland’s successful economy and move the others offsite to Farmleigh where they can continue their squabbling? – Yours, etc,
SEAMUS GREENE,
Dublin 11.
Sir, – The great challenge in the Irish political system is for Ministers to get the machine of government to do what one wants it to do. This takes constant focus and application in that it involves a sort of a ruthless prioritisation and hunger to get things done. The Ministers in our political system have a reasonable amount of autonomy in that they have a high degree of control over their own departments. However, if they wish to be effective in achieving their policy goals, they have to absolutely drive the system.
One senses that the system, without that sort of intrusive supervision, tends to atrophy.– Yours, etc,
JOHN O’BRIEN,
Clonmel,
Co Tipperary.
The decline of cash
Sir, – Living in an exposed area makes preparation for storms important and the standard of modern weather forecasting greatly facilitates this. So much is now dependent on electricity that the consequences of an area being temporarily cut off have grown. Communication, heating, fuelling a car, even sanitation are increasingly electric. It occurs to me in 2025, for the first time, to get some money from an ATM machine. It seems, to my surprise, to be months since I have made a cash transaction or any purchase that wasn’t electronic. Cold, hard cash seems to have vanished from life, to paraphrase Hemingway, slowly and then all at once. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.
Trump’s executive orders
Sir, – With his latest raft of executive orders, one has to wonder whether Donald Trump risks suffering from change overload, both for his administration and for the American people. During his previous term, he signed an unprecedented number of executive orders within his first 100 days, addressing everything from immigration to healthcare and deregulation. Now history appears to be repeating itself, with sweeping changes that risk creating as much uncertainty as they aim to resolve.
The potential unintended consequences are numerous – legal challenges that could stall progress, economic instability arising from sudden policy shifts, and bureaucratic confusion as agencies scramble to adapt. Diplomatic relations may also suffer, with allies left questioning America’s direction, while vulnerable communities could find themselves disproportionately affected by abrupt changes to social policies.
As institutions, courts, and the public prepare to challenge many of these measures, one must ask how will this whirlwind of change be monitored and evaluated? Without a clear framework for assessing their impact, is there a danger that the pursuit of rapid reform may once again lead to unforeseen consequences? – Yours, etc,
ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh.
School meals programme
Sir, – The feature on free school meals asked a number of questions about the usefulness, quality and overall impact of such meals on children in Irish schools (“The view on new hot school meals programme”, Food, January 18th). All these questions are answered by a range of studies from the US, UK, Scandinavian countries and elsewhere. For example, a systematic review of studies of universal free school lunches in the US found positive associations with diet quality, food security, and academic performance, as well as school attendance. Concerns expressed in The Irish Times feature about obesity were not supported by the literature; in fact, “several studies detected a potentially protective effect of universal free school meals on BMI” (Cohen et al, 2021).
A study of the universal school lunch programme in Sweden linking historical data from the lunch programme to administrative data found “substantial long-term benefits”, including a reduction in socioeconomic inequalities in adulthood, with improved educational and health outcomes.
The study found that children from poorer families benefited most, though all but the most wealthy children benefited to some extent.
There are hundreds of such studies showing the positive impact of universal free school meals for all children but especially the poorest. This suggests there should be no delay in rolling out the programme to all Irish schools. – Yours, etc,
GORETTI HORGAN,
Senior Lecturer in Social Policy,
Ulster University,
Belfast.
Bishop Budde and Trump
Sir, – Bishop Mariann Budde deserves praise for her courage in speaking truth to power in the National Prayer Service in Washington (“Bishop’s plea begins another day of talking points”, World, January 22nd).
There are few religious leaders brave enough to speak out against the hypocrisy and cruelty of the recent orders of President Trump.
The Christian gospel, which President Trump claims to live by, challenges us to respect the dignity of every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation, their beliefs, and most significantly advocates special compassion and protection for the vulnerable. Bishop Budde, gently and firmly, pointed this out to someone who claims to live by the Gospel values, of love and mercy toward everyone. – Yours, etc,
GINA MENZIES,
Dublin 14.
Sir, – Ironic that the usual suspects are openly delighted at Donald Trump being berated by a bishop from her pulpit. Yet there was outrage on their part at similar reprimanding of congregations by clerics in Ireland. Same behaviour, different countries. – Yours, etc,
AILEEN HOOPER,
Dublin 7.
Ancient wisdom
Sir, – “Bishop’s plea begins another day of talking points” (World, January 22nd) refers to the late US president Jimmy Carter as “the centurion president” . A centurion was a Roman commander responsible for 100 soldiers. Carter was a great age but not old enough to have served in that capacity. As a 100-old-man, Carter was a centenarian. – Yours, etc,
JOHN O’MALLEY,
Ballycastle,
Co Mayo.
