Sir, – I have every sympathy with MP MacDomhnaill’s position (August 26th), but in one way he is very fortunate.
Imagine if he had been self-employed. He would have been paying taxes all his life and probably employing staff who also contributed to the finance coffers.
Yet when the economy nosedives, and businesses go under, the State pays not one euro in welfare assistance of any description. That is unbelievable hardship for so many. Public servants please note. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – Reading MP Mac Domhnaill’s letter (August 26th)clearly reveals the true horrors of the economic devastation that has been visited upon us. While economists, politicians and others haggle over whether in some distant dawn the country might be able to recover – by denuding our pension funds, cutting education, health and social expenditures to pay back foreign private bankers while stoically maintaining a stiff “Hibernian” upper lip – a generation has been hung out to dry. Or rather, I should say a generation of ordinary Irish citizens who have no connections and have therefore received no protection from our financial and property hewed desolation.
As Conor McCabe points out in his excellent book – Sins of the Fathers – the bank guarantee, which hangs like an albatross around our necks, did not come about because of moral failings, dysfunctional leaders, etc. Instead, it made perfect sense when viewed as a mechanism to cushion “Ireland’s financial vested interests from the fall.” Until the 95-plus per cent of us who do not belong to this “new aristocracy” act to change this state of affairs, many more families will continue to struggle as Mr Mac Domhnaill has outlined. To stand idly by as this travesty continues is a shame on all of us. – Is mise,
Sir, – Two stories circulating this past weekend demonstrate how little has changed in this country despite the turmoil of the last few years. The letter by Mr MacDomhnaill (August 26th) gave a glimpse into the daily ordeal that has befallen a large section of Irish society. We then hear over the weekend of the current financial status of one of the architects of the current malaise affecting the Irish economy. Bertie Ahern continues to enjoy a huge remuneration from the Irish taxpayer. Many of his cohorts still live a lavish life alien to that of the majority of people.
How can people like Mr MacDomhnaill ever hope that their Government will help them out when people like Mr Ahern and the rest of his ilk continue to feed from the trough filled by the misery of the Irish people. Six months into a new Government and our elected officials continue to exhibit a mind-numbing inability to look after the welfare of the citizens of this State above that of a small elite. Shame on them. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – On the day following publication of a poignant letter about the predicament of MP Mac Domhnaill who – through no fault of his own – has been reduced to poverty, your lead story concerned barristers who received outrageous amounts of money by virtue of the Moriarty Tribunal.
The era of the Celtic tiger was one in which, greed, delusion and self-centredness were touted as virtues by the political establishment and by the golden circle which reaped the rewards of that culture. (It is worth noting that nobody has been charged with wrong-doing, up to now, on foot of the findings of the tribunal.)
If a Government employee is undercharged for tax purposes in a given year, he or she is obliged to subsequently pay the outstanding amount, even if the underpaid sum is paltry. I believe that the barristers who were paid an additional one million euro in error should now be obliged to repay the money. Have we become so frightened of what lies ahead, of slipping into the poverty described by Mr Mac Domhnaill that we are no longer able to express our outrage and indignation at the plight of honest people who no longer have enough food to eat? – Yours, etc,
Sir – Like so many others in this country I found it most distressing to read of a man who due to circumstances is forced to feed his family solely on bread and cereal.
If I may make some suggestions I would recommend that instead of boxes of cereal he purchase porridge oats. A 1kg bag cost me 49c at one of the large grocery stores recently. With blackberries almost ready for picking, Mr Mac Domhnaill could make nutritious home-made jam and it can be added to the porridge as a delicious topping. I would also recommend that he get some chickens so that he can provide fresh eggs for his family. Chickens are a low maintenance but high-yield investment. Lastly, a small garden patch can be tilled to grow vegetables for healthy, hearty soups that can be thickened with lentils or beans that result in delicious, warming meals for his family. – Yours, etc,