Sir, – I refer to Una Mullally’s piece, “Leo Varadkar’s mask drops again” (Opinion, April 6th). Mr Varadkar has always had a disarming habit of telling the truth rather than playing to the gallery. The only appropriate response to this article is to ask the simple question: was he telling the truth or not?
It is a sad fact of life that well-intentioned interventions, like the social welfare payment for workers affected by the Covid-19 virus, will be exploited by some. – Yours, etc,
AILISH O’BRIEN,
Monkstown, Co Cork.
Sir, – Did a seagull steal Una Mullally’s ice cream or something? Or what had her taking such an unreasonably vicious swipe at the Taoiseach? Wake up, Ms Mullally and smell the money while the country still has some. We are all going to be paying for this crisis for a very long time to come and I’m with Leo Varadkar, I don’t want people to be profiting from the situation at what will be the expense of the rest of us. I don’t want anyone left short or unable to pay their bills; nothing Mr Varadkar has said or done has implied he does either.
I too know of people who are getting more having been let go than they earned beforehand and others who would like to be let go so they can benefit from the €350 Covid-19 payment as opposed to the much lower wage they earn working part-time.
I oppose paying part-time workers, including students, more than they would or did earn working; it leaves less in the pot now and in future for those who really need it. I simply do not know how we can afford to continue to make these payments across the board for the duration of the crisis; I would prefer to see the money go to where it is needed, including to rectifying our public health system. – Yours, etc,
VANESSA PEARSE,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – Una Mullally should consider a change of career to politics. Her country needs her. Not for the first time she seizes on an off-the-cuff remark by the Taoiseach to foment the agenda that he is socially divisive and lacks empathy for the less well off.
As a champion for the less well off she ought to be aware that Ireland has arguably the most generous social welfare system in the world? Yet she still yearns for the traditional parties of power to be kept as far away from the decision-making process as possible.
However, there now exists a gilt-edged opportunity for this to happen. I suggest the TDs representing the 57 per cent of voters who did not support Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil should give Ms Mullally the government she desires. Their combined strength far exceeds that of FG and FF. Ms Mullally should exhort them to do it. Failing that, she should explain why the shrill voices from the left and hard left have fallen silent when they should be clamouring to form a government. Could it be the prospect of government terrifies them? – Yours, etc,
PJ McDERMOTT,
Westport, Co Mayo.