Madam, - In the light of Monday's poll results, would you, by any chance, be able to point me in the direction of where I could purchase some Teflon, made in or around Dublin in the early 1950s? They don't make it like that any more. - Yours, etc,
DAMIEN McSHANE, Belfield Court, Donnybrook, Dublin 4..
Madam, - The election is almost upon us. The public is about to vote. I hope people will consider that it's not just the health service, the justice system, the poor infrastructure, energy management, waste management, water services, sewerage services, schooling, social housing and more that need improvement; our planet, our environment, is in deep trouble. That means our future, and our children's futures.
Climate change is the greatest single threat to civilisation. We understand the dire and catastrophic consequences. Ask yourself: Is there a political party, or candidate, who cares about the natural environment, who cares about the future? It's time to vote for a greener government. - Yours, etc,
DECLAN WAUGH, Chartered Environmental Scientist, Bandon, Co Cork.
Madam, - The four most inane remarks I have heard during the election are as follows.
1. "We've never had it so good". This is always said by people who are not among the hundreds of thousands who are ill, related to somebody who is ill or needlessly dead, the victims or the families of the terrifying, increase in crime, the victims or the families of the ever-increasing road accidents, or merely one of the thousands who are struggling to pay ever-increasing bills.
2. "Somebody has to run the country." This is always said sulkily by somebody when you have shown conclusively that Fianna Fáil can't and that most politicians are hopelessly untrained for the job anyway.
3. "They're all at it." This is usually said by somebody who seems to believe that all political corruption can be justified because somebody in another party is probably also corrupt.
4. "Vote local." This is said by people who have totally given up on politicians being able to run the whole country properly and have joined the mob who are hoping to get something out of it for themselves to take their minds off the worsening shambles.
Isn't democracy wonderful? One man, one vote, one sigh of despair. - Yours, etc,
RICHARD D. BARTON, Tinahely, Co Wicklow.
Madam, - It is interesting, if unsurprising, to note the PDs' perception of the bogeyman for the electorate this time around. As the main parties seek to move further to the right of each other on immigration, crime and tax, the PDs imagine that most voters would be horrified at the prospect of a "left-wing government".
To me, a "left-wing government" means one that fully supports free enterprise and the open market yet has a social conscience and works to lessen the enormous inequalities in this country.
Have we reached the equivalent of the American situation where there is no surer death knell for a politician's career than to be labelled "liberal"? - Yours, etc,
JACK HICKEY, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.
Madam, - Jim Stack (May 17th) is voting for Fine Gael because Enda Kenny has guaranteed that, if in Government, his party will not legislate on the abortion issue.
However, a problem arises here in that Fine Gael and Labour are presenting themselves to the electorate as a team and Labour has included legislation for abortion in Ireland in its manifesto.
I wonder which Party will prevail on this most important issue? I certainly consider it too much of a risk to vote for either. - Yours, etc,
Mrs MARY STEWART, Ardeskin, Donegal Town.
Madam, - I note with great interest recent contributions to your letters page questioning the position taken by local councils throughout the country concerning election posters. The Litter Pollution and Planning and Development Acts were quoted and blamed.
The authorities in question were exonerated of any responsibility as the right of these candidates to free advertising was enshrined in legislation. What could the county or town officers do?
Well, they could treat the candidates and their marketing officials (for that is what this is - a marketing exercise) with the same contempt they have shown Ireland's national circus for the past decade or so. Even though circus is exempt under exactly the same legislation as the election candidates and has been a State-recognised art form since 2003, most local and county councils have seen fit to adopt a rigid and draconian attitude to our use of outdoor advertising material. When it is allowed it is severely restricted and carries a hefty deposit and fee.
Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown Council, in particular, has a unique view as to what constitutes adequate advertising. Despite having rented out a dedicated circus site for many years, it restricts the number of advertising boards to 10 throughout the entire borough.
One can only imagine the anguished screams from the local constituency offices if such a limit were to be placed on their politically aspirant worthies. - Yours, etc,
CHARLES O'BRIEN, Marketing Director, Fossett's (Ireland's National Circus), Lucan, Co Dublin
Madam, - The "time for change" movement of the alternative coalition prompted me to cast a nostalgic look at the 1980s and 1990s when Bertie wore the famous anorak, Gerry was on the blanket and Messrs De Rossa and Rabbitte faced another political cataclysm - their "Elvis is Dead" moment, when Communism collapsed and another pillar of their lifelong political edifice came crashing in.
Bertie Ahern's negotiating skills have stood the test of time through social partnership, the European presidency and the peace process. His perseverance and ability to sustain the trust of all parties to these tortuous negotiations have rightly been acknowledged.
On Thursday the electorate has a choice between the experienced and capable leadership of Bertie Ahern and the inexperienced ideological hotchpotch of Fine Gael, Labour and "whatever you're havin' yourself".
Whom does the electorate wish to conduct tough negotiations at European Union level? The experience and competence of a world-class negotiator like Ahern or the political naïveté of Enda Kenny with a "bon mot" from Pat? - Yours, etc,
EAMONN WALSH, Cherryfield Road, Walkinstown, Dublin 12.
A Chara, - Two Fianna Fáil TDs, Mary Coughlan and Pat "The Cope" Gallagher, look set comfortably to retain their seats in Donegal South West. It is truly astonishing that support for Fianna Fáil remains solid in a rural constituency which stands out for all the wrong reasons.
Despite a decade of extraordinary growth, unemployment there remains stubbornly high. The fishing industry, which was crucial to the local economy in the south and west of the constituency, has been allowed to deteriorate. Recently big employers such as the multinational Hospira or the famous clothing company Magee have shut down or moved most of their operations abroad. School drop-out rates are abnormally high, third-level educational attainment is worringly low. Though the local economy is in far better shape than it was a decade ago, much of it is based on the building boom. There is, therefore, serious potential for disaster in the event of a downturn in the construction industry, because many of those who now make a decent living from it have no other skills. This is a constituency which seems not to be making the transition to the knowledge economy. I am not aware of any significant progress in creating high-skilled jobs in the area. Furthermore, in a region blessed with a stunning landscape and coastline, the tourism industry remains curiously understated. So much more could be done.
The two Fianna Fáil ministers who have represented this constituency for a very long time will be returned. They have have had real power to make a difference, yet the legacy I have described speaks for itself.
It is depressing to know that for some strange reason, the rural voter places loyalty over accountability, and above all, it seems, has a peculiar aversion to change. - Is mise,
CIARÁN MAC AONGHUSA, Churchtown, Dublin 14.
Madam, - With only a few days to the election, I have received mountains of electioneering leaflets through the letterbox. However, I have not had a single opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues of interest to me with a canvasser or potential TD. - Is this a common experience? - Yours etc,
DONAL DUNNE, Newtown Hill, Tramore, Co Waterford.
Madam, Freudian perhaps: while out walking in Friday evening's high winds, I was struck by an airborne Fine Gael poster promising "2300 more hospital beds". - Yours, etc,
DAVID BROPHY, Nutley Lane, Dublin 4.
Madam, - If the your latest opinion poll is to be believed, are we within a week of John Deasy's challenge to Enda Kenny's leadership of Fine Gael? - Is mise,
Dr JAMES McINERNEY, Harolds Cross, Dublin 6W.
Madam, - The next time Labour leader Pat Rabbitte looks down his moral nose at both Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, perhaps he should reflect on the actions of the Labour party in the 1993 coalition government, when it sanctioned a tax amnesty for the benefit of those who had looted and plundered the coffers of this State at a time when working-class people were paying 62 per cent tax and PRSI on wages.
When asked to choose between principle and political expediency, Labour's ethics came second. - Yours, etc,
TOM COOPER, Delaford Lawn, Knocklyon, Dublin 16.
Madam, - Why, O why, does Willie O'Dea persist in saying "Fyne Gael", when he knows quite well that he should say "Fine Gael" like everyone else? - Yours, etc,
HAZEL MARSHALL, Churchtown, Dublin 14.
Madam, - I live in a quiet, residential street in a suburb of the city. At one end is a large diverse park with various recreational amenities. In the other direction, on the street itself, is a children's play area with climbing frames and swings.
I can cycle to the city centre in 15 minutes on wide cycle-paths which are often separated from traffic by a kerb or grass verge. I have two tram-lines within five to ten minutes' walk of my home which will take me to the city centre within 15 minutes. Cycling for less than 10 minutes, I can reach one of three railway stations, where I can take inter-city trains or a local underground metro.
I don't own a car and I have no need for one. I can cycle to point in the city in less than half-an-hour. I have a sports hall within five minutes of my home and many others within easy reach. Within a 10-minute walk from my front door is a street which provides a supermarket, a chemist, a baker, a household-goods shop, an off-licence, a cheese shop, a newsagent, a health-food shop, a number of other small shops and several restaurants.
None of this is unusual in this city; my friends in many different areas have the same amenities on their doorsteps. The city in question is Amsterdam, where I have lived for the past three years. As an aside, the fact that all amenities can be most easily reached by walking or cycling has a very obvious effect on the obesity rate in this country, which is one of the lowest in Europe.
Ireland remains my home and the home of my family and I hope to return to live there soon. For which party should I vote if I hope to attain this standard of living in an Irish city? - Yours, etc,
KEELIN MURPHY, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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No letters on this subject will be published on Thursday, polling day.