So, is this the new kind of politics you promised?
SEEING Enda Kenny socialising, shaking hands and laughing with the now since last night disgraced ex-Fine Gael Councillor Hugh McElvaney (Mail, December 8) just goes to show what The Taoiseach’s promise before the last election of a new type of politics was worth.
Now Mr McElvaney claims that he knew it was RTÉ and was playing along with it.
It is one thing being found out looking for money but it is a different matter treating the viewing public as fools when they could see for themselves by the demeanour and attitude of Councillors McElvaney, O’Donnell and Queenan that they weren’t shy or embarrassed asking for money or investment in their companies in return for their help as public servants.
Enda Kenny said in 2011: ‘I firmly believe that by 2016 Ireland can become the best small country in the world in which to do business.’ Perhaps he meant ‘funny’ business. DENIS DENEHY,
Dublin.
I AM just after watching an episode of Irish Pictorial Weekly which I had recorded.
The show is described in listings as a satirical sketch show. To me that means I might have got some laughs out of it. However sadly this was not the case.
The previous night I watched an RTÉ Investigates programme which I had understood to be a factual current affairs programme.
However I have never laughed so much in my life, especially when Councillor Hugh McElvaney did his peculiar movements saying he wanted sterling and lots of it.
Might I suggest, going forward, that RTÉ now label their programmes more appropriately from here on! TOMMY RODDY,
Galway.
Plan to sort out flooding
THE present flooding crisis in the West reminds John Common Man of the immortal words from ‘The Ancient Mariner’ of ‘water, water everywhere/and not a drop to drink’.
In Coleridge’s poem however the Mariner only had an albatross around his neck and his guilt and problems were replayed and somewhat lightened by telling the tale of his adventures at sea.
In Ireland there are two geographical factors that cannot be ignored. Firstly, we get a lot of rain. And with the longest river in the British Isles, this rain falling into the Shannon and umpteen other rivers, causes flooding.
Sometimes this flooding is insignificant and piecemeal protection by local authorities is sufficient.
At other times, the power of the rivers causes major damage to the land and threatens life and limb in rural areas and does untold damage costing millions to towns and local business.
This is 2015. An Age of Technology and Advancement with science ever triumphing over problems, and on an everyday level mobile phones which can almost talk.
Surely there are scientists who can devise a plan for rain collection and river overflow.
Such a plan may be costly but if implemented, there would be the twofold benefit of providing water for use in houses and the prevention of flooding.
This positive action which would have seen water charges only required for drinking water as the harvested rain and river overflow would be made suitable for all other needs of citizens in rural and urban Ireland.
This would be a bargain and far preferable to the divisive, inefficient, expensive government-created Water Board which may even be still born if our present Fine Gael/Labour Coalition are not re-elected. JOHN P KELLY, Clontarf, Dublin. THE Bandon river should have been dredged years ago even before the floods six years ago and a storm tank installed to take in the surplus water which would alleviate the fllooding to business people who now can’t even get insurance on their premises.
My heart goes out to these people. When I was a Kinsale councillor I suggested these precautions for areas at risk of flooding such as Bandon. NOEL HARRINGTON,
by email. IN response to the latest flood threat Minister Alan Kelly proposed that 15 extra staff be employed by Met Eireann to forecast and warn of future events.
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. What on earth does he think the existing officials of Met Eireann are presently doing up in their fancy new building in Glasnevin.
Its laughable, if a ten-year-old with a basic computer can track satellite images of storm activities all over the world why would Met Eireann require yet another 15 to do the same job?
Maybe that is a simplification, but let’s get real.
Instead of his stupid suggestion of hiring extra staff, Minister Kelly should have requested that the Office of Public Works issue 15 extra shovels to people who know how to sort this matter out. S HOLLAND,
Dublin 9.
Sutherland’s largesse
CONGRATULATIONS to Marie McSweeney on her incisive and articulate assessment of Ireland’s UN Special Representative on Migration, Peter Sutherland (Letters, December 9).
For his two-year and nine-month service to the State as Attorney General in the 1980s which ended over 30 years ago, he was recently in receipt of a State pension of approx €50,000 per annum.
Perhaps, if, in light of his vast personal wealth, Mr. Sutherland decided to forego his pension, maybe, we just might listen to his opinions, in light of his broad international experience. JOHN KENNEDY,
Limerick.
Reality TV should get real
I WISH that girl on I’m A Celebrity had thrown the spider into the undergrowth and said: ‘I have a better idea; stop killing animals on TV.’ PAUL BAHBOUT,
Westcliff, Essex.