How Ireland has pointed the way for other states to follow

I WAS delighted to glean the former EU chief Donald Tusk has now won the leadership of Poland’s strongest opposition party.

I really admired him as a person and a politician especially when he was in Brussels.

He always struck me as an honest and courteous human being.

It’s interesting to note the current government in Poland of the Law and Justice party and two small partners continues to lead the opinion polls thanks to their generous family bonuses and conservative policies that appeal to the country’s Catholic majority.

But I find it fascinating to glean that the pressure of accumulating disputes with the EU allied to a palpable struggle for power and influence within its ranks has undoubtedly shaken the unity and loyalty in the coalition, which recently lost its majority in parliament. It’s within this political vacuum that Tusk may well prevail and he strikes me as being the only politician now capable of leading his party into government.

If he succeeds, he will face a onerous task to lead an administration in a country where the vast preponderance of citizens are metaphorically in thrall to the Catholic Church, and one senses that this entity may indeed be pulling the strings from the shadows.

I am emboldened to say that Irish society has removed a great deal of the Church’s influence in this country, particularly regarding its involvement in persuading our representatives to replicate its views. If this can happen here in Ireland, then it can certainly happen in Poland. I want to wish Tusk well in his future political life. JOHN O’BRIEN, Stoneyford, Co. Kilkenny.

Not so appetising

I USED to love going to a restaurant just because it was there, and there was good food and hospitality to be enjoyed, to boot. The staff were glad to see us.

But now all that has changed amid the protocol and the promises from café managers to the Government that we’ll be kept under strict control.

It fills me with dread. I can only see in my mind’s eye the admonishment from a pretty waiter or waitress saying that I must wait where they put me and not to question their authority. Never has ‘stay at home’ meant so much. We are broken. ROBERT SULLIVAN, Bantry, Co. Cork.

Protect our rabbits

WHILE the upcoming ban on fur farming in Ireland is welcome, the Campaign for the Abolition of Cruel Sports (CACS) is calling upon the Agriculture Minister, Charlie McConalogue, to add the rabbit to the list of animals that cannot be farmed for their fur.

It is vital this animal be included in the legislation because, although there is presently no rabbit fur farming in Ireland, there would be nothing to prevent somebody from starting it, as with mink farming, in the absence of a specific prohibition.

Rabbit fur farming would subject these animals to immense suffering. They would be crammed into cages and killed by throatcutting after months of unnatural confinement and light deprivation. All so that their fur could be used in boots, hats, gloves, or as trim for jackets.

There’s another reason to outlaw rabbit fur farming: The animal is susceptible to the highly contagious rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), which inflicts agonising death. In the past two years, the disease has been confirmed in the Irish countryside. Infected rabbits have been found partially paralysed, with swollen eyelids, and bleeding from the eyes and mouth. The disease can spread easily in conditions where the animals are bunched together, as would occur in a farm or factory setting.

We hope Minister McConalogue will protect the humble rabbit from the horrors of fur farming.