Madam, - Archbishop Diarmuid Martin's recent remarks on Ireland's relations with the European Union are to be warmly welcomed. His call for an open and generous Irish engagement with the EU and a positive approach to building a pluralist Europe is timely and deserves wide support.

The archbishop's fundamental statement that Ireland's destiny and identity are "clearly and irrevocably bound with that of Europe" should be communicated to the Christian community by means as effective as those used by the Europhobic fundamentalists, whose propaganda is given respectability by the unwillingness of the bishops, including Dr Martin, to remove it from parish churches.

His remarks are in sharp contrast with the approach adopted by Cardinal Brady and his advisers at the Oireachtas sub-committee a week ago when it was admitted that earlier comments on alleged decisions in Europe had been misleading. The European Charter of Fundamental Rights, which is of such importance to workers and citizens across Europe, was denounced as a "Trojan Horse".

In recent weeks it has appeared that a concerted anti-EU campaign was being mounted by certain elements within the Irish Catholic Church who imply that the European Union is engaged in a systematic effort to undermine our society. The columns of Alive!and other printed propaganda have been filled with distortions, misquotations and innuendo designed to mislead and frighten their readers.

It is to be hoped that Archbishop Martin's comments mark a recognition that there is a danger of the Catholic Church leading this country backwards into the cul-de-sac of insularity and intolerance which it inhabited in the 1950s. Seán Lemass's European initiative in the 1960s opened Ireland to a wider world view which, as the Archbishop so clearly argues, must not be lost or thrown away. - Yours, etc,

TONY BROWN,

Bettyglen,

Raheny,

Dublin 5.

Madam, - Your new columnist Sarah Carey has sold you a pup, albeit one that suits your pro-Lisbon agenda (Opinion, November 19th).

The tale of her mistreatment at the hands of The Sunday Timesand her experience as a prisoner of conscience in the weeks during and after the Lisbon referendum grows more fanciful with each telling. Let me be clear: at no stage was Ms Carey assured that she could write articles for our newspaper about Lisbon and at no stage did I say it was imperative that the Lisbon Treaty be passed. I am prepared to accept that the passage of time has clouded her memory, so let me refresh it.

Ms Carey was a freelance writer who discussed column ideas with the deputy editor each week. During his absence last May I spoke to her instead, which is why I can say with certainty that this was the first time she asked me whether she could write a column about Lisbon. I reminded her that I was running an upfront campaign opposing the treaty, that she was not a political columnist and that I had hired specialist writers to analyse a different aspect of the treaty every week. She didn't like the decision but, as you know, editors are not paid to be popular.

Finally, Madam, despite Ms Carey's stated concerns about "ethical obligations" you will no doubt have noticed that she has no compunction about repeating internal conversations with her employer on her blog and elsewhere. - Yours, etc,

FRANK FITZGIBBON,

Ireland Editor,

The Sunday Times,

Dublin 2.

Madam, - Irish farmers in recent years have turned against the EU. The most frequent scapegoats for their continuing woes are the so-called "faceless Brussels bureaucrats". There is widespread frustration with the amount of red tape "handed down from Brussels".

These firmly held views have potentially negative long-term effects for Irish agriculture and Irish interests in general. However, the growth of Euroscepticism in rural Ireland is often a result of the actions of the Irish Government, and not the so-called "Brussels bureaucrats".

Under the current treaty arrangements, agricultural matters are the exclusive competence of agriculture ministers such as our own Brendan Smith. The European Parliament - the only directly elected EU institution - is merely given a consultative role. Therefore new initiatives "handed down from Brussels" are not subject to parliamentary scrutiny. Accordingly I, as an MEP from a predominantly rural constituency, cannot fully represent farmers' interests in the current framework.

Lisbon would change this completely, as the European Parliament would have increased powers of co-decision with the Council of Ministers. It is somewhat ironic that we are witnessing such anti-Lisbon sentiment among farmers when in fact their interests in particular, and Ireland's in general, would be better served by this increased accountability.

It is perhaps apt, then, that anti-Lisbon campaigners such as Declan Ganley - who himself has called the Common Agricultural Policy a "weapon of mass destruction" — are arguing against a document that would give farmers a strong voice at the heart of decision-making in Brussels. - Yours, etc,

COLM BURKE MEP,

Washington Street,

Cork.

Madam, - I have to agree with Desmond FitzGerald's defence of Enda Kenny (November 18th). Moreover, no political party or grouping other than Fine Gael has increased its numbers elected in any contest - local, national or European - since Enda Kenny became leader of Fine Gael.

In relation to your opinion poll question I would prefer that we had a strong, sensible, and wise Minister for Finance able to face up to the difficulties that we now are in as the result of the inaction of the previous Minister for Finance who never was able to say no to the prolific spending of our money.

A far wiser question in your next opinion poll might be: "Who do you think would make the better Minister for Finance - Richard Bruton or Brian Lenihan?" I think your readers already know the answer. would we in a better position now if Richard Bruton, instead of Brian Cowen, had been Minister for Finance for the past three years? - Yours, etc,

JOHN A. STANTON,

Moyne Road,

Ranelagh,

Dublin 6.

Madam, - I hear that, in order to conserve energy in these times of economic hardship, the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off.

Can anyone confirm this? - Yours, etc,

J.G. LACEY,

Lough Atalia Grove,

Renmore,

Galway.

Madam, - A question for readers: If you were on a sinking ship, would you (a) sit down and await your fate; (b) sit around complaining about the engineers who designed the ship; or (c) flock to the lifeboats?

It seems to me that while our economy is sinking into the most turbulent waters it has faced so far, most of the political representatives in this country are engaging in the first two activities, while the pubic are frantically seeking the third.

So please, for the sake of the country, could Fianna Fáil stop looking so defeated and start fighting for the country again and could the other parties stop merely leering at the engineers with a superior air and start presenting practical solutions? The country is looking for leaders - not whingers, not reactionaries and certainly not inactive gloaters. A coherent, strong strategy for alleviating the current crisis could inspire this country and help get it back on its feet.

It is the person or people, regardless of political party, who present this that will do well in the next election, will gain the respect of the Irish people and will contribute most to the welfare of this country. Winners before whingers, inspiration before inactivity and patriots before politicians, please! - Yours, etc,

ORLA COFFEY,

Cremorne,

Knocklyon,

Dublin 16.

Madam, - As we know from the subsequent reimbursement of very significant sums of money taken from older Irish people and their families, the Supreme Court in February 2005 established that those older people who required nursing home care are entitled to a publicly funded nursing home bed, on the basis of a payment equivalent to 80 per cent of the non-contributory pension. This may be in a public nursing-home bed, or a HSE-funded bed in a private nursing home.

It is therefore very unfortunate that older people and their families would appear, in effect, to be blamed by the HSE for wishing to exercise their entitlement to this care (HEALTHplus, November 18th). The final critical illness or event which tips frail, older people from surviving in the community with support to requiring nursing home care is often mediated through a hospital stay. This is a difficult and critical time for older people and their families, and if they are not informed appropriately of their entitlements, they may unwittingly enter on a heart-breaking and financially unsustainable commitment, either through self-funding or an inadequate subvention scheme. I am aware of a significant number of such cases, sometimes where people have entered into these arrangements from the community without full advice, even when the older person clearly fulfilled the criteria of need.

Pending proposed changes (the so-called "Fair Deal") which will substantially alter the current entitlement, it would be helpful if the HSE would confirm that it accepts, and conforms with, the Supreme Court ruling of 2005, and provide clear and unambiguous guidance to this effect.

It would also be helpful if it desisted from portraying those vulnerable people and their families who wish to exercise this entitlement - or indeed the health and social care professionals who provide comprehensive information to this group - as a problem. - Yours, etc,

Prof DESMOND O'NEILL,

Aois agus Eolas,

the Centre for Ageing,

Neuroscience and the Humanities,

Adelaide and Meath Hospital,

Dublin 24.

Madam, - How many of our politicians occupy seats that belonged to their parents? Republic? Looks distinctly aristocratic to me. - Yours, etc,

CHRISTIAN MORRIS,

Claremont Road,

Howth,

Dublin 13.

Madam, - Fr Patrick McCafferty (November 19th) may be correct to say that "all normal, well-adjusted, adult human beings, male and female, know exactly what constitutes appropriate physical contact with a minor". But Fr Tony Flannery's point ( The Irish Times, November 17th) nonetheless retains a painful validity .

We are living at a time when any physical contact between adults and minors, however natural, may invite suspicion. Even the "pat on the head" that Fr Flannery mentioned might well be regarded as suspicious by the hypersensitive vigilantes who are calling the shots in this area.

It might well be that a child might benefit from being hugged or reassured by an adult, something that would be perfectly appropriate, but that has become inconceivable in the present climate, particularly if the adult is a priest.

There is even the rather appalling possibility that children are taught to suspect that any adult who touches them may be a sexual predator.

I suspect that many priests simply avoid having anything to do with minors because of the paranoia in the air. - Yours, etc,

Rev JOSEPH S. O'LEARY,

Sophia University,

Tokyo,

Japan.

Madam, - With regard to our attempts to solve the crisis in Irish banking were the words of Albert Einstein ever more true? "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them". - Yours, etc,

ARTHUR TANNER,

Green Park,

Orwell Road,

Dublin 14.

Madam, - The clamour in favour of a 10 per cent pay cut for the entire public service confirms Myles na Gopaleen's belief that the Irish are a nation of begrudgers. As one employed at a non-academic grade in third-level education, I would argue that the vast majority of public servants serve the public in front-line positions for modest pay. Cost of living pay increases have been several per cent below the headline - let alone the true - rate of inflation for the past decade. They have also been delivered piecemeal, months if not years late.

During the times of plenty, the performance related (or, in some parts of the private financial sector, unrelated) bonus was conspicuous by its absence. While there is a defined-benefits pension scheme, this benefit is inherently incapable of exceeding 50 per cent of a modest salary.

Unlike government ministers, one has to actually retire to collect. There is no subsidised gym/sports/social club membership. "Employee parking" at UCD is a joke, without subsidy. The "impoverished" undergraduates, unable to afford fees, get there first.

I respectfully suggest a more balanced approach to current problems. - Yours, etc,

A.J. ROUS,

Shanganagh Road,

Killiney,

Co Dublin.

Madam, - The price of international rugby tickets bothers Shane McBain (November 19th), but a matter of greater concern is the distribution of international rugby tickets by the IRFU.

From what I can gather, all the tickets - with the exception of those sent to visiting teams, officials and VIPs - are divided up among rugby clubs. So to buy a ticket, you have to be a member of a club. But that is not always possible or desirable.

It is not good enough to say that if someone is really interested in rugby they should join a club. There are many bona fide reasons for not joining one. But that should not exclude anyone from the chance to buy a ticket for a big game. The current set-up that promotes the system of, "Ah sure, I'll get you ticket, I know a fella." So-called fans who are members of clubs buy more tickets than they need or want and sell them on at greatly inflated prices. You have only to look at eBay to see the truth of this — and that's just the ones sold in that manner. This is straightforward touting.

The other three unions on these islands seem to be able to manage fairer systems by selling directly to the public and using licensed ticket agencies such as Ticketmaster.

It is time for the IRFU to look at their elitist practice and reform it. - Yours, etc,

BRENDAN MARTIN,

Dolphin Square,

London SW1.

Madam, - Andrew Johnstone's review of last Friday night's concert by the National Symphony Orchestra (Arts, November 18th) does not mention what to many may have been the most moving moment of all. During the warm applause for Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 6, the conductor, Vladimir Altschuler, held up his score and pointed to it in tribute to the composer. This graceful and unusual gesture certainly drew this member of the audience to her feet. - Yours, etc,

APRIL CRONIN,

Arnott Street,

Dublin 8.

Madam, - Leo Roche (November 18th) denigrates low-taxation policies, basing his case on the opinions of Dr Garret FitzGerald (Opinion, November 15th)

Dr FitzGerald presided over a Government that raised personal taxes to a level that was economically damaging, demoralising and a disincentive to work. This was because he was so hamstrung by the Labour Party that he was unable or unwilling to address the key issues of spending cuts. He has openly stated in his writings that he had more affinity for the Social Democratic spending habits of Labour than the fiscal rectitude of a Christian Democratic Fine Gael.

My opinion of Dr FitzGerald's view is jaundiced by the fact that he benefits personally from the most ridiculously generous pension arrangements in the Western world. I have never heard him criticise this particular aspect of public spending.

Low tax rates encourage people to work. Low corporate taxes encourage investment and attract overseas investors. The high rates of tax inflicted by Garret FitzGerald crippled this country and drove many of our citizens abroad.

As to his opinion of the Progressive Democrats not practising what they preached, I would point out that they never had more than eight TDs in a Coalition with Fianna Fáil while he had 70 TDs in his government. I deeply regret that public spending was not kept down further during the period of the FF/PD governments of 1997-2007 but the PDs did not control either of those governments.

Low personal and corporate tax rates power an enterprise economy which provides real jobs with real value. Governments of whatever political colour must live within the taxes available from within that economy and must do so by reducing public spending. And yes, I am a Progressive Democrat. - Yours, etc,

CONOR McWADE,

Wilfield Road,

Dublin 4.