Sir, – How to explain the declining political fortunes of Fine Gael, “despite a booming economy and record employment” (“The Irish Times view on the latest Irish Times/Ipsos poll: Bad news for Fine Gael”, June 15th)?
I’ll have a go at explaining the reasons, in no particular order.
The chronic and ongoing shortage of homes. Food inflation. Electricity bills. Rising tolls. The long-standing joke that is Irish public transport – or lack thereof.
A shortage of teachers. A shortage of nurses. A shortage of medical doctors. A shortage of speech therapists, psychiatrists or psychologists. A lack of support services for autistic and special needs children. Appalling underfunding of youth mental health services. Nursing homes closing due to cost inflation. A&E overcrowding and shortage of beds. Emigrating talent and human resources. The labyrinth that is the planning system.
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Electricity supply and the myopic, idiotic magical thinking regarding the future generation capacity of wind and solar power. Data centres.
The insurance industry.
An open-door policy to an indeterminate number of asylum seekers, without a plan to accommodate them. The unreformed Leaving Cert and the CAO points system. A shortage of apprenticeship opportunities.
Brazilian beef imports. A lack of a visible Garda presence on the streets. The stigmatisation of agriculture and food producers. The fiasco that is Irish forestry policy. The creeping privatisation of third-level education. A shortage of schools and youth amenities. The NCT and the wait for driving tests.
The interminable wait for dental and orthodontics services for children. The national children’s hospital. The health service (God help us!). The absence of joined-up thinking. The cost of tribunals. Banks and deposit rates. The “temporary” USC tax. Having too much of our money and not knowing how to spend it. Leo Varadkar.
Please feel free to add your own reasons. – Yours, etc,
TOMÁS FINN,
Cappatagle,
Ballinasloe,
Co Galway.