Sir, – Those who follow developments in the Middle East will notice one abysmal factor starkly unacknowledged in Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s statement “on the ceasefire and peace deal for Gaza”.
The Taoiseach cites three deliverables – “release of all Israeli hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli forces to agreed lines, and the entry of vital aid into Gaza”, but makes no mention of the thousands of Palestinians locked away by the Israeli state.
These include thousands, including children, from the Occupied West Bank, tried in Israeli military courts where the conviction rate approaches 100 per cent.
Hundreds are interned on secret charges and undisclosed evidence under the administrative detention system. Thousands from all walks of life have been taken from their neighbourhoods in the Gaza Strip, or seized at checkpoints, and imprisoned incommunicado in known torture sites.
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The UN reports that at least 75 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody over the past two years, in a system characterised by “systematic torture and other ill-treatment”.
It is beyond disturbing, not to mention problematic, that our Taoiseach would attempt to represent our nation’s position “on the ceasefire and peace deal for Gaza” without acknowledging the suffering of the thousands of Palestinians in the Israeli
detention.
Surely if our Taoiseach’s “thoughts today are with the people of Gaza, who have suffered so much”, he would have researched the draconian systems of incarceration?
Without acknowledging the Israeli state’s human rights abuses, how can world leaders such as our Taoiseach help “to achieve peace and to end human suffering”? – Yours, etc.
BRIAN Ó ÉIGEARTAIGH,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Sir, – If the peace in the Middle East holds, it will not have taken place because of the flotilla of little boats, but the work of Donald Trump’s administration. Whether we like it or not, should it hold, we owe him our gratitude.
The art of the deal seems to have been effective this time, but maybe we should hold off with any peace prizes until he deals with the Ukraine as he has promised from his first day in office.
If he secures that, he may then be considered for the Nobel Peace Prize, even if the thought of that may offend a lot of his detractors. – Yours, etc,
JOHN BERGIN,
Oxton Wirral,
England.
Student protest in Galway
Sir, – As a lecturer in the University of Galway I wish to express my enormous respect for those students from the university’s Palestinian Solidarity Society who staged a peaceful protest this week to highlight the university management’s continued links with Technion, and to call for an immediate end to the university’s shameful collaboration.
On Monday, they peacefully blocked the main entrance to the university’s Quadrangle where the offices of senior management are situated.
The students taught an important lesson this week and senior management in the university could learn a lot from them about moral courage, the value of human rights and principled action. Along with many other members of staff here in the University of Galway I am ashamed of our governing body’s refusal to break links with Israeli institutions, but I am incredibly proud and inspired to be associated with students of such calibre. – Yours, etc,
DAITHÍ Ó MADÁIN,
Léachtóir le Gaeilge Fheidhmeach
Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge,
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe.
Occupied Territories Bill
Sir, – A letter to Taoiseach Micheál Martin by a group of US congressional representatives argues that the Occupied Territories Bill is a discriminatory move by Ireland to economically target Israel and demonise the world’s only Jewish state (“US lawmakers intensify warnings to Taoiseach over Occupied Territories Bill,” October 6th).
These arguments are based on wrong information. The Bill proposes to ban Irish trade with settlements in Israeli-occupied Palestine deemed illegal by an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice. Israel itself is not affected.
International affairs must follow the rule of law. If the US representatives disagree with the Irish Bill, they should appeal to the International Court of Justice, not Ireland.
The Taoiseach should give them this advice. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN CALLANAN,
Ennis Road,
Limerick.
The budget and vested interests
Sir, –The promises of Budget 2026 ring hollow for middle-income workers like myself, who feel utterly abandoned by this Government in the face of a sustained cost-of-living crisis.
While we are asked to understand the need to establish sound economic foundations for the future, the simple, immediate truth is that a worker on a typical salary of €50,000 is set to be at least €500 worse off. This figure doesn’t even account for the removal of the energy credit, which in real terms could push the annual loss close to €1,000.
All of this occurs while energy costs, food prices, and general inflation continue to rage.
This budget does nothing for those whom former Fine Gael taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, once referred to as those who “get up early in the morning”. As one of those people who works late into the night as well, I feel totally penalised. My peer group feels exactly the same way.
Government’s primary responsibility is to serve the people. A level of balance should have been introduced into this budget: one that protects the most vulnerable, yet, crucially, supports the backbone of our economy – the workers who drive it.
Instead, we are left feeling that it is the same old formula of vested interests being served by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. To use an old adage: the cure should not kill the patient.
Yet, this budget seems intent on doing just that to the ordinary Irish worker. Furthermore, rewarding Fine Gael with the presidency in light of their failure to support the working majority would be a cruel irony. – Yours, etc,
KILLIAN BRENNAN,
Malahide Road,
Dublin 17.
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole argued that Budget 2026 failed to help those most in need (“What’s another year to a hungry two-year-old,” October 7th). In the last decade it has become fashionable to frame our budgets as capitalist fiscal policy by right-wing parties, favouring the rich.
Yet the broader evidence tells a different story. According to Eurostat and the OECD, Ireland’s tax and welfare system does more to narrow the gap between rich and poor than any other EU country.
It works as most fair-minded people would expect. Those who can afford to pay more do so, those who cannot pay less, and those most in need receive extra support.
ESRI research shows welfare and tax measures lift more than 400,000 people above the poverty line each year. When measured by how much household incomes are evened out, Ireland outperforms Sweden, Denmark and Finland, often seen as models of fairness.
This has been achieved by centrist-led governments and is a reminder that fairness is not the sole preserve of the left. It depends on choices, and Ireland’s choices have been quietly but powerfully progressive.
There is much more to be done. Housing, disability and energy costs remain major challenges. But Ireland’s budgets as a whole over the last decade – while not perfect – are among the fairest and most redistributive in Europe, and this deserves recognition. – Yours, etc,
COLM JORDAN,
Dublin 14,
Sir, – In Budget 2026, the Government has given more consideration to niche corporate sectors, such as gaming (which receives substantial venture capital funding from Silicon Valley), than to ordinary workers who get up early in the morning to work.
Clearly, the policies in Budget 2026 suggest the Government has decided to listen more to these niche industry lobbyists than to understand the concerns of ordinary families and workers in dealing with the cost of living crisis. – Yours, etc,
MATT TURNER,
Blackrock,
Dublin.
Sir, – According to the Revenue website an accountable person is a taxable person (for example, an individual, partnership, company) who supplies taxable goods or services in the State and is registered or required to register for VAT. As such, they are required to charge VAT on goods or services supplied in the State.
I understand that the accountable person is the mere conduit for the VAT, which I, the consumer, pays to the accountable person, who in turn pays it to Revenue.
Therefore, as the person who pays the VAT, from next July, I am looking forward to a very modest reduction in the price of my morning coffee and bag of chips in the evening. – Yours, etc,
TIM BRACKEN,
Cork.
Presidential observations
Sir, – I’m appalled at this lack of balance, compassion, and fairness: I’ve heard expression after expression of sympathy for Jim Gavin and the Fianna Fáil party on the radio after the presidential election debacle, but barely a mention of the clearly wronged former tenant, Niall Donald.
Regarding fairness, if Mr Gavin owed Revenue €3,300 for 16 years he’d be paying back a lot more than €3,300. – Yours, etc,
SIMON O’KEEFFE,
West Cork.
Sir, – Following Mr Gavin’s loss of interest in pursuing the presidency, it seems to me that his unfortunate tenant has also lost interest (a lot of it) .
Fairness demands that repayment of the” involuntary loan” should include interest for 16 years and possibly penalties; that’s how Revenue operates. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN TAPLEY,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – How many church gate collections by grassroots members of Fianna Fáil will be needed to cover the cost of the failed presidential bid? – Yours, etc,
GAIL HANBIDGE,
Coolkenno,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – There is a touch of irony about your photograph of Heather Humphreys sporting breathing apparatus during a visit to Dublin Fire Brigade. Is she the only candidate who has not had to put out fires in this campaign? – Yours, etc,
Dr EDWARD HARTY,
Lettermore,
Co Galway.
Sir, – The presidential election is a shambles. No disrespect to the two left standing, this is a mess not of their making.
This is entirely due to the nonsensical behaviour of various political personalities who should know better.
As time passes this has less to do with the quality of the candidates and more to do with stupidity and ego of others.
We have two fine candidates left and we must let them contest this matter cleanly and decently.
If someone “wins ugly” the entire country is humiliated. This is a very serious matter and it appears that people who should have known better have not taken it seriously.
The political parties now need to back off, and let the electorate decide. Frankly, they should be ashamed of themselves.
This says a lot about how these people perceive the concepts of leadership, power and service. – Yours, etc,
ROB STRUNZ,
Scariff,
Co Clare.
Policing free speech
Sir, – Senator Michael McDowell in his article, “EU and US cannot tell Ireland now to police free speech,” (October 8th) implies an equivalence between the EU and the US in seeking to influence Ireland’s statutory approach to the criminal prohibition of hate speech, regardless of the platform used to communicate such hate speech.
There actually is no such equivalence in the nature or degree of such attempted influence. Ireland is an EU member state.
The approach to the criminal prohibition of hate speech is a fully participative one, Ireland partaking in the law-making process based on the treaty founding the European Union, and through the institutions of the European Union.
Ireland has a legal obligation to transpose the purpose of the relevant council directive into domestic Irish law. Ireland pooled its sovereignty in that process of establishing an EU-wide common legal position of ensuring that the communication of hate speech targeted against specified protected minorities is subject to a criminal law based prohibition.
The relevant council decision was approved by the European Parliament in session, in which Irish MEPS fully participated, spoke and voted.
Ireland is not a state of the US. The Trump administration has sought, through a variety of channels, to intrude into domestic Irish law-making, the motivation being to avoid a content moderation obligation on US social media platforms, with potential criminal law implications.
The institutions of the EU have a legitimate interest, a fully empowered interest, and a concomitant duty to ensure that its member states, including Ireland, adhere to EU law.
The US has no legitimate interest or remit. The permissive regulatory approach in the US has no application or relevance in Ireland.
The approach desired by the Trump administration runs counter to the legal policy and relevant legal instruments of the EU. Ireland is not entitled to a legal derogation.
The Trump administration is in a position to take up this matter with the EU on a US and EU bilateral basis. Attempting to put leverage on Ireland is both inappropriate and misdirected. – Yours, etc,
ANTHONY LAYNG,
Ringsend Road,
Dublin 4,
No offence
Sir, – I enjoyed Seán Moncrieff’s article about swearing last week but the Irish are by no means the world’s biggest swearers; in fact they don’t even make the top 10.
It comes as no surprise that the top five cussers are all English speaking countries, with the US and the UK taking the top spots. It does seem, however, that the border between offensive and polite speech is becoming more and more nebulous.
What shocked people 50 years ago hardly merits a frown these days. Are we becoming more tolerant? Or have profanities lost their effect due to over-usage?
But a lot of the credit(?) goes to Father Ted. Just by changing a vowel in monosyllabic expletives they become acceptable and get past the censor. Amen to that. – Yours, etc,
PAUL CLEARY,
Castleknock,
Dublin.
It’s in the male
Sir, – How apposite that Victoria Madigan’s letter (Letters, October 9th) where she speaks of women trying to assert their thoughts and ideas to a room full of men was published on a letters page where every other letter was written by a man. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN AHERN,
Clonsilla,
Dublin 15.
