Sir, – Gerard Howlin succinctly summarises our Government’s “lack of self-respect” and failure to “stand for anything” in its response to the recent fuel protests (“Michael Healy-Rae reminded the Government of its real Opposition: rural Ireland,” Opinion, April 15th.)
Fossil fuels are finite. About 50 years of proven oil and gas reserves remain at current usage levels, the same length of time that has passed since the oil crisis of 1973, which many of us remember. Meanwhile, global energy demand is rising at an accelerating rate. These trends will collide. Dots need joining.
Our infrastructure and planning both need to reorientate rapidly towards sustainability.
We must become energy independent of the volatile Middle East and unreliable US. Alternative energy needs to be given the priority it deserves, car dependency must be drastically reduced, public transport invested in and our spatial planning laws regarding housing, commerce and industry adjusted to reflect this.
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Our leaders must consider the problems we’ll inevitably face, explain these to the public, face down vested interests and discard their modus operandi of trying to keep everyone happy.
Our democracy and five-year political cycle will challenge brave politicians who make painful but necessary evidence-based decisions that adversely affect their constituents. There will always be opportunistic members of the opposition ready to exploit that.
But the lives of future generations depend on this political courage being found, our Government finding some self-respect and standing up for our future. – Yours, etc,
CHRIS GARVEY,
Glasnevin,
Dublin.
Sir, – The notion that Ireland is deficient in democracy is trite. Ireland lacks leadership that is willing to take decisions that are unpopular locally or at least with the vocal minorities.
This is a common theme across the English-speaking world, but is particularly acute here. We allow objections to wind farms and then wonder why our electricity is expensive.
We even tolerate people objecting to solar PV farms, which, unlike wind farms, make no noise.
Instead of pushing wind farms offshore, which greatly increases the cost, each local authority should be legally obliged to facilitate a certain amount of renewables in its area.
Instead of being reliant on the UK gas interconnector an LNG terminal should be built and the Barryroe oil/gas asset should be brought online.
Infrastructure Bills could be passed to streamline the planning process of national strategic assets.
However, I expect that in reality nothing will happen. As usual. – Yours, etc,
MATTHEW GLOVER,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
