Sir, – James McCarthy raises the problem of State agencies almost exclusively using social media to reach the public and how this is a communications failure (Letters, April 15th).
He raises this in order that lessons can be learned from the fuel protests. I agree and I also think his idea of the Government creating its own public platform or application for crisis management to reach all citizens and visitors is a very good one.
I want to add to that another thing that the Government should consider in light of the fuel protests. That is the importance of politicians being close to the people they represent.
This is something that has been a hallmark of our system and has been remarked upon to me by people who have come to live here from other countries.
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Of late, many distinguished commentators would cut the link between the numbers of our population and the number of TDs. This would be a disastrous mistake.
The abolition of town councils which reduced the number of local councillors by almost a half was a bad idea too. It is likely the decision to abolish them has helped lead to greater levels of alienation of sections of the public from the political system.
I believe that alienation has fed in to some protests in recent years, including the fuel protests.
We now have the fewest elected politicians per head of population compared to any other EU country.
That means people have less of a chance of ever being elected themselves and our elected politicians are becoming more remote from the people. This remoteness is not by choice of the politicians. Rather it is the sheer numbers of people politicians are being expected to communicate with in the most effective way of all – in person. – Yours, etc,
CLLR JOANNA TUFFY,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Clientelism has featured since the beginning of Irish politics. Not a surprising element in a small monocultural society where we know each other. Every politician from local councillor to the Taoiseach has constituency clinics, and receives letters and emails daily on bread and butter issues.
To say any member of the Dáil or Government is out of touch with the man in the street, is simply a self-serving statement from the politically ambitious.
Spare us the rhetoric – Yours, etc,
JOHN KIRBY,
Taylor’s Hill,
Galway.
Sir, – Some of the most controversial political decisions in recent history came about from a burst of public dissatisfaction, following which a vote was called, either spontaneously or in due course, yielding disastrous consequences.
Brexit and US president Donald Trump’s second term jump to mind, to name a few notable instances in which acute unhappiness in a specific cohort of people feeling unheard and unseen caused global chaos.
With the benefit of hindsight, it is maddening to see blatant opportunism from the Opposition following the recent fuel protests. A national coup, swiftly followed by a circus playing out in the Dáil.
A time of chaos is not the time to create more chaos; to quote comedian Tony Cantwell, it is time that everyone gets a grip and stops with the clowning.
The cost of fuel may not be the only cost we face in the days and weeks to come, and steady leadership may be a worthwhile investment. – Yours, etc,
MACKENZIE ELLWOOD,
Knocknahur,
Sligo.
Sir, – Let us imagine for example people who are homeless, cannot afford to rent or buy a home or cannot get a school place for their special needs child protesting and blockading main thoroughfares, oil refineries, motorways and other important infrastructural areas of the country.
Would they have received the same sympathy, immediacy and urgency of resolution as those who flagrantly broke the law?
And would Sinn Féin and those in other parties who refused to condemn the lawlessness be as considerate to their plight? Government priorities are totally amiss.
I suppose owning expensive tractor units, tractors and huge lorries has its advantages. – Yours, etc,
FRANK GREENE,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
A universal basic wage
Sir, – I refer to a recent article about scrutiny in the system of payments to artists (“Fairness of basic income for arts scheme under scrutiny as new funding round opens”, April 15th). Rather than repeat the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, which is limited, a fully implemented universal basic income (UBI) would be transformative to our society.
Such a payment would give us the opportunity to restore security and reduce inequality, improving our sense of inclusion and fairness in our society.
In his 2011 book, The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class, Guy Standing argues that contemporary capitalism is producing a new social class, the precariat. Unlike the traditional working class, whose identity was tied to stable employment, the precariat is defined by precarity, meaning they have insecure jobs, unpredictable income, lack of rights and an absence of long-term prospects.
This is not simply about low pay. The precariat cannot plan, save or build a secure future. They have minimal control over working conditions.
Work is not only a source of income, but also of identity and social belonging. Stable occupations used to provide a sense of purpose, skill and recognition. Now, jobs are often fragmented, temporary and interchangeable.
As a result, workers may move frequently between roles without developing a coherent career or professional identity.
This has psychological and social consequences. Without stable roles, individuals can feel disconnected from both their work and their communities.
That is why Standing describes the precariat as a “dangerous class”. Insecurity breeds frustration, resentment and vulnerability to political manipulation.
Supporters of UBI call for an unconditional, universal and regular tax-free payment to all adults.
We argue that UBI would provide a foundation of security, enabling individuals to make choices about work, education, caring, artistic endeavour and volunteering without constant fear of destitution.
UBI is not intended as a replacement for work, but as a means of restoring autonomy and dignity in a market economy that no longer provides them reliably.
If large segments of the population live with a reduced sense of security, identity or voice, the consequences extend beyond economics into politics and social cohesion. – Yours, etc.
DAVE QUINN,
Monkstown,
Co Dublin.
More power to solar power
Sir, – Much of Ireland’s energy debate continues to centre on large-scale wind generation as the primary means of reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. While wind energy is needed, far less attention is paid to the untapped potential of rooftop solar on existing buildings.
Despite steady growth in recent years, adoption remains limited. Fewer than 180,000 Irish homes have solar panels installed, out of approximately two million households.
This excludes commercial premises, public buildings and infrastructure, all of which represent significant additional opportunity. The reality is that most of Ireland’s built environment remains an unused energy resource.
This becomes particularly evident when one begins to look for it. I was recently attending an event in a small rural village and, standing in the morning sunshine, I noticed that while there were some newer houses among the older building stock, there was not a single solar panel in sight. It is only by consciously observing rooftops that the widespread absence of solar panels becomes clear.
The benefits of domestic solar are clear. A typical household system can significantly reduce electricity bills, by about half in my own case, while also lowering demand for gas-powered electricity generation.
At a time of ongoing price volatility, wider adoption of rooftop solar could make a meaningful contribution to national energy security.
However, barriers remain. The upfront cost of installation, typically €9,000 to €10,000 for a standard system, is prohibitive for many households. While grants are available, they have been reduced in recent years to €1,800 and are partially offset by the cost of BER certification. Restoring grant levels to previous levels would make adoption more accessible and accelerate uptake.
There are also regulatory and technical constraints. Most domestic systems currently shut down during power outages, limiting their resilience benefits. However, technologies now exist that allow homes to safely isolate from the grid and continue using their own generation.
Enabling such solutions would be particularly valuable in rural areas prone to storm-related outages.
Internationally, countries such as France are moving to mandate solar installations on car parks and other existing infrastructure. Ireland could take a similarly proactive approach by prioritising solar deployment across rooftops, public buildings and underutilised spaces.
If we are serious about reducing fossil fuel dependence, we should not overlook what is quite literally above our heads.
Rooftop solar is silent, quick to install, visually unobtrusive and, in most cases, does not require planning permission.
With stronger supports and fewer barriers, it offers a practical and accessible step for householders to reduce costs and contribute to a more secure energy future. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL O’MEARA,
Fenor,
Co Waterford.
A Wood Quay suggestion
Sir, – Dublin City Council look set to move out of Wood Quay. To build the Civic Offices a wonderfully preserved Viking settlement with over 100 houses was removed from 1974-1981.
My suggestion for the site’s reuse is to consider converting the front blocks into an archaeology museum of true international scale and standing.The venerable structure on Kildare Street is simply too small to display the majesty of Ireland’s archaeology. This includes some of the finest artefacts in Europe from the Bronze Age, Early Medieval Period and Viking Age.
The rear blocks could still be used for social or affordable housing.
Of course, standard feasibility studies and cost benefit analyses need to be done. But I think this is worth seriously considering. It certainly would be a poetic ending. – Yours, etc,
LIAM MANNIX,
Kilkenny.
Honda 50 memories
Sir, – In 1971 I rescued my Dad’s old NSU Quickly from the garden shed to help me get to and from college. The Quickly, given its age, was not the most reliable of transport modes, particularly in wet weather,
My peers with their Honda 50s generated great mileage out of my regular efforts to get the old motor started at times. However, that all changed when my older brother donated his Honda 50 Super Sports to me following his decision to emigrate for work.
The SS, as it was called, bore a similarity to the popular blue 175, though it was much slimmer and obviously not as powerful.
Nonetheless, as I arrived in Earlsfort Terrace wearing my brother’s oversized leather jacket, I was the bee’s knees, complete with long hair and beard, a shoo-in for a part in an Easy Rider sequel.
I could barely conceal my disdain for my Honda 50 mates, hugging the kerbside, as I whizzed past offering a gloating backward glance in the process. However, that period was short-lived, after one mishap too many and the subsequent abandonment of what remained of my now, not so super SS, to the same garden shed.
My self-contented peers were only too happy to offer pillion rides, on their steady and reliable Honda 50s, which by then, I was then more than happy to accept, following my loss of face and much deserved humiliation. – Yours, etc,
COLUM O’BROIN,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Mother and child scheme
Sir, – Ronan McGreevy is correct in identifying the absence of the medical profession from much of the analysis of Dr Noel Browne’s ill-fated Mother and Child Scheme in the 1950s (“Why failure of Mother and Child scheme still matters,” April 13th).
The profession waged an eight-year campaign against it when the maternal mortality rates were 1.1/1000 mothers – four mothers per week died in Dublin maternity hospitals. Infant mortality was 45/1000 live births with greater prevalence in cities due to overcrowding, infection and poverty.
Doctors were against the scheme as they did not want State control of medical practice, “socialised medicine,” and fear of loss of income. Maternal and infant mortality was higher in Ireland than in many European countries. If Browne knew this so did the doctors.
Archbishop John Charles McQuaid threw his lot in with the doctors. His father was a GP in Cootehill Co Cavan and in the narrow professional base of 1950s Ireland the medical profession and the clergy supped from the same trough. It is evident that history has been much kinder to the doctors than Dr McQuaid.
I met Dr Browne and his wife Phyllis in the early 1990s initially at my request and then at their requests as I wanted his name for a prize for first year medical students in Trinity Medical School who followed a new baby for a year to gain an understanding of the range of normal development. Browne wanted the prize to go to the student who contributed most to the success of the family and so it still does.
After he died in 1997 I approached Mrs Browne for Noel’s papers. She readily agreed and presented me with about 30 typed pages of handouts he used to give lectures to nurses when he became a psychiatrist. It was not what I had in mind.
She always made tea for her visitors and in the living room I found myself surrounded by 40 plastic bags and boxes which I discovered were letters and political documents while she was in her kitchen. I could see the skip outside the window which was ordered for the bags and other household stuff.
Mrs Browne had no expectation that his documentation had any value and was delighted to help me stuff them into my estate car for eventual lodgement in the Trinity library.
The 40 bags of papers long need cataloguing, to be made available to scholars and historians. There are still important questions outstanding such as the issue raised by McGreevy on why the failure of the Mother and Child scheme still matters. We now have the support of the Trinity Provost and library to begin this task which will provide valuable insights.
My interactions with Noel and Phyllis Browne were near the end of their lives, but they were not bitter when lesser people would have nursed a few grudges at least. – Yours, etc,
TOM O’DOWD,
Fellow emeritus TCD,
GPs at Tallaght Cross,
Dublin 24.
