Sir, – If we ever doubted that the Irish Government has lost touch with the people it serves, and indeed reality, the initiative for a global Irish “homecoming” (Home News, October 7th) dispels this doubt once and for all. Having destroyed the jobs, homes and lives of many that had no choice but to emigrate, it now wants us to come back and celebrate?
But hold on, this isn’t really about celebrating our Irishness, it seems to be about getting their grubby hands on more money having bled the country dry! Unless I missed the details whereby the scheme offers free flights and accommodation, and culminates with a mass apology from Biffo and the bankers, I for one will take a rain-check on that one. Or perhaps this was a joke by the Irish Government to put a smile on our faces to get us through these hard times? – Yours, etc,
A chara, – The spectacle of Irish “business kings” meeting together at an economic forum staged in Dublin Castle received ample coverage (Home News, October 8th).
Peter Sutherland’s suggestion that “focusing education investment on ‘elite’ faculties” is typical of an attitude towards education championed by many within the business elite.
I suggest he gets his hands on the recently published book As Bad as They Say by Janet Grossbach Mayer, in which the author, a high-school teacher who spent all her working life in New York City public schools, outlines the disastrous policies which have caused havoc to the public school system in America. These policies, formulated by a business “elite”, were based on a high stakes system of penalties and rewards. Many of these policy makers came from careers in law or business. Their business practices were seen as the highest point attainable for educational practices. The results have had an appalling impact on the US public school system.
Mr Sutherland and his buddies would also do well to turn to the article by Kitty Holland in the same paper (“Child’s first three years can embed tendencies”) to realise that the investment needs to be put in to the early years of a child’s development. With class sizes in this country among the highest in the OECD, we are clearly failing to do this.
Let the “business kings” stick to their own areas of expertise. Leave the formulation of educational policy to those who know best – the educators. – Is mise,
Sir, – Good for Barry Maloney (Denis O’Brien’s former partner in the Esat bid) in raising the question as to whether Mr O’Brien should have been invited to the Government think-in at the weekend. There are still a lot of questions to be answered on the award of the Esat contract. Possibly Mr O’Brien will come up squeaky clean, but until then he should not be invited to such a forum. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – Surely the first item on the agenda at the Global Irish Economic Forum should have been the renegotiation of the contract for the Corrib oil and gas field? The revenue received in taxes from the billions earned by the oil companies would go a long way to help our nation get back on its feet. – Is mise,