Sir, – Regarding the Taoiseach’s upcoming award from the German Magazine Publishers Association (Home News, October 25th), do you think we should take it as a worrying sign that the leader of our country is being given an award for being a good European by the people he is trying to negotiate with on behalf of Ireland? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – Richard Boyd Barrett TD advises (Dáil Report, October 26th) that the Taoiseach should consider refusing the “European of the Year” award, bearing in mind that it is sourced from a country which, to him, is “one of the architects of austerity and this country’s plight”.
This is rhetorical nonsense. It is tiring to hear the repetitive, jingoistic arguments from Opposition figures regarding Germany. Our ongoing recovery is dependent on co-operation with this country and others in the EU, and it should be noted that German chancellor Angela Merkel would have taken a number of political hits domestically due to a number of concessions made to Ireland and other member states, which are ultimately made to promote the fiscal consolidation of struggling economies.
The fact that Ireland got into the mess it did was primarily due to local misconceptions in relation to spending and debt, although it is easy to see why certain Opposition figures want to apportion blame to another country for the corrective measures needed as a result. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – How many more visits to Brussels will our Taoiseach make before the penny drops and he realises that there is no special relationship between Dr Merkel and himself?
A little less hugging and a lot more co-operation with the leaders of France, Italy and Spain, who are in agreement with us on using the European Stability Mechanism bailout fund to pay for historic banking losses, is what our Taoiseach should be concentrating on. – Yours, etc,