Here is this week’s People’s Letters Page…
Dear Editor,
Anyone who cares about our embattled wildlife heritage will be disheartened to learn that the upcoming so-called National Hare coursing Festival is scheduled to run for run for four days.
In past years it was a three-day event. That was bad enough, but the changed format for 2022 means that the captive hares must risk injury or death four times instead of three.
Coursing is essentially a form of Russian roulette, given that each course may or may not result in a hare being mauled, forcibly struck by the dogs, or sent hurtling skyward like a sloither on a hurling pitch.
Any contact with a pursuing dog may be fatal, or cause injuries that necessitate a dispatcher running out onto the course to finish it off.
Meanwhile, coursing fixtures around the country that were traditionally two-day event have been extended to three days.
So, instead of alleviating the plight of our persecuted hares, the present government, which includes the Green Party, is allowing coursing clubs to subject the animals to an even more stressful and hazardous ordeal, increasing their chances of not making it through the escape hatch when they run for their lives.
How sad it is that in the third decade of the 21st century we still haven’t got a government with the guts to outlaw this obscenity.
Thanking you,
John Fitzgerald
Dear Editor
A friend and I were out for lunch at one of our favourite restaurants in Dublin city centre recently.
On our way there and on our way back we passed a group of unpleasant anti vax protesters on O Connell Street.
As well as being unmasked they were not practicing social distancing and some of them were blocking the pavement and behaving in an aggressive manner.
They seem to think that their freedom should come without any sense of social responsibility.
It is my opinion that the views and opinions of these people are irrational, selfish, disgusting and devoid of any compassion.
That they class themselves as patriotic freedom fighters who just want to save us all from tyranny is laughable and deluded.
They are not protecting our freedom.
They are actually stealing it.
Their decision to not get vaccinated and refusal to wear masks are putting those of us with underlying health conditions in danger by exposing us to potential sickness or even death.
Yours sincerely,
Simon Kinsella,
Dublin 3
Dear Editor,
While it was great to see the Housing Commission have its first meeting this week I do feel the make up of the group is somewhat lacking.
We are told it was established under ‘Housing For All’ yet there is not ‘Representation For All’ on the commission.
As far as I am aware there are no plans to have any advocates who represent renters on this new commission.
With over 400,000 people in this country currently living in private rental accommodation how can it be that they will not be represented on the Housing Commission?
I hope that this glaring omission will be rectified in time and I also hope that proper attention will be given to the devasting lifelong impact homelessness has on children.
Yours etc,
James Carney,
Cabra
Dear Editor,
Ashling Murphy’s death is yet another horrific manifestation of the growing epidemic of violence against women in Ireland, in both the private and the public domain.
This young woman was going about her legitimate routine daily business with every reason to expect that she would arrive home safely.
There are no circumstances in which the deflection tactics of blame and personal responsibility can be used to justify the continued harbouring of misogyny, violence and femicide in our communities.
It is incumbent on all of us to be outraged at the escalating social and cultural assault on women’s safety; the paralysis of communities to be able to respond, and the resistance of political actors to confront and resource the elimination of violence against women.
Yours sincerely,
Mary Mc Dermot CEO of Safe Ireland
Ormond Building
31-36 Ormond Quay Upper
Dear Editor,
We are told that the introduction of minimum unit pricing will reduce alcohol abuse.
The Health Minister said it was introduced to curb binge drinking among young people.
Is there not a fear however that many young people priced out of buying alcohol may instead take their custom elsewhere?
From what I read, many illegal drugs are now much cheaper than alcohol.
Even though these drugs are illegal we have never seen such levels of drug use and addiction in this country.
The case for prohibition seems to have failed and the general consensus is that prohibition doesn’t work.
We will have to wait and see whether minimum unit pricing does.
I just hope we don’t get an influx of young people moving away from a legal drug to illegal ones.
Regards,
Pat Mannion