He is trying to top-up a leaking bucket. Recently, eight homes in our immediate area have been converted from family use to holiday rentals and will lie empty for most of the winter.
The removal of so many homes from family use is a disaster for renters and would-be homeowners alike. It is also a disaster for the nearby guesthouses that are losing revenue to these unauthorised rentals, also known as black-market holiday rentals.
Spain, Italy and parts of the US are now banning these holiday lets. The Taoiseach needs to quickly plug the Airbnb-size hole in his housing bucket.
John Devlin, Dublin 2
Irish passport is not a golden ticket or stepping stone to European Union
Brexit has been a game-changer in terms of the Irish passport, with access to the EU now tougher once outside it. There is a new appreciation and, indeed, respect for “Irishness”.
Many who would have been doubtful if not dismissive of its value are now scrambling to get ownership of this valued document. Let me be crystal clear here: anyone who resides here and contributes here has my full support for the Irish passport.
Unionists who deride this nation, and British soccer players who would curdle at the thought of wearing a green jersey, now claim “Oirshness” to ensure eligibility to transition to the EU, and this angers me.
The Irish passport is not a Willy Wonka golden ticket. I salute the many Dutch, French, German and Spanish-born men who chose to play for Serbia, Morocco, Algeria and an assortment of African countries in thanks and respect for what the home country of their migrant parents bred into them.
We have a number of English well-qualified to play for Ireland. They choose not to. They then choose to take our passport. That is wrong.
John Cuffe, Co Meath
Ireland is flush with cash as Starmer faces surprise £22bn budget black hole
UK prime minister Keir Starmer warned yesterday of a harsh budget by saying he wasn’t aware of a £22bn (€26bn) “black hole” in finances. In contrast in Ireland, we are expecting a give-away Budget 2025. What a contrast between the finances of a former part of the UK and its one-time masters.
Tommy Roddy, Ballybane, Co Galway
Orwell’s striking insights a bit too close in today’s power-hungry world
Many see George Orwell as extremely insightful. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, he wrote about “The Theory and Practice of Oligarchical Collectivism”.
One part says: “The new aristocracy was made up for the most part of bureaucrats, scientists, technicians, trade-union organisers, publicity experts, sociologists, teachers, journalists and professional politicians.
“These people, whose origins lay in the salaried middle class and upper grades of the working class, had been shaped and brought together by the barren world of monopoly industry and centralised government.
“As compared with their opposite numbers in past ages, they were less avaricious, less tempted by luxury, hungrier for pure power and, above all, more conscious of what they were doing and more intent on crushing opposition.”
But that could not have been prophetic surely?
Geoff Kell, Tullow, Co Carlow
Inaccurate to say Hamas charter does not refer to Palestine when it does
Frank Adam may have some accurate points in his letter (‘Iran deserves more focus if we really want to solve humanitarian crises’, August 21), but is in error when he says Hamas’s charter does not mention Palestine. That charter is littered with articles referring to Palestine.
Jimmy Fallon, Killoe, Co Longford
Irish political parties must be investigated for role in mother and baby homes
Numerous reports have been published by commissions of inquiry regarding the mother and baby homes and the reprehensible actions of the church authorities in Ireland.
However, no in-depth investigation has taken place into Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour and their part in the deaths of women and children in state institutions. False birth certificates, death certificates and adoption certificates could only have been obtained with state collusion.
The church is rightly blamed for much of this, but it’s about time the media investigated the political parties and their collusion with church authorities.
Joe Dixon, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan
Abortion should not take centre stage in balanced coverage of US election
Frank Brady has Irish mainstream media well summed up as “greatly afflicted by the same derangement syndrome they reckon Donald Trump suffers from” (‘Far from a threat, Trump is merely a flawed man who was a very good president’, Letters, August 24).
It was encouraging to see his letter published indicating that Trump was a very good president. Hopefully, it will lead to a more balanced reporting on the upcoming election.
Like Christy Galligan (‘It was a joy to watch ex-US presidents row in behind Harris with such vigour’ Letters, August 24), I hope that “the biggest democratic nation in the world votes for change, hope, equality and inclusion”, which will include respect for life and not have abortion as the main issue.
With the crisis at the Mexican border and mayhem in the Democrat-run cities, how is it possible that this is so?
Some serious reflection is required by the media here and in the US regarding factual and balanced reporting.
Mary Stewart, Ardeskin, Donegal town
It’s hard to regret what never was as non-summer turns quickly to autumn
This time of year often comes with a feeling of regret that the summer is over. But as Frank Coughlan pointed out, this year it never arrived (‘How sport saved the day in the summer that never turned up, Irish Independent, August 27). As they say, every cloud…
M O’Brien, Dalkey Co Dublin
