Latest news with #DennisFitzgerald
Irish Independent
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Letters: Donald Trump's response to LA protests a lot tougher than Capitol Hill riots response
Is this actually a riot or just a protest? There have been many demonstrations around the world that governments have declared a riot, including the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds. Media coverage of events in the US shows violence, but it seems to be mainly coming from the National Guard side, although of course most coverage shows the sensational first. If we accept that sending in the National Guard to break up a riot is the right thing to do, then why didn't it happen in a more timely manner at the January 6 Capitol Hill riots? They were real riots and Trump didn't call in the forces then. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia I'll raise a glass or two for those brave enough to admit a Guinness aversion In his letter, Enda Cullen tells us that he is not a fan of Guinness and has never had a pint of same. ('Here is a confession: I don't like Guinness', Sunday Independent, June 8). I am partial to the odd pint of Guinness myself. Being of course a matter of taste, I take Enda's point, and perhaps his pint? Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin 9 Fantastic Limerick and Cork hurling clash a thrill for even us neutral fans Congratulations to Limerick and Cork hurlers on serving up a fantastic and heart-stopping game of hurling on Saturday. There were really no losers for the neutrals. Hurling keeps on giving season after season. The beautiful game. ADVERTISEMENT Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18 Government needs to take proactive steps to ensure nursing-home standards In Ireland, nursing homes tend to be regarded as a place of last resort and are often situated geographically and metaphorically off the public radar. Most residents are aged 85 years or over and have complex co-morbid conditions, with dementia estimated to affect two-thirds. About 32,000 people are living in nursing homes in Ireland. According to the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa), private entities manage 80pc of beds nationally. Social policy has increasingly been driven by a neoliberalist marketisation of care, with the shift towards the private at the expense of our most vulnerable citizens. Such policies, allied to failures to invest appropriately in supports to help people to 'age in place', have resulted in premature and unnecessary admission to nursing-home care, particularly for those people with dementia. Unfortunately, people are falling through the cracks and coming to harm because of gaps in our health and social-care system. Poor standards of care, as well as neglect and abuse of residents, are not always reported, and sometimes may be deliberately concealed. The three most common complaints around nursing-home care are: insufficient staffing; substandard care and living conditions; and agency neglect or mistreatment. The closed organisational culture in some nursing homes makes it exceptionally challenging for staff to speak up and report abuse. The Government needs to take more proactive measures to ensure the sustainability and quality of our nursing-home care. John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Michael D Higgins should reconsider his criticism considering Labour roots President Michael D Higgins has criticised the British government's recent announcement of a £1.5bn (€1.7bn) investment in defence spending. Surely this new spending decision is the British government's own business? Ironic that the main reason for the need to increase defence spending is mainly down to Russian aggression, when the Labour parties in these islands and beyond not so long ago admired and extolled the virtues of the Socialist Republics of the Soviet Union. Indeed, as I recall, The Red Flag was and is the theme song of the Labour Party across the water, as well as here. And I'm sure President Higgins himself could belt out the song if the opportunity presented itself. Peter Declan O'Halloran, Belturbet, Co Cavan McAleese's great work with the GAA integration could earn her top UN seat I sometimes regret that the Government didn't nominate former president Mary McAleese as secretary general of the United Nations. Her interpersonal skills, her courage in confronting difficult issues and her ability to deliver workable solutions makes her a woman of substance. If Mrs McAleese was sitting in the hot seat at UN headquarters in New York there would be a lot less self-serving tactical manoeuvring and far more direct action taken to put manners on the Donald Trumps, Vladimir Putins and Benjamin Netanyahus of this world. What she has achieved as chairperson of the Steering Group on Integration (SGI) of the Gaelic Athletic Association, the Camogie Association and the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association is remarkable. The SGI has come up with a definitive pathway for Gaelic games to operate under one GAA umbrella from 2027. There is now an unstoppable momentum behind the process. Grassroots members are excited about the integrated GAA, which will be based on equality, inclusion, respect and togetherness. In one association, Gaelic games will grow from strength to strength under a single administration with a common bond between all of its members. Of added value in the integrated GAA is that members of both sexes can mix freely with like-minded people in a healthy environment. The training, playing and social dimensions will allow boys and girls to get to know each other in a realistic and meaningful way. Hopefully, many enduring friendships, relationships and marriages will have their origins in a progressive unisex association. Who needs online dating agencies when the real deal will be available on the playing fields of the new GAA? Well done, Mary McAleese.
Gulf Today
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Something fishy
It looks like Donald Trump is after the Library of Congress but why? He doesn't seem to like reading as it appears he hasn't read the Constitution. He might be one of those people who 'writes' more books than he reads. Dennis Fitzgerald Melbourne, Australia
Gulf Today
30-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Keyed in?
I typed this on my phone and sent it by email and will enthusiastically Google to see if it gets published and I did this because I know how to use the technology but many don't and now they won't have the opportunity to learn. The younger people are digital natives, able to do everything online but unable to get off their devices. Older people like me might have learnt at some time although I never had the opportunity to touch a computer until I went to university. That 'Tandy TRS-80 Model I' wouldn't be of much use now! It is unfair if people are prevented from now learning how to use them but President Trump had ended the Digital Equity Act, calling it 'racist' and 'illegal'. It would be racist and illegal to deny people any form of education based upon their race. There may be a racial factor here because there are still inequalities in the opportunities that different people in the US have for so many reasons but that is what should be remedied and this Act was one small contribution. I see no reason why educating people is illegal. This seems to bear some resemblance to the days when slaves were rarely taught to read and write with it even being illegal in some states. Maybe I shouldn't read the papers or online newspapers as it upsets me to see people being denied basic rights by President Trump. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia
Gulf Today
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Politics in education
The welcome at Ellis Island, New York, has for over 100 years stated, "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free", but now someone has used a black Sharpie marker to add "unless they want to go to Harvard". Australia has over 100 students there at the moment, and despite Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem suggesting Harvard was 'fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party' I doubt this involves Australia students, or the other overseas visitors. The Australian students will be studying hard, as they tell their parents, or having a few beers, the more likely reality. Doesn't the US constitution have a first amendment that protects 'freedom of speech' even if Harvard was speaking inappropriately, which they aren't, or has it been crossed out with that big black Sharpie marker? Harvard University has a great reputation built over almost 400 years, Trump University didn't last a decade. Come to Australia, we have a number of great universities and you will be welcomed. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia
Gulf Today
24-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Today
It's still hot air
Bitcoin has again passed $US100,000 but is it worth a single cent? As I sit reading about the value of Bitcoin, I see favourable predictions for its future but I still can't use it to pay for the coffee I am slowly drinking. The article does contains warning about the volatility of cryptocurrency in general but doesn't place too much emphasis on it being just a piece of fiction, a computer's algorithm pulling in so many hopeful followers. Like most retired baby boomers I have some money available to invest but am more likely to put that into the stock market, another often volatile investment, but one based on companies that make or lose real currencies. I also pay for proper financial advice and Bitcoin has never been suggested. It might be the grumpiness of old age but I am not going near cryptocurrencies out of common sense and fear and only laugh at the idea of paying for a Meme including those from President Trump. It's like a balloon, it doesn't matter whether it's a big or small balloon, apart from appearances, as it's still just full of hot air. Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia
