Sir, – For the undecided voters, perhaps a quick-pick option could feature on the ballot paper. – Yours, etc,
HELEN NOONAN,
Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – Your front-page article about the restoration of public-service pay ("Unions to seek full restoration of pay if law abolished", February 19th), in which it is reported that public-sector unions would lodge a €2 billion pay claim following the abolition of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Fempi) Act, places the proverbial cart in front of the horse.
The abolition of Fempi would require the immediate full restoration of public-service pay, meaning there would be no need for unions to lodge a claim. The most recent adjustment to Fempi partially restored public-service pay, in order to implement the terms of the Lansdowne Road agreement. This was subject to negotiation with unions months before the legislation was amended.
It is highly unlikely that any future government would unilaterally get rid of the legislation without first negotiating an agreement to which its abolition would give effect. – Yours, etc,
NIALL SHANAHAN,
Communications Officer,
Impact trade union,
Nerney’s Court,Dublin 1.
Sir, – On each ballot paper next Friday there will be at least two candidates who have no hope of being elected. We could do worse than give these our first and second preferences and then carry on to our real preference choices. Our third preference would become a full vote as it would arise from an elimination (or exclusion as the official language states).
Why vote in such a roundabout way ? First, it is a slight recognition of those who are prepared to put their name on a ballot paper – remember all those notables who chickened out in 2011. Second, it will help confuse the politicians, pundits and pollsters, all of whom seem to think we are like sheep .
Give it a try – it can be your good deed for the day ! – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL JOY,
Midleton,
Co Cork.
A chara, – What would Margaret Butler's (February 19th) suggested turn-taking teddy, to be used in televised debates, be called, I wonder, and would expenses and a pension be involved? – Is mise,
MICHELE SAVAGE,
Dublin 12.
Sir, – I am not sure about the other citizens of this country but I am weary of listening to the constant barrage of the same questions by the media followed by the same rehearsed responses from all our political candidates. These are becoming even more frantic after the issue of yet another opinion poll based on a consensus that we are going to end up with a “liquorice allsorts” or rainbow-type government! If we truly care about the future of this country, I believe it is crucial that we have a debate now as to the potential implications of such an outcome, ideally by individuals who are not affiliated to any political party and represent the best interests of this country and its citizens. Otherwise we are simply voting in the dark! – Yours, etc,
ROSE GILMARTIN,
Churchtown, Dublin 14.
Sir, – The 1916 leaders made the ultimate sacrifice for the Irish people. Surely it is possible for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to lay aside their longstanding (and understandable) rivalries in order to provide a stable government for the Irish people in 2016. It would be an admirable way to honour those leaders in this centenary year. – Yours, etc,
TERENCE FLANAGAN,
Kiltimagh,
Co Mayo.
Sir, – Why on earth can’t we vote on a Saturday? – Yours, etc,
ANNE BYRNE,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – The rumours about a possible link between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are increasing. As these parties have taken it in turns over the last few decades to prove that the other is incompetent to govern, and in my opinion they both clearly are, they should make a good team. Let us give thanks for the fact that they can’t all get elected. – Yours, etc,
RICHARD BARTON,
Tinahely,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – I think it is unfair that Sinn Féin has such an obvious advantage over the other parties when it comes to resolving the housing crisis.
The massed exodus which would result from Sinn Féin’s participation in government and the consequent sharp decline in the numbers seeking shelter should take care of the housing shortage for years to come. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT BATES,
Delgany,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – My most memorable moment from the leaders’ debate in the University of Limerick came when Gerry Adams, in an exchange with Micheál Martin, mentioned the word “hoking”. I’m not so sure the other six leaders were familiar with it. It was a common word in the farming community in Co Down in the 1950s and 1960s. When sows were let out into the fields, they would use their snouts to turn over the sod. This was known as “hoking”. A preventive measure used by farmers was to insert rings in the rim of the sow’s snout, a fashion followed by some humans a few decades later! The word came to have the meaning of searching through a jumble of things for one particular item. I think that was the meaning Mr Adams had in mind. – Yours, etc,
LEO O’HARE,
Tara,
Co Meath.
Sir, – Your "Meet the voters" article has a fatal flaw (February 18th). With the exception of the "Teacher", none of the other nine categories could be classed as normal PAYE tax-paying citizens. While all sections of society are entitled to their honest opinions, a broader cross-section, ie more PAYE voters, in the list of 10 would have reflected more succinctly the mood of the nation, especially from those who have suffered most while keeping the country afloat. – Yours, etc,
ALAN ROCK,
Ballinteer,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – When asked why they have not dealt with the housing, health and education crises up to this, the standard response of government spokespeople is that our economic problems were such that funds were simply not available. Now that they believe that a recovery has taken place, they are prepared to promise us fairytale levels of spending to improve these services, while cutting the taxes needed to fund them. The gap, or “fiscal space”, is to be made up with the fruits of an expanded economy.
We are expected to believe in this expansion, despite looming international threats, including China’s economic slowdown, oil markets turning bullish again and the very real prospect of our major market facing a severe impact if our next-door neighbours decide on a Brexit.
I wish the Social Democrats were running a candidate in my constituency. – Yours, etc,
JACK MORRISSEY,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – Watching the leaders’ debate the other night, I wondered whether the participants were aware of the impact of their voices on the messages they were seeking to put across. In the case of Gerry Adams, his strangulated northern vowels made me think that he would come across better if (as in the bad old days) he were dubbed. Imagine, if you will, how much more acceptable his message would have sounded if delivered by the impersonator Mario Rosenstock in the mellifluous tones of the late Terry Wogan or even Roy Keane.
Joan Burton’s voice the other night ran the gamut from hectoring to hysterical. That was due to her natural pitch but it was also to the detriment of her message.
It is no coincidence that the most successful woman politician in history, Margaret Thatcher, benefitted from extensive mentoring in voice delivery. Likewise two Irish female candidates with lower-toned voices (Mary Robinson and Mary McAleese) were successful in presidential elections, whereas one with a high-pitched delivery (Dana) was not.
Even among men a high-pitched shriek can be fatal to one’s electoral prospects. In 1992 Neil Kinnock (already handicapped among English voters because of his Welsh accent) delivered his famous “We’re all right, we’re all right, we’re all right” scream on the eve of the general election and was promptly beaten by the unfancied but lower-toned John Major.
My message to prospective politicians is that you can have all the sartorial makeovers you like but do not overlook putting some work into your voice. – Yours, etc,
KEVIN O’SULLIVAN,
Letterkenny, Co Donegal.