The sooner we discuss an Irexit, the better...
THE most important talks in progress for our island of Ireland and our Government is taking a back seat, while the EU and the UK decide our fate. Shame on the knaves in Leinster House.
Can one imagine any other ‘free’ country showing such a lack of backbone? And not a whimper from Fianna Fáil or the Opposition parties. At this rate we might just as well be represented by a local council such as Camden or Islington. The sooner we have a political movement such as Irexit, the better.
MIKE BOURKE, Ballyneety, Co. Limerick.
Snow business
I WAS browned off somewhat with our blizzards and scenes of snowy weather, not because of the snow itself nor indeed the fact that I’ve had to resort back to trudging to the well at the corner of the field to fetch a bucket of water.
No, no its because of the constant barrage of name calling with regard to these predicted weather turbulences, such as the tantrums from Eleanor and Ophelia and Emma. She should have been christened ‘May’ in honour of the British promoter of storm Brexit.
Storms of varying degrees have been battering our windswept land for thousands of years and hopefully it will carry on happening for the next thousand years.
Red alerts and Beasts from the East were never mentioned, just heavy snowfalls on the way, or a strong wind blowing down from the mountains.
No status orange or red was needed.
In the midst of it all, a Leo spokesman was telling elderly people that they should keep the heat on flat out, and not to worry about the bills. Then Leo himself goes and spoils the party by saying, well we don’t have that much ‘bread’ in the coffers, so take it easy on the heating bit.
Of course I ignored all dire warnings and continued having a blast on my chicken feed plastic bag, going downhill at breakneck speeds and swallowing snowflakes as if there were no tomorrow.
Sure if the worst came to the worst and I happened to have an argument with an unmovable object, I could look forward to spending a week perched on a trolley in an overcrowded corridor in Letterkenny Hospital’s A&E department.
JAMES WOODS, Gort an Choirce, Dún na nGall.
Think of the carers
DEDICATED carer Akambo battled through the snow to get to his client Noel, visited several neighbours and gave them all individual jobs to do to ensure Noel would be fine until his next visit.
Roy insisted on cycling to his client from Rathfarnham to Shankill, and on top of his normal tasks he brought along the ingredients to make a lasagne before he left!
Ruth, who became a carer after our agency had looked after her own mother, battled through to her usual clients, and as well as this, took it upon herself to visit, of her own initiative, other elderly individuals who were local to her. These are just a small sample of the stories of dedication, courage and empathy shown by some of our carers during last week’s extreme weather. These stories I’m sure are repeated in other agencies throughout the country.
Will Storm Emma finally wake us up to the importance of these social champions? Primarily, carers need to earn higher wages commensurate with the tough and important work they are carrying out. We also need to move away from zero-hour type contracts and give them much more certainty of work.
The HSE is the biggest funder of home care and it presently commissions home care to a limited number of approved agencies including my own. This places a lot of power into these agencies’ hands vis-a-vis carers, as families have to use their home care packages with the agencies.
How about limiting that power by allowing these families, where appropriate, to use their home care packages directly with a suitable local carer? This ensures more funds flow directly to deserving carers rather than into the pockets of agency owners.
This already happens extensively where care is privately funded, so why not with State funds?
How about introducing the European court’s TYCO ruling into Ireland whereby travelling employees with no fixed work place, such as carers, have to be paid from the moment they leave their homes?
MICHAEL HARTY, Founder of Home Care Direct.
Peril of Putin
WHAT are we to do about the dangerous Vladimir Putin? He has threatened the West with his ‘invincible’ nuclear weapons.
Throughout the last year he flew fighter aircraft close to British airspace and steered his warships within five miles the UK, not to mention the nuclear submarine that was detected off the coast of Scotland.
And the finger has been pointed at Russia for using cyber warfare to disrupt our day-to-day lives.
In a fortnight the Russians head to the polls to elect their president. Only a buffoon would suggest Putin will not be re-elected after his opponents have been intimidated. Putin has few global friends, but the ones he does have speak for themselves: China, Syria, North Korea, Iran and Venezuela.
The West needs to be one step ahead of this belligerent despot.
IAN P. OLIVER, Surrey.