Outrage at Love Island is entirely misplaced
WHY all the hysteria about Love Island? It was labelled humiliating, debauched and degrading, but all I saw was a group of young people having a great time in the sun.
The way these youngsters interacted with each other was heartwarming, hilarious and highly commendable.
When the boys were on their own, they were extremely funny, while the girls were supportive of each other when a relationship hit a wobbly patch.
I didn’t see anything wrong with swimwear being worn during the day, and I loved watching them getting all glammed up for the evening.
Critics said the show put too much emphasis on how youngsters should look, but the resilient Love Islanders were shown rolling out of bed in the morning without make-up, their hair all over the place.
The much-criticised footage of couples sharing a bed was barely five minutes out of each 60-minute show – the soaps feature far worse and, unlike Love Island, they are broadcast before the watershed. Violence, which seems to be accepted as the norm on TV shows these days, is much worse than people having a kiss and a cuddle.
I take my hat off to these young people who took pride in their appearance in a society where obesity is at epidemic levels. Too many people don’t seem to care a jot what they do to their bodies and what they look like.
CHERRY WILDE, Nottingham.
I’m backing Ó Cuiv
I SECOND the proposal of Éamon Ó Cuiv as a candidate for the Presidency.
He is a grandson of former president Éamon de Valera. He is an advocate of the Irish language and as Minister for the Gaeltacht he supported Gaeltacht regions financially, in Galway especially, and he and his wife participated in an Irish language week.
The silence of the present Minister for the Gaeltacht [Josepha Madigan] is deafening.
Go for it, Eamon. Go n-éiri leat go mór is go fada!
MARY KEANE, by email.
Doctor’s fraud
THE sentence of 16 months handed down to Dr Bassam Naser, who pleaded guilty to failing to pay €100,000 in tax, is by any standards lenient given that some citizens of this State have served custodial sentences for not having a valid TV licence.
This fraud by Dr Naser was not a momentary lapse of character but a carefully contrived evasion of tax that deprived the State of much-needed revenue.
Claims that Dr Naser’s actions were more a mistake are not supported by facts, as he had a hidden bank account into which he lodged 1,686 cheques that he had received from patients.
I believe in prison reform and rehabilitation, but I also believe that sentences should reflect what judges regard, or do not regard, as serious crimes, thereby setting standards for behaviour in society. TONY CORRIGAN, Templeogue, Dublin 6w.
Broadband that works
AN Taoiseach assures us that the National Broadband Scheme isn’t ‘dead in the water’, and is encouraged by Communications Minister Denis Naughten’s advice that although potential bidders for the scheme are fast taking to the lifeboats rather than staying with the ship, all will be well.
Given the assurances to which we’ve become accustomed, we might expect that the whole of Ireland will soon enjoy blisteringly fast broadband.
However, perhaps a suggestion to be considered in high places? Why not simply instruct ESB to take over or buy out what has already been partly or wholly installed and get on with the job?
After all, the ESB is a State body, so the State would be paying itself and would then own the broadband network, just as it now has ownership of the national electricity grid and the water supply.
The preferred alternative, though, would seem to be to continue with some sort of competitive tendering process in which few commercial enterprises are interested, and finally award the contract to a bidder who was the last man standing and hasn’t the resources to do the job anyway.
This, sadly, seems to be the approach of ministers who have no idea how business works, resulting in seeming to save some pennies while spending millions on consultants and ending up with a camel when they thought they were getting a horse! ANTHONY MANSER,
Co. Waterford.
Regulating cyclists
SHOULD we insure against injury by cyclists? They enjoy a freedom of movement and absolution from restriction that most motorists would envy. Sophisticated bikes are capable of speeds well in excess of town limits.
Motorcyclists are faced with registration, tests, taxation and insurance. They wear specified protective helmets and keep their machines at required levels of safety, lighting and maintenance.
Surely it’s time cyclists were placed in the same category.
ROY HEWETSON, by email.
Only in Ireland?
A READER suggests (Letters, yesterday) that a hosepipe ban ‘could only happen in Ireland’. Does she realise that there’s a similar ban in the UK, a similarly wet place?
AMY O’BRIEN, Wicklow.