McClean’s abuse over a poppy is shameful
WHILE I am not an ardent soccer fan, I cannot ignore the abuse being directed at Stoke City and Ireland player James McClean, a native of Derry, simply because he refuses to wear the poppy.
Surely the war, which this emblem relates to, was fought to ensure freedom for all. Therefore is hard to understand why it’s the catalyst which is undermining the freedom of James McClean or any other player or person who elects not to wear the poppy.
To my mind, it would serve sport much better if all such emblems were left behind in the dressing room.
Imagine, for one minute, if James McClean burst onto the field of play sporting an Easter Lily and then insisted that his team and all fans follow his example.
While I don’t have an opinion, either way on the use of the poppy, I do believe that there exists a herd mentality in its wearing.
It’s always healthy and refreshing to see someone standing up and asking questions rather than showing blind adherence in any disputed area. DENIS O’HIGGINS,
Co. Monaghan.
Save our bogs
With Ireland struggling to reduce carbon emissions, it is truly shocking and bizarre that Heritage Minister Josepha Madigan has opted to order the purchase of bog land in Co. Kildare to facilitate turf cutting. If the Minister’s planning application to Kildare County Council is granted, people will be free to cut turf at Coolree Bog.
I ask: what on earth was the point of letting people go at Bord na Móna as part of an alleged commitment to tackling climate change if the Government is now prepared to endorse a potentially devastating attack on our vulnerable eco-system?
Bogs absorb carbon emissions and have proven a consistent a natural ally to us in helping to keep our planet cleaner and healthier.
Merlin falcons that feed off Coolree Bog may also be adversely affected if this precious site is ravaged by tuft cutting.
There are less than 200 breeding pairs of this bird left, and you’d think that a Heritage Minister would be concerned at the prospect of their feeding ground being wiped out. I wonder if the Government, in its devil-may-care attitude to protection of bogs and wildlife conservation, is influenced by the fact that it needs the support of certain Independent TDs to stay in power. JOHN FITZGERALD, Callan, Co. Kilkenny.
Arrest hypocrisy
THE hypocrisy surrounding the arrest of John Downey for a second time on spurious charges is nothing more than a sop to the DUP, (possibly in facilitating a trade-off Brexit compromise with Arlene Foster) considering those requesting his arrest have been harbouring known uniformed murderers and preventing justice taking place for years.
John Downey has never denied being an Irish republican who took a stance in standing up for a section of our people who were forced to live in a sectarian statelet.
Most of us have been told at some stage in our lives to stand up to bullies and wrongdoing, and this is exactly what republicanism and John Downey are all about: standing up for your rights.
In the midst of Tory Brexiters belittling the Good Friday Agreement, and Arlene Foster treating an internationally signed document in a dismissive manner, it is not surprising that an important part of the jigsaw – an amnesty in the form of a letter signed by the then British prime minister Tony Blair stating that a list of named Irish republicans (John Downey being one of them) were not being sought by the authorities in relation to any activities – is now being dissected for reasons other than securing convictions.
It is clear that John Downey is being used as nothing more than a football to satisfy entrenched views that hark back to a time when unionism held sway
Please, Taoiseach, do not allow any more Irish citizens to become pawns in British security force ploys of treachery and double dealing or as a chip in a preamble to the maintenance of a British border in the island of Ireland. JAMES WOODS, Gort an Choirce, Dún na nGall
Crass... but not illegal
THE burning on a bonfire of an effigy of the Grenfell Tower is an act of supreme insensitivity and is totally inappropriate. However, it should not have resulted in arrests.
Stupidity, crassness and causing offence are not criminal offences. Though the people who perpetrate such acts should not be subject to criminal sanctions, they should be treated with contempt.
DES MORGAN, by email.
Pro-life triumph
IT’S interesting that one of the most extreme pro-abortion Democratic senators, Claire McCaskill, has lost her seat in the US midterm elections.
Ms McCaskill was heavily funded by the pro-abortion lobby group Planned Parenthood, and played a prominent role in the bid to derail Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. She also had the major US media outlets on her side. Despite these formidable odds, her pro-life opponent, Josh Hawley, carried the day. A positive news story, at last.
ERIC CONWAY, by email.