Dr Leo could always work at Christmas...

I WAS sickened by our Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and his attempted degrading of nurses and doctors to force them to work over the Christmas period.

You cannot compare caring for people to working on an assembly line. And I say that with the greatest of respect for those involved in the latter line of work.

We are well aware of the fact that overcrowding throughout our hospitals isn’t a seasonal event as that has become an everyday occurrence. I find it inconceivable and totally unacceptable that we are in this situation.

But the lack of accountability is the predominant reason that has facilitated the failings of those in charge, plus the ineptitude of our political establishment.

Then we have this issue – of frontline staff ’s annual leave – being made by the leader of the Government in a country where TDs work a three-day week for a salary of €94,535 before expenses are included.

His own salary is far above that and yet there is nothing ever said about the ever-growing durations that the Dáil is in recess.

Therefore Leo, might I suggest for you to go take a good look at the practices within your own house before you start ridiculing others who are entitled to take a well-earned break from their stressful working conditions.

After all, it is said that great leaders lead by their example.

MATTIE GREVILLE, Killucan, Co. Westmeath. ...IT was interesting to note that Leo Varadkar has asked hospital staff to cancel Christmas holidays and work hard over the festive period in order to ease the problems that arise each Christmas in our A&E departments. I presume he himself will be enjoying an unearned rest during the same period. Surely as a qualified doctor, wouldn’t it be a good sign of leadership if he gave up his holiday and volunteered to work in an A&E department over the Christmas period?

MARTIN STRINGER, Barnacogue, Co. Mayo. ...I AM somewhat perplexed at the reaction to Mr Varadkar’s quite sensible suggestion for highly paid hospital consultants to take some annual leave at a more convenient time for the health service this winter so patients can benefit.

If they wish to work fixed hours then maybe they would be better off working at the council.

ELLIE KELLY, Beaumont, Dublin 9.

John the brave

BACK in the day I remember the peaceful SDLP being described as the Stoop Down Low Party, such were the threats and intimidation of those who would say they were voting for the giant John Hume and his party. It took real courage to be in the SDLP and it took none to be in the IRA and Sinn Féin, who bullied their way as time dragged on towards their own defeat.

The horrendous baggage of Sinn Féin is carried with them always. Those same people sit in our Dáil, some themselves having been convicted and jailed for terrorist offences.

I do not care how many innocent and perhaps gullible people vote for Sinn Féin rather than the SDLP, yet the murky track record of the former speaks for itself.

People will indeed tend to forget what Sinn Féin/IRA was and is all about, but not everybody.

It was the hard road of gunempty hands and brave minds by the SDLP which won the day of peace – the IRA merely surrendered their arms and stopped bombing and shooting Irish people.

It was no fluke that John Hume was voted Ireland’s greatest Irishman. ROBERT SULLIVAN, Bantry, Co. Cork.