Why we all must stand against this carbon tax
REGARDING your headline (Mail, yesterday) that ‘...60% of voters oppose plan to increase carbon taxes’, I heard Professor John Fitzgerald (CEO of the Climate Change Advisory Council) – a panellist on the Marian Finucane Show on RTÉ Radio last Saturday – try to justify such carbon taxes by saying that if a carbon tax had been added in the recent budget, it would only have meant five cent extra on a litre of fuel.’
What Prof. Fitzgerald omitted to add was that this ‘small amount’ would have been the thin edge of the wedge, as many climate change alarmists demand more than 500% of an increase in carbon taxes on all kinds of fuel, including the main means of heating most homes in rural Ireland: coal.
Incidentally, if ever a proverbial tail was observed to wag a big dog, it must be Eamon Ryan’s Green Party (showing just 3% in various polls), who are acting like a flea on the same dog, with their continuous nagging at the Government for carbon taxes on many of hardpressed Irish people to be increased exponentially.
TOM BALDWIN, Midleton, Co. Cork.
No deal? Yes, please!
UNDOUBTEDLY, in the coming immediate future, those who are campaigning to deny the legal democratic result of Brexit will do their utmost, by fair means or foul, to deny Britain leaving the EU.
I appeal to the 17million-plus British people, who voted for Britain to leave the EU, to increase their tempo of harassing and exposing the insanity of Britain remaining in this corrupt political organisation.
No country, should need any foreign country to govern it; every country’s elected government, must surely be able to govern its people in a responsible manner.
A country like Britain never did, nor ever should, require any country, or a cabal of foreign countries, to tell them what laws they can make, or whom they can trade with – that, may I add, is called freedom. The people trying to thwart Britain leaving the EU are has-been politicians, aided and abetted by the non-producers of society, i.e. dealers in the financial world of stock markets.
Today, I see the Britain I was born and bred in turned into a hell-hole, compliments of the EU.
I appeal to everyone who may read this to support a no deal, as then and only then will Britain be able return to being the self-sustaining, independent, successful, progressive nation it used to be. HARRY STEPHENSON,
Kircubbin, Co. Down.
Brexit solutions
AS THE Brexit deal continues to flounder, a simple solution would be for Britain to rejoin the European Free Trade Association.
I believe this would solve the seemingly intractable problems of Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.
I used to administer the agreement between what was then Southern Rhodesia and South Africa – I would prepare the annual trade agreement when the country in credit sent a remit to the other – so I know such a solution is possible and painless, provided the political will exists. . CEDRIC PHILLIPS,
by email.
Alcohol problem
I CANNOT help but notice the amount of alcohol being sold in petrol stations, convenience stores, supermarkets and other outlets, but I’ve never seen a notice up in these places warning people not to drink and drive
I know of many cases where people turn up at the above places drink driving, get the booze and drive away again.
Alcoholism is becoming an epidemic in Ireland because of the availability of the harmful demon.
We hear about the problems associated with sugar all the time, but alcohol seems to be exempt from such criticism.
PJ MALONE, by email.
Let’s dance!
I WAS getting a bad case of the post-Christmas blues... but the return of Dancing With The Stars has provided me with just the right tonic to cure this! Sometimes the simple things in life really can cheer you up.
LYNN MURPHY, Cork.
Talk of the ’toon
FINALLY an interesting course that people won’t consider a Mickey Mouse version: students can research Mickey Mouse at Brockenhurst College in the UK.
They will be watching lots of Disney material and doing an essay on it and anyone who can do Donald Duck’s voice will get extra marks – no, not really.
They will also be studying Wallace and Gromit which might be useful as playing with Plasticine may be all they are capable of, although the stop-motion filming may teach them patience.
A quick Google search will reveal a number of other courses that many may not have considered: Bowling Industry Management and Technology, The Simpsons and Philosophy, David Beckham Studies, and Bagpiping. The university experience is meant to expand your mind although most of the people who thought of these courses may have been using mind-expanding cigarettes.
We really need more courses that help society, and perhaps a few more science or medical students would contribute more than a really good bagpipes player, if there is such a thing. DENNIS FITZGERALD,
Melbourne, Australia.