Being up for the job doesn’t mean you are up to the job
TAOISEACH Leo Varadkar had a choice to stay in office for the next several months, or offer the people a general election now. He was not pushed and did neither. Rather he abandoned the duties of his office.
Leo’s departing crisis words were that he ‘was not up to the job’.
At present Simon Harris TD, who states he will continue with Fine Gael’s agenda, rejected and trashed at the recent referendums, has declared that he is up for the job.
He is supported by at least 11 Fine Gael TDs who will not be seeking re-election.
If anointed by Fine Gael, he will also be supported by Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin and the Greens’ Eamon Ryan who are both on record as saying he is ineffective, has no experience and they have no confidence in him.
As minister for health, his inexperience, poor judgement, incompetence was apparent and he was accused of misleading the Dáil over the cervical cancer scandal.
Having dispatched a Taoiseach who was elected on the 6th count, FG are now proposing a Taoiseach elected on the 15th count.
So much for raising the standards.
The ability and record of Simon Harris speaks volumes.
Being up for the job does not qualify him to be up to the job.
DR JOE KELLY, Falcarragh, Co. Donegal.
Dish out the bans
I MUST agree with John Fair’s comments (Letters, March 26) in banning Russia and Israel from participating in the Olympics.
However, he did not go far enough in that Palestine should also be banned for its continued attacks on Israel in particular their horrendous attack of October 7 and the continued rocket attacks.
There are other policies that deserve such exclusion, Syria for the atrocities perpetrated by the Assad regime, Yemen for their unprovoked attacks on shipping, China for their attacks on the Uyghur and Tibetan peoples, Afghanistan for the treatment of women and former adherents to the previous regime, India for its government-sponsored persecution of Muslims and Christians, to mention a few.
MICHAEL LENNON, Dublin 15.
How to be happy
I FOUND Lisa Brady’s article on last Saturday’s Mail to be a most enjoyable read. Lisa invites all of us to consider replicating the Finnish model of happiness in order for all of us to experience our own personal nirvana.
She delineates how Ireland has slipped down the happiness totem pole. Ireland was the 13th happiest place to live in the world in 2022 according to the global wellbeing index, but has now fallen down to 17th. No doubt homelessness and poverty have contributed greatly to the dip in people’s happiness.
Lisa’s article got me thinking. We can all do simple things to improve our mood. I believe that the quality of our relationships is important, regardless of whether it’s a friend, partner, sibling, neighbour etc. A question I often ask is: ‘Who could you call in the middle of the night if you were sick or scared?’ Everybody needs at least one or two people like that. If you don’t have that, one is probably hurting.
Happiness really varies in that a good relationship could be somebody you go to the pub with. Maybe you don’t talk about anything personal, but you don’t need to. Maybe you talk politics and it helps you feel connected and this in turn gives one a sense of belonging. Casual connections, whether it’s a smile or a short conversation with the cashier or the bus driver, can also bring a person enormous benefits.
Ultimately, it comes down to connection and belonging. Joining a local club can also lift a person’s mood. Texting a friend and arranging to meet them or reading that story again to your child can create that feeling of contentment. Enjoying a hobby can create sense of purpose for us. Reading, writing, cooking, fishing, gardening, experiencing nature and painting can be so fulfilling.
Playing with one’s dog or cat can be equally joyous. Exercise also increases one’s overall health and one’s sense of well-being. I believe health and happiness depend on all of these variables.
It would be wonderful if we could strive in treasuring the unexpected moment of happiness that we have done nothing to merit and paid nothing for.
Let’s not forget that our parks, streets and public buildings are every bit as appealing as say our holiday-brochure vistas. One doesn’t have to queue for hours in an airport terminal in order to experience bliss. That is why delighting in the everyday is sustainable. However the Government could ameliorate the country’s level of happiness by improving our health service and tacking homelessness.
I don’t believe that we have to live in Finland to experience this positive emotion in our lives.
JOHN O’BRIEN, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.