Trump and Putin should put differences aside and set an example to the rest of world

SIR.

When Peter Casey made his controversial comments on Travellers, and on Ireland becoming a welfare state, many people rightly criticised him for tarring everyone with the same brush.

After the votes were counted, those same people accused Casey’s voters of being racist i.e. they tarred everyone who voted for him with the same brush, and saw nothing wrong with it.

There are a number of reasons why people chose Peter Casey as their preferred candidate in the presidential election; not all of them being allegedly racist.

Casey was languishing at two per cent in opinion polls before he made his controversial remarks; this suggests that some people who voted for him didn’t do so for the controversial reasons.

Many more people saw the adverse criticisms of Peter Casey as an attack on free speech and freedom of expression; seeing political correctness as a form of proxy censorship. They may not have agreed with what he said, but by voting for him, they defended his right to say it.

In shooting down Peter Casey, his critics made what was probably their biggest mistake; they gave credence to his statements by shooting the messenger instead of the message.

To show he was wrong, they should have demonstrated to voters how their lives are enriched by subsidising Traveller culture and those who chose idleness as a career.

Taxpayers can experience the benefits of paying teachers, nurses, gardaí etc., but they fail to see the benefits of subsidising other sectors of society unless it is pointed out to them,

Sincerely

Henry Gaynor.

Spa,

Tralee. SIR,

The 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice is a time to unite and recognise the bravery and reality of warfare as a step to preventing any further such events.

As part of the remembrance, many of the world’s leaders took a symbolic walk in the rain down the Champs-Elysees in Paris but there were two missing – Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. The concern is that despite ‘playing nice’ at the moment these are two of the countries most likely to start fighting.

The White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said this was ‘due to security protocols’ although it may have been due to the rain affecting Trump’s hair-do. Such a flippant suggestion is obviously inappropriate but so too is not remembering the fallen and the injured. Yes, there are people who may attack them but what of the other world leaders – are they not important enough to be worried?

Symbolism is important and unless Trump and Putin are willing to be leaders, not only of their own countries, but of this walk and the search for peace then they should recognise their failings and resign.

Remember the fallen and broken, not just in walks but in making strides to prevent any further battles. Sincerely,

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia