Sound bites won’t solve our housing crisis now
HOUSING Minister Eoghan Murphy wants to scrap the height restrictions on high-rise apartments as a part of his drive to provide more accommodation to try to match the rapidly increasing demand.
Fair play to him for at least trying to do something.
Unfortunately Paul Mitchell of the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland says it costs almost twice as much to build an apartment in a high-rise than it does in a low rise (Mail). One could, perhaps, assume that Mr Mitchell knows what he is talking about.
The conclusion then would be that if such high-rise apartments were built, no-one could afford them unless they were on bankers’ salaries.
This leads me to wonder: did the minister take expert advice before issuing his statements of intent, and if not, then why not?
What is the point of pressing ahead with solutions that are not viable when he should be seeking that expert advice to find other options if there are any?
Unfortunately this approach seems increasingly common in Irish governments – where ministers speak first and engage brains later, and that is of no use to anyone.
People don’t need sound bites about strategies that won’t work in order for the minister to be seen to be doing something for entirely political reasons.
So instead why not try bringing together an expert panel of architects, developers, civil engineers, who live in the real world? I would hazard a bet that such a panel would cost a lot less than each of the legal tribunals we have had in recent years, and it might actually provide a solution.
It just might take a bit longer before the sound bites could be issued though!
ANTHONY MANSER, Faithlegg, Co. Waterford.
Banking on failure
ONCE again the Irish citizens have been failed by the government of the day in regards to the banks.
We were all promised during the bank bailout that considerable changes would be made to the structure of banking so that such an event could never happen again.
You could plausibly ask the question: who is in control? The banks or the Government?
There is the disgraceful behaviour of financial institutions. But is there more going on that we don’t know about?
If you expect the Financial Regulator to champion our cause and strike fear into the hearts of the banking institutions then you are going to be very disappointed.
DAVID PRICE, Lucan, Co. Dublin. ...THE appalling treatment dished out from the banks towards customers on tracker mortgages is breathtaking.
The sight of the bank bosses parading into the Department of Finance to meet with Government to explain their actions was nauseating to say the least. A whole- some apology and redress is well due and quickly to restore the reputation of said banks and country. SHANE MULLALLY, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway.
Witch way now?
ON Sunday at 2am the clocks go back to 1am. The October Bank Holiday falls on Monday. So as well as a day off on Monday, there’s an extra hour in bed on Sunday, but it will get dark an hour earlier. Halloween will be celebrated on Tuesday night, October 31. It originated from the ancient pagan Celtic festival of Samhain, which celebrated an abundant summer harvest. People lit bonfires and wore costumes to ward off wandering souls.
The Irish traditionally carved out a turnip on Halloween night, placed a lit candle inside it and put it on the window sill to drive away these restless ghosts who wandered the earth on Halloween night. Irish emigrants to America replaced the turnip with the native pumpkin, which is softer, larger and easier to carve than a turnip.
Halloween is now celebrated as a night of scary fun in Ireland. The menacing face of Jack-O’-Lantern is carved on the pumpkin which, with the glowing candle inside, spooks passers-by. Bonfires are lit and children dress up in costumes to go ‘trick or treat’.
Each family member is given a slice of barnbrack with the evening meal. Great interest is taken in the outcome as there is a pea, a coin and a ring wrapped in baking paper in each cake, predicting an uncertain financial future, a prosperous year and a good marriage, respectively.
Families enjoy a variety of nuts and fruit. Children’s games such as ‘blind man’s bluff’, and ‘snap apple’ are played. Children are sometimes told scary ghost stories before they are safely tucked up in bed.
All Saints Day, November 1, honours the saints and martyrs. On All Souls Day, November 2, the dead are remembered and ‘the month of the dead’ begins when people pray for the dead.
While these are traditional Christian practices, people of all faiths and none are aware that, according to Celtic folklore, tormented souls are out and about at midnight on Halloween night looking for a place to rest eternally.
It’s probably just another tale from mythology. But are you brave enough to be out and about at the witching hour on Halloween?
BILLY RYLE, Tralee, Co. Kerry.