Enough of this political correctness ... it’s a joke!
I HAVE never seen Ada Hegerberg, who won the Fifa Women’s World Player of the Year, in action, but she is obviously a fantastic footballer. World class, outstanding!
However, is it not crazy that half the world loses its marbles on ‘her behalf’ at what was obviously a joke!
When Zlatan Ibrahimović was asked on US TV could he twerk, not one political correct do-gooder was outraged on his behalf.
At this stage, if people are deluded enough to believe socalled climate change is the biggest threat to mankind, that’s their business. But in reality, the greatest threat to mankind is, and has been for years, political correctness. Political correctness has all but killed politics, mortally wounded sense of humour and is now trying to kill sport.
What’s perhaps an ever greater danger to mankind are those of us who know political correctness is a social cancer yet hide God-given truths and common sense from listeners. The ‘danger’ to mankind is not vehicle or toaster omissions polluting the air.
Congratulations Miss Hegerberg. Don’t allow them take away your sense of humour as in the long run it will be far more useful and precious to you than any award.
JOHN DONOHOE, Blackrock Road, Cork.
Votes for all
ABOUT half of all countries allow their citizens who live outside their country to vote in national elections, albeit with some restrictions. Most Irish citizens except government employees working abroad are denied this privilege.
Proposals to amend the Constitution to allow them to vote but only in Presidential elections are so inadequate that it would arguably be a waste of public money to bring in such an almost meaningless change, given that our Presidency has a mainly ceremonial role.
It is essential that all Irish citizens living outside Ireland should be entitled to vote at least in all Dáil Éireann and European Union elections, otherwise their Irish citizenship is meaningless.
My understanding of Bunreacht na hÉireann is that Article 16 does not prohibit Irish citizens living outside the State from voting in Irish elections. Article 16.1.2. states that: (I) All citizens, and (II) such other persons in the State as may be determined by law, without distinction of sex who have reached the age of 18 years who are not disqualified by law and comply with the provisions of the law relating to elections to Dáil Éireann, shall have the right to vote at an election for members of Dáil Éireann.
It is my view that the qualification or limitation ‘in the State’ in sub-paragraph (II) above applies only to ‘such other persons’, for example British citizens living in the State, and does not apply to ‘all citizens’ mentioned in subparagraph I above.
Therefore all Irish citizens regardless of where they live, should be entitled to vote in Dáil Éireann elections, unless they are prohibited by law from doing so. If they are prohibited from voting by laws passed by An Oireachtas, then it should only be necessary for An Oireachtas to change the laws to allow all Irish citizens to vote in Dáil elections, making a constitutional referendum unnecessary.
We must also ask why our existing laws or regulations prohibit most Irish citizens living outside the State from voting in Irish elections.
It may be that Irish politicians have feared retribution or accountability from those hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens who have been forced to emigrate due to failed economic policies of successive Irish governments. EDWARD HORGAN, Castletory, Limerick.
Left hypocrisy?
MANY on the left seem to be expressing solidarity with the Yellow Vest protesters and arguing that President Macron in France is wrong to hike fuel prices.
But would many on the left not also be arguing that climate change must be stopped and taxes on fossil fuels are a necessity? S.J. KENNY,
Dublin 7.
I trust Attenborough
ROBERT Sullivan’s letter (Mail, yesterday) about David Attenborough is misguided.
Mr Sullivan states that the world will last four billion more years with or without us... that’s true.
The point Attenborough and many others are making is that many of the natural resources are being influenced by human beings. Look at all the drinking water being loaded up with chemicals from run-offs from farms and mining. Check the quality of air from China and the other emerging countries and from the Rust Belt in the US. Check out all the cancer-causing chemicals in everyday consumer products.
The most important things to me that will affect mankind as we know it are the loss of the ice caps, the loss of the ozone layer and the deforestation of the rainforest in South America. All man-made problems. People have to wake up and make our remaining years on Earth healthy and clean.
So either listen to naysayers such as Mr Sullivan and Donald Trump, or to Mr Attenborough. I trust Mr Attenborough’s observations and recommendations; these problems are man-made.
KEVIN DEVITTE, Westport, Co. Mayo.