US 'Rendition' of "terror suspects"

(letter published in the Irish Times on 14 December 2005)

Madam, - During the 1980s two US agents, Oliver North and Robert McFarlane, used illegal Irish passports during their missions to obtain funds for terrorist organisations in Central America. At no stage did the US government issue an apology or explanation for this crime perpetrated against this country.

Today, as pressure mounts on our Government to perform searches on CIA aircraft using Shannon airport, we are told we should accept the "categorical assurances" from Condoleezza Rice, that these flights are not being used for "anything untoward".

Perhaps someone could explain what has happened in the intervening years to make us accept those assurances. - Yours, etc,

DIARMAID MAC AONGHUSA, Shankill, Co Dublin.

David McWilliams - Enough Already....

Stop. Surely it must come to an end soon. The greatest self publicity machine the country has ever seen has gone beyond a joke. Yes, of course, I am referring to Mr Smug 2004/5 David McWilliams and the endless free publicity for his new book that the Irish media seem to be providing. His weekly column in the Sunday Business Post has, for the last 18 months, carried a free ad for it at the end of the column and the content of that column has been used as "trailers" for the book. A once interesting writer has become obsessed with putting smart arse labels on every subset of Irish society. At first some of these were entertaining and had some merit but it now seems he has one for just about every man, woman and child in the country. His latest promo for his book appeared in today's Irish Times (13/12/05) and was an "edited extract" from it. It was a ridiculous piece of smartarsery attacking people who send their children to Gaelscoileanna. McWilliams claims that those who originally sent their children to these schools came from three groups - "the sons and daughters of the Irish speaking aristocracy - a tiny minority of over achievers....", "the children of Gaeltacht people who moved to Dublin" or "they were the leanaí of fáinne wearing Gaelgeoirí zealots". Nothing like a gross and ignorant generalisation to get things started. He moves on to one of his favourite labeled groups the "HiCo" (don't ask) who, apparently, are responsible for the huge surge in popularity of Irish speaking schools. In a long and rambling article seemingly inspired by hanging around at primary schools in Dublin 6 (an odd habit) he gives us various reasons for this popularity but, incredibly, he makes no reference to the notion that maybe, just maybe, some of these parents might want to send their children to these schools because they would like them to be able to speak the Irish langauge. That, I assume, is a far too boring explanation. He even has a go at the fact that many of the parents dropping their children off at these schools do not themselves speak Irish. I'm not sure what his point is here. Is he trying to suggest that anyone who does not speak Irish is somehow not entitled to try and have their children speak it? Bizarre.

It's time he returned to writing about economics, something he has some knowledge of, rather than trying to explain our society to us.

Great Strand Street, Dublin 1.

Rubbish, originally uploaded by ShankillFalls.

The street where I work is a regular dumping ground for local businesses and residents. It's not very pleasant. Dublin City Council have sent the inspectors and have been delving into it to try and find out who the guilty party is. Nice job.

Irish Ferries - Eamonn Rothwell's salary

(letter published in the Irish Times on 2 December 2005)

Madam,

Contrary to many people's opinion on the pay rates of Irish Ferries staff, I would contend that the new rates of approximately €3.60 an hour are still higher than need to be paid. I am sure that if the management team were to look further a field than Europe they would be able to find people who would do these jobs for less.

If more savings could be achieved in this manner than it would only be right and proper that the salary of chief executive Eamonn Rothwell be increased (at present he earns only slightly more than the combined salaries of the Taoiseach and President). An outstanding human being such as Mr Rothwell surely deserves no less.

Yours, etc,

DIARMAID MAC AONGHUSA, Shankill, Co Dublin.