Sir, – My native state of Massachusetts, my alma mater of Tufts University, and my beloved city of Boston are under assault by the president of the United States. New Mexico, where I live, a majority-minority state of Hispanic-Americans, migrants and Indigenous peoples – which is largely dependent on federal funding, is also under siege.
Donald Trump has declared war on the American people, its institutions, its culture and its constitution. And like Hernan Cortes, the 16th-century Spanish conquistador who decimated the Aztec empire, President Trump burned his boats with his April 2nd “Liberation Day” declaration of a unilateral trade war with the world, including penguin colonies and exclusive of the Russian Federation.
Instead of perseverating about President Trump’s tariff formulae – which excluded in its deficit calculations the huge tranche of “services” exports, Democrats should be asking only one question: Why? Why has President Trump deliberately crashed the economy before the midterm elections?
Even the invertebrate Texas senator Ted Cruz has admitted that a trade war-induced recession or stagflation, would cause a political “blood bath”. Why then would Donald Trump tank worldwide markets?
Efforts to expel two Irish citizens symptom of a growing exhaustion in Germany
Willa White: ‘Drugs removed all the stuff a seven-year-old kid should not have in their life’
Thatchers, blacksmiths and stone masons: ‘These crafts have been in Ireland for thousands of years’
Breda O'Brien: How is a school with €8,000 supposed to pay €10,000 worth of bills?
Mr Trump, a zero-sum gambler, has, like Cortes or Julius Caesar crossing the River Rubicon in 49 BC, passed the point of no return. The 47th president, facing the near-certainty of losing both houses of Congress, has gone all-in on a strategy of creating civil unrest, which he would exploit to expand his police state tactics and to consolidate his power. Senator Bernie Sanders is virtually alone in acknowledging the blatant truth that America is a “pseudo-democracy.”
Otherwise, establishment Democrats are busy making rhetorical statements, proposing doomed legislation and telling the electorate that the courts – again – will save them.
If, as Bernie Sanders has said, democracy is a charade, then the party is a dead man walking. Unless the Democratic Party is willing to “confess” – as Senator Cory Booker phrased it, its failures and deceptions of the past three years – it will never recover the trust of a majority of the American people. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz appeared on cable news this past weekend, still utterly unable to acknowledge their roles in covering up and excusing President Biden’s cognitive decline.
Donald Trump is crashing the US and world economies because it advances his political objectives of destabilising foreign governments and provides him with a pretext for implementing the “Insurrection Act” at home – in response to any outbreak of actual or fabricated political violence. His phalanx of billionaire oligarchs will outlast the coming recession with their vast reserves and their acquisition of devalued stocks.
Democrats are burning up social media with images of Donald Trump golfing while “Rome” burns, without asking the most important question: Why?
If the supporters of democracy do not understand their foe, they will continue to lose every battle.
The greatest barrier to fighting the tyranny of Donald Trump is a party that perpetuates the illusion that the United States is a functioning democracy.
Denialism is ever the enemy of truth; and the denial of reality always aids the oppressor.
If are going to restore our democratic republic, it will require tens of millions of Americans – from across the political spectrum, mobilising non-violently. – Yours, etc,
ERIC RADACK,
Santa Fe,
US.
Sir, – It’s been clear these past weeks that the weapons of WWT (World War Trump) are tariffs, trade wars, cordial overtures to autocracy and confusion underpinned by lies, deception and oscillating postures, launched with vengeance and loathing, demanding a subservient and fawning surrender.
The weapons and range of the retaliatory fire aren’t quite on target thus far. However, I suggest that it will be the intensity of “friendly fire” that will decide this conflict. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Kilkenny.
Sir, – Liberation Day? Liberace Day, more like. Orange, quiff, toothy smile; all that glisters is not gold. – Yours, etc,
ROSS WATSON,
Stillorgan,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Fintan O’Toole tells us Wall Street has had enough (“The Almighty Dollar is shouting stop, Mr Trump”, Opinion & Analysis, April 8th). The almost $10 trillion erased from US markets since Mr Trump’s reign began may be less a correction and more a rebellion. Capitalism, like Frankenstein, now trembles before its own creation.
When the market – the most amoral of forces – becomes the last bulwark against authoritarian chaos, we’re not in a golden age of governance but a gilded panic room.
And so, the Almighty Dollar shouts Stop! Where Congress cowers and the courts dither, the Dow delivers a sermon money rarely dares: that unpredictability, however populist, is bad for business –and worse for freedom.
As Yeats warned, “Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold”, but who imagined the centre would be guarded by Goldman Sachs? – Yours, etc,
ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh.
Sir, – Brian O’Brien (Letters, April 8th) might just have hit the nail on the head. Stating how “brave investors” take the opportunity to “buy the dip” during economic crashes, busts and recessions, ie buy cheap when the bottom falls our of the market, and suggesting that this current economic man-made fiasco may be more of a “canyon” than a “dip”. It may turn out to be the greatest financial “sting” in history, depending on who the “bravest of investors” turn out to be. –Yours, etc,
PETER DECLAN O’HALLORAN,
Belturbet,
Co Cavan.
Alcohol and the Irish nation
Sir, – The renewed debate about alcohol labelling, sparked by concerns over US trade retaliation, risks derailing one important component of the most significant health policy achievement of recent decades – the Public Health (Alcohol) Act of 2018. Let us be clear: this is not about trade or competitiveness. It is about health: ours, our families’ and our society’s.
I wonder if we have forgotten the facts that led to the enactment of the legislation. They are not contestable. One in 20 deaths in Ireland is caused by alcohol. Every night, in excess of 1,500 hospital beds are occupied due to alcohol-related conditions. Alcohol is involved in half of all suicides, one in three self-harm presentations and is a significant factor of domestic and sexual violence and all forms of child abuse. The economic cost to the State runs to many billions of euro each year.
Despite this, Ireland remains a high-consumption society. While there has been a modest but welcome decline in per capita alcohol use, we continue to drink well above current health limits with nearly one in every three adults engaging in binge drinking on a regular basis. These are not statistics. They are real lives, real harms and real pressures on our health and emergency services.
The labelling provisions of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act were designed to tackle this head-on by ensuring consumers are told the truth: that alcohol causes cancer, that it causes liver disease, heart disease and contributes to a myriad of mental health and social harms. These are facts. The industry knows this. That is precisely why it is lobbying so aggressively to prevent labels from ever reaching the public.
The tactics being used are depressingly familiar. The World Health Organisation’s recent report on the “alcohol playbook” outlines the methods employed globally by the alcohol industry: casting doubt on science, overstating economic risks, lobbying behind closed doors and delaying or diluting regulation. These are the same strategies that Big Tobacco used for decades to stall life-saving policies.
The Department of Health has shown resolve in progressing this Act under sustained and often cynical opposition. It has a strong international reputation for its long record of leadership in public health, from the smoking ban to plain packaging. Ireland is being watched by the world now just as we were then. We do not need to change course – we need to stay the course.
The Minister for Health deserves the full support of the public health community and of the public in resisting efforts to unpick or further delay these measures. Let us hear more voices of support from the medical and public health community and from society at large! – Yours, etc,
Prof TONY HOLOHAN,
Director,
WHO Collaborating Centre
on One Health,
University College Dublin,
Dublin 4.
Praise for Boyd Barrett
Sir, – I was sorry to read about Richard Boyd Barrett’s recent cancer diagnosis (“Boyd Barrett to step back from politics after cancer diagnosis”, News, May 8th); his frank interview with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1, and the concerns he expressed for his constituents, and the needs of healthcare workers are greatly to be admired, and what you’d expect from him as a totally committed politician.
Apart from his views on Gaza, I often disagree with a lot of what Mr Boyd Barrett says in the Dáil. Nonetheless, I greatly admire the manner in which he holds governments to account – and for his sincerity and passion; he is the epitome of what it means to be an unambiguous opposition parliamentarian, and a devoted constituency TD.
Like many of his political supporters and opponents, I would like to wish Mr Boyd Barrett well in his treatment and look forward to seeing him back in action in the Dáil in the near future – and, most likely, not agreeing with him again. – Yours, etc,
CHRIS FITZPATRICK,
Dublin 6.
A chara, – I’m very sorry to hear that Richard Boyd Barrett has had a cancer diagnosis and will be undergoing treatment for the next number of months. Richard is a man of principle in politics and a sincere advocate for the disadvantaged in society.
His leadership will also be missed at this time when it is imperative that the entire left wing in the Dáil put their differences aside and unite behind an agreed candidate to take on the political establishment in the upcoming presidential election.
I wish Richard well in his treatment and look forward to seeing him back in action in the Dáil when it is completed. – Is mise,
JOHN GLENNON,
Hollywood,
Co Wicklow.
Mental health and diagnoses
Sir, – As a researcher in youth mental health, the views expressed in the interview “An Irish doctor on why she believes autism, ADHD and depression are being overdiagnosed” (Your Family, April 5th) were concerning. From my experience, these views do not fully represent research or the experiences of young people, and there are harmful implications that stem from the narrative of overdiagnosis that should not be overlooked.
First, help-seeking for mental health difficulties is certainly on the rise but this is not only about young people receiving a diagnosis. International studies have shown a rise in the severity of symptoms of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicidality, including in the My World Surveys in Ireland.
The Lancet Psychiatry Commission on Youth Mental Health also pointed to societal trends that are contributing to a deterioration in young people’s mental health. There are well-documented flaws in diagnosing mental health conditions, but that should not be used to dismiss the significant needs of young populations at the moment.
Second, there is a political history of conflating mental health with productivity, and viewing mental health spend as an economic burden. This trickles down into acknowledging autism or ADHD only in children or young people who are disruptive in class, dropping out of education, or who are out of work. Arguably, this contributed to underdiagnosis historically, because many neurodivergent young people who were performing fine academically did not get the help they may have needed in other areas of their life.
Supporting young people with the most severe needs should of course be a priority, but if neurodivergence is indeed a “spectrum”, then society should be striving to provide support on the lower end of the spectrum as well as for the most severe cases.
Third, while it is not the intention of many critics of diagnosis, the overdiagnosis narrative has been used cynically by governments to cut access to crucial welfare supports and interventions, such as recently in the UK and the US. Arguing about overdiagnosis is also masking much deeper problems, notably the scarcity of trained mental health professionals in our health systems and worsening social and commercial determinants impacting on young people’s mental health. As well as addressing broader societal issues, we need to focus on improving the numbers of staff who are trained, recruited, and retained in this area.
Finally, the worry about overdiagnosis often relates to concerns around facilitating helplessness in young people or fostering dependence on medications to face natural life challenges. However, this ignores how best practice in youth mental healthcare can be a profoundly empowering experience for young people, helping them to find a sense of agency during uncertain periods in their lives, and assert their independence over time.
We should strive to ensure that young people can get the right support at the right time, that meets their needs no matter how severe their difficulties are. – Yours etc,
DR NIALL Mac DHONNAGÁIN,
Melbourne,
Australia.
A lack of jacks
Sir, – Whether or not the name Jack is increasing in use or declining (Letters, April 8th), there is a problem with jacks in Ireland.
The serious lack of public jacks around the country.
It seems that despite most other countries being able to provide such facilities, Ireland cannot.
We are a failed nation. – Yours, etc,
DAVID DORAN,
Bagenalstown,
Co Carlow.
A thurible mistake
Sir, – Denis Staunton’s account of Mass in Beijing’s North Cathedral (“Is the Catholic Church bending its knee to China’s communist party?”, World, April 5th) includes a description of an altar server “swinging a thurifer as it pumped out thick gusts of incense”.
I was under the impression that the container is a thurible which is carried by the thurifer, ie the person holding it. But maybe that’s the way they do things in China. If so, it must make for a most entertaining celebration of the Eucharist! – Is mise,
JOHN KELLY,
Carlow.
A different Liberation Day
Sir, – The recent good weather has meant Liberation Day for many. From winter, and cold weather. Personally, it has been liberating to break out the shorts, sandals, shades, and short-sleeved shirts. Winter wear has been packed away. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN QUIGLEY,
Dublin 9.
