Madam, – Am I the only one who wants the Celtic Tiger back? Nowadays people seem to spit those words out with a venomous rage as if the Tiger was to blame for their ballooning credit card debt.
Look back over the past decade and you see the many new roads, new schools, hundreds of thousands of new jobs and many new services that the Celtic Tiger brought us. Yes, there were many flaws. Yes, there was greed and bad governance and we suffer the repercussions.
There is no doubt that what we are experiencing today is a result of the “sharp end” of capitalism and the ugly face of greed, but we are not alone. Our nearest neighbour is going through the same process, as are many other countries.
I want the Celtic Tiger years back for their good side — the enthusiasm, the pride, the success and confidence that our little country showed was great to see. No group in our society can claim to be free of blame for our current situation. This is no comfort to people who have lost jobs or are finding it hard to make ends meet, but we cannot despair and we should all want to bring the Celtic Tiger back and it should be done together. Let the recovery begin – and this time let’s bring everyone along for the ride. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Self-employed architect that I am, I would not always support Ictu policy. But its 10-point policy proposals are the first comprehensive set of ideas anybody has put forward to start the economy moving again. In truth, we need more taxes; higher taxes; pension levies; VAT rate adjustments; spending cuts; Government bonds – the lot. And we need it all now.
But all this will take time to elaborate and rushed policy-making leads to bad decisions.
The Government and the civil service are under appalling pressure and need time. But we need them right now to sketch out the framework of a comprehensive set of measures in which we all share the pain. The Ictu plan is a good start.
Well done to Ictu – I never thought I would say that – for articulating its proposed policy measures. It’s now time for the Government to set out the broad policy lines which it will implement between now and, say, June; to include income tax, property tax, second-homes tax, VAT changes (both up and down), spending cuts, pensions both public and private, and the rest.
In this way, public sector workers will see that they are not alone in facing income cuts; private sector workers will see that they are not alone in bearing the cost of the recession; and perhaps we have a chance of pulling together through what is indeed a national crisis. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Your Editorial of February 19th says that “the preoccupation with the banks should not be allowed to obscure the bigger picture”.
The “Anglo” word appeared 51 times that I could see in that same edition. I think the modern expression is: “Hello?” – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I am trying not to be depressed by all the negativity being promulgated in newspapers, radio and TV at this time of national crisis. Criticism and blame are everywhere but solutions seem to be in very short supply.
There is a crisis of morale in the country – a despondency which must be eradicated. We need positive leadership at all levels. Leadership involves the ability to arouse confidence and instil determination to achieve stated, clearly understood common goals. It involves creating a positive environment in which people are encouraged to give of their best, develop self-esteem and national pride and become active participants in the local and national effort.
We need to feel uplifted rather than downcast, determined rather than submissive. There must be inspiration and dynamism to lift the gloom and set the nation marching to a better, fairer and more fulfilling future. The common good and the national interest must take precedence over selfish vested interests.
Now is the time for the media to show some positive leadership and stop debilitating the nation’s self-belief and resourcefulness. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – In the late 1980s the then president of the Soviet Union introduced the concepts of glasnostand perestroika(openness and transparency, and restructuring of the economy), thus signalling a significant change in the activities of the government institutions.
Should the Irish Government now introduce the same concepts (with Irish translation), to signal to the outside world the end of the low standards in our regulatory and banking systems and the beginning of a structured economic plan for the future? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I thoroughly agree with Aidan Regan (February 19th) regarding the high quality of the letters about the current financial crisis. I would suggest that the person who writes your Letters page should run the country. – Yours, etc,