Sir, – “Under the Bill doctors would decide who is deprived of liberty, judges would decide who is treated. That makes no sense”. How could one disagree with Prof Brendan Kelly (“Admitting a patient without consent and not treating them isn’t ‘care’ – it’s imprisonment”, March 19th)?
However, it is worth noting that many of the people with serious mental health problems too often only get “treatment” after their appearance in front of a judge.
Perhaps a real discussion, a meeting of minds, between those two powerful and influential professions, and others, could help those in need of treatment and those struggling so hard to care for them on a daily basis. This would include many of the people with serious mental health issues struggling on the streets; all too often the only help available to them is through the involvement of An Garda Síochána. – Yours, etc,
ALICE LEAHY,
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Director of Services,
Alice Leahy Trust,
Dublin 8.
Sir, – Brendan Kelly is right that the proposed new Mental Health Bill is crucially and fundamentally flawed in its current form but I would be cautious about his proposal to add more “rights” to the Bill. This is cumbersome legislation seemingly drafted for the benefit of lawyers rather than patients and I strongly suspect it was written more with an eye to how it looks on paper rather than the effects on actual patients who are caught up in it (not dissimilar to the failures of the Assisted Decision-Making Capacity Act).
The measure of the progressive nature of legislation is not whether it sounds progressive to politicians but what the impact will be for patients on the ground – and to know that would require detailed consultation with those who actually have to use the legislation on a day-to-day basis, that is consultant psychiatrists. Yet the Government has been conspicuous in its failure to listen to the psychiatrists about the Mental Health Bill. Adding more rights to the legislation is an empty gesture if they are not backed up by resources. Gestures are cheap. Effective mental health services are expensive. Every time the choice comes, successive Irish governments have chosen gestures over concrete practical help for patients, and we should not offer them another opportunity to take this route.
In Ireland, we excel in cost-free gestures like fiddling with mental health legislation but we seem unwilling to fund mental health services at anywhere near the level required for the clear patient need or even with respect to comparable European countries. As long as we focus on gestures rather than effective services and effective treatment, people with severe mental illness will continue to be neglected in the Irish health system. – Yours, etc,
PAUL MATTHEWS,
Consultant Psychiatrist,
Dublin 7.
Israel and air strikes on Gaza
Sir, – I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent escalation of violence in Gaza, as reported in “Gaza air strikes ‘only the beginning’ and further ceasefire talks will take place ‘under fire’, says Netanyahu”, News, March 18th). The Israeli air strikes, which have resulted in the tragic loss of over 400 lives in a single day, including many children, are a devastating reminder of the human cost of this ongoing conflict. The scale and intensity of these attacks raise serious questions about proportionality and the impact on innocent civilians. The destruction of homes, displacement of families, and worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza demand urgent international attention. Cutting off aid deliveries for over two weeks has only exacerbated the suffering of the 2.3 million people living in the region, many of whom are already enduring unimaginable hardship. It is also troubling to see the breakdown of ceasefire negotiations, with both sides accusing each other of breaches. However, the decision to pursue military action instead of diplomatic solutions risks perpetuating a cycle of violence that benefits no one. The international community must hold all parties accountable and work toward a sustainable and just resolution that prioritises human rights and the protection of civilians. – Yours, etc,
DAMIEN HANLON,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – It was both striking and concerning to hear President Trump condemn the political regime in South Africa and announce the cessation of funding, while simultaneously continuing to provide significant financial support to Israel. This support, unfortunately, contributes to the ongoing violence and suffering endured by defenceless Palestinians in Gaza.
The stark contrast in these policies raises important questions about consistency and moral responsibility in international relations. If the goal is to promote justice, human rights, and peace, should not these principles be applied uniformly, rather than selectively?
All nations should be held accountable to the same standards of humanity and fairness. – Yours, etc,
PETER MALBASHA,
Booterstown,
Co Dublin.
Germany and militarism
Sir, – Mary L Cullen’s letter embodies a highly idealised vision of German militarism (Letters, March 19th).
Ms Cullen’s reference to “Germany’s postwar historical aversion to militarisation” belies that fact that from 1950 onwards the United States and its Nato allies (except, perhaps understandably, France and Belgium) encouraged the rapid rearmament of the Federal Republic in the interests of warding off a perceived Soviet threat.
She tells us that “the decision to increase defence spending may face resistance from . . . the political opposition”. In the past such resistance came mainly from the Greens, but with the triumph of the so-called “Realos” faction under Joschka Fischer that party itself became increasingly belligerent. As foreign minister, Mr Fischer backed the participation of Germany in Nato’s illegal bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, thus terminating the state’s honourable abstention from foreign military adventurism.
By 2018, Germany had become the world’s fourth largest weapons exporter, often supplying weapons to murderous regimes, without a peep of resistance from any opposition party. Germany has supplied more arms to Israel since October 7th, 2023, than any state apart from the US, and consequently faces the prospect of a case at the International Court of Justice for breaching the UN Genocide Convention.
Ms Cullen’s belief that Germany’s militarism is “driven by the need to address emerging security challenges and fulfil its international commitments”, in my opinion, is unduly charitable. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN Ó ÉIGEARTAIGH,
Donnybrook,
Dublin 4.
Pharmaceutical industry
Sir, – Donald Trump “floods the zone” with inflammatory hyperbole (Fintan O’Toole, Opinion & Analysis, March 18th). This doesn’t mean that The Irish Times should stoop to his level, beginning an opinion piece on the pharmaceutical sector with: “Every drug cartel needs someone to do the money laundering”?
Might I suggest for balance that the Irish Times commissions articles from individuals with real expertise on US taxation and industrial policy, the reluctance of US legislators to change tax codes, US healthcare pricing and the technical and regulatory complexity of setting up a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility? – Yours, etc,
SEAN RYAN,
Castleconnell,
Co Limerick.
Allingham and Donegal
Sir, – Ballyshannon-born William Allingham was indeed a loyal son of Donegal, as Frank McNally says (An Irishman’s Diary, March 19th).
He is remembered in this part of the county for his poem The Eviction which describes the dispossession of 47 families by “Black Jack” Adair on his Derryveagh estate (now part of the Glenveagh National Park).
The outrage broke the fragile peace following the Gweedore Sheep War and the surprising acquittal of Séamus Bán McBride (my great-great-grandfather) of all charges of anti-grazier activity at the Donegal assizes.
Allingham immortalises Adair as a rapacious landlord eager to replace tenants with sheep.
Calm did not return for many decades. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Gaoth Dobhair,
Co Dhún na nGall.
Sir, – Thanks to Frank McNally for noting William Allingham’s bicentenary-plus one in his Diary.
The poet’s “Irishness” was a matter of some debate even in his lifetime. The following excerpt may be of some interest. It comes from an anonymous writer in the Fermanagh Times marking his centenary a hundred years ago:
“He came of English stock, and to England he himself returned; but in spirit he was at first, as he remained to the end, an Irishman – an Ulster Irishman – the poet of ‘Old Bellashanny.’”
This year’s Allingham Arts Festival will take place in Ballyshannon from November 5th to 9th. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL McMULLIN,
Allingham Festival Committee,
Ballyshannon,
Co Donegal.
St Patrick’s Day parade
Sir, – My young family and I marched alongside our glorious Dublin city parade on St Patrick’s Day for about half the route. In that time, this diminutive reader saw only a chameleon’s eye popping occasionally over opaque covered eight-foot barriers, litter, and tens of thousands of people jostling and straining, sometimes dangerously, to see something of what is heralded as “a genuinely bucket-list worthy adventure in Ireland’s capital city”.
Unfortunately, unless you were elite enough to pay €130 to €255 for a ticket in the stands; I think most aspirant spectators left with this item still firmly unticked on their bucket list. This seems contrary to the parade committee’s “inclusion” values. I’m not sure what the target audience is for the parade but it certainly isn’t for families or those unable to stand from the early hours in the cold to get peeking through a railing. I think we can do better. – Yours, etc,
CATHERINE MELODY,
Dublin 9.
Women and pensions
A chara, – To complement Joanne Hunt’s advice in “Women, take control to ensure you have enough income in retirement” (Your Money, March 18th), I suggest we ask the State how it too can help women secure better pensions. As an Irishwoman in Belgium, I would have struggled to pursue my career post-kids without the subsidised public creche and school system Belgium offers. Creche fees are means-based, and schools free, with kindergarten starting at age 2½. This includes subsidised pre- and post-school care (€1 to €4 a day, depending on the school structure), and hot meals (about €65 per month). Perhaps this is why Belgium now ranks third in the gender pay gap among OECD countries, enabling us women take control of our pensions. – Yours, etc,
AOIFE GALLAGHER,
Brussels.
Statistical inference
Sir, – Con Lynch is moved to write to The Irish Times from time to time (Letters, March 19th). He is discouraged that his letters only see print at close to 20 per cent of the total written. To quote Lady Bracknell, I can reassure him that figure “seems to me considerably above the proper average that statistics have laid down for our guidance”. – Yours, etc,
PATRICK O’BYRNE,
Dublin 7.
Sir, – Con Lynch should take great encouragement that more than 20 per cent of his contributions to public discourse have been published by The Irish Times. My success rate thus far this year has languished at a paltry 12.5 per cent. I have in the past done better, but perhaps this was due to general grade inflation. – Yours, etc,
BRENDAN O’REILLY,
Dublin 13.
Happy as the day is long
Sir, – The fact that the UN’s World Happiness Day falls today during both Lent and Ramadan, when perhaps half the global population feel pressure to be abstemious and penitent, will challenge many to smile even if they don’t feel like it. Not a bad lesson for life generally. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN O’BRIEN,
Kinsale,
Co Cork.
Sir, – WC Fields suggested we start every day with a smile and get it over with. Happy Happy Day! – Yours, etc,
RORY JOHNSTON,
Galway.
White House invitations
Sir, – President Trump invited Conor McGregor to the White House for the same reason he invited Taoiseach Micheál Martin, to play to certain, if different, demographics in his own voter base. – Yours, etc,
CATHERINE DEEGAN,
Limerick.
