James Clarke’s Europhilic rant (April 26) was incredible to a gargantuan degree. He denigrates Norway which is the country with the world’s highest human development index. Norway is also the best country to be a mother in with 10 months of fully paid maternity leave. They also have the generosity to entitle fathers to 10 weeks of fully paid paternity leave although ideally this could be increased. So Norway would be a preferable model for emulation despite his inaccurate insinuations. He also denigrated Switzerland a country where all citizens bear arms despite having one of the lowest rates of firearm violence in the world. Surely he is not arguing that these are negative and against human progress?
What does sovereignty mean in a globalised world? It means having control of your destiny. It means not ceding power and crassly ingratiating to right-wing and unelected corporate plutocrats. It means being able to practice the concept of Demos Kratos a system where the people decide the direction of affairs and not an unaccountable oligarchy.
I should remind him Thatcher and her fellow ideologues successfully attacked workers within the ‘protections’ of the EU. He then ignores the fact that the EU needs Britain more than vice versa. EU gets more in pound sterling than Britain gets in euros from the opposite direction. He says the EU prevents nationalists destroying Europe. Assuming we accept this premise how does he explain the rise of the National Democrats in Germany? Also does he honestly believe that the EU’s unjustifiably harsh treatment of Syria has not boosted Golden Dawn?
His assertion that Eurosceptics don’t know about pre-Third Reich Europe is insulting. Perhaps it’s due to knowledge of the Italian National Fascist Party, NSDAP and Ustashé that we don’t want ever closer union? Also does he not see parallels between the Weimar republic and the EU? Also the audacity of someone defending Cameron and Osborne’s political position to deride opponents as right-wing Tories is nauseating. He also fails to mention that Britain and the Free State were EU members during The Troubles. The EU is incompatible with the Proclamation. EU fragmentation is a legitimate Eurosceptic aspiration which will not result in the hyperbolic dystopia James Clarke presented. The EU commission is not fully democratic or accountable. There is not cooperation, openness, inclusiveness or internationalism being practiced in relation the EU’s Mediterranean borders.
His pro-globalising, pro-centralising and anti-nationalist views cannot change the aforementioned facts.
EAMONN MacGRIANNA
Belfast BT11
Hallmark of true religion is loving mercy and compassion
Had Danny Treacy (April 21) undertaken a little research, he would realise that there is nothing new in my castigating the dysfunctional ecclesiastical system that has betrayed children and young people (March 30). I have been doing so since the late 1990s.
Furthermore, truly loving the Church does not blind one to the sinfulness of some of its members and the failings of the institution. For while there are, indeed, levels of dysfunction, the grace of God is always greater than any number of sins (Romans 5:20) and weeds planted by the enemy grow alongside the wheat, in the field of the Church, until the day of judgment (Mt 13:24-30).
The sum total of the Church, therefore, cannot be measured in terms of clerical abuse or any other scandal. Where there is scandal it must be exposed and excised. The Lord warned us that scandals are sure to come; but woe betide the one who causes scandal (Luke 17:1).
God most certainly does call people to minister in His Church and those thus called, are further called, to holiness of life. God, however, cannot be responsible for human failure, or refusal, to cooperate with His grace. God calls those ordained to offer their lives in loving service of His people. God does not call anyone to abuse a child.
Mr Treacy sweepingly declares, “it is religion which is the problem”. Not so. False religion is the problem. False religion is destructive, divisive and a construct of human pride. False religion expresses itself as reactionary fundamentalism.
True religion, on the other hand, heals and unites people. True religion brings men and women into communion with God. The hallmark of true religion is loving mercy and compassion.
Mr Treacy, no doubt, will be very disappointed to be told that true religion, in spite of the assaults of false religion and militant atheistic secularism, is alive and well. Faithful Christians, of all traditions, will continue to maintain, promote and defend true religion – against the assaults of false religion from within – and the attacks of secularists from without.
Fr PATRICK McCAFFERTY
Crossgar, Co Down
Politics is changing
I’d take issue with cynical commentators who suggest that voters should spoil their votes, or even not bother voting, if they are frustrated with established political parties at the assembly. There are very many alternative options at this election.
Smaller parties and independents may not be entitled to become ministers, but they can still have an important influence, which has the potential to be enhanced with new provisions for an opposition at Stormont. Indeed, it was an independent MLA, John McCallister, who tabled the Opposition Bill, which became law last month and there are other examples of single assembly members making a profound difference.
It is often independents and members of smaller parties who introduce new ideas to the stale pool of Northern Ireland politics, which eventually start to change how the main parties think. It’s often a frustratingly slow process, but it would be slower still without the constructive influence of a small number of MLAs.
It is understandable that so many people are exasperated with the executive and its failure to deliver for Northern Ireland. Politics is changing though and it will change further in the future.
Rather than spoiling your vote or refusing to vote why not vote for one of the many constructive alternatives to the five big parties, so that some new ideas and influences can take root in the assembly?
TREVOR RINGLAND
Holywood, Co Down
Frontline teaching
The trite comment from the Department of Education spokeswoman in response to The Irish News story relating to the “financial meltdown” in school budgets that the Aggregated Schools Budget was protected “as far as possible” does not stand up to scrutiny (April 22).
A debate in Stormont in January of last year revealed that funding to schools had been cut by 4.2 per cent in real terms between 2010-2011 and 2014-15. At the same time one speaker produced statistics to show that educational administration swallowed up more than 40 per cent of the budget here compared to 20 per cent in England. It is time that our politicians made difficult decisions in order to direct more cash to frontline teaching.
MARCAS MacPHAIDIN
Belfast BT9
Sharing a common view
In response to T Byrne’s questioning my concerns (April 26) regarding the Twaddell protest camp, it is disappointing the writer takes a negative approach and decides to criticise me, despite clearly sharing a common view of the need to resolve the issue.
It is precisely this type of behaviour that stifles progress in Northern Ireland.
They should cease trying to score political points and join with Alliance in trying to truly move north Belfast forward.
Cllr NUALA McALLISTER
Alliance, North Belfast
