Anyone who thought that the Northern Ireland Executive would put a cost in the margin against each of the commitments in New Decade, New Approach and the Treasury would write a cheque for the total, has little understanding of how public finances work. It is the same for anyone who thought that the Barnett consequentials of new spending in England and Wales would not form part of the funding package.
When I was elected to the assembly in 2007, the crisis in the funding of NI Water was top of the agenda. The executive solved that problem by doing nothing about it, simply drip feeding minimal funding to NI Water so that it now needs capital funding of £2.5 billion. That is typical of the lack of strategic direction displayed by all executives from then until now. We have created a health system in which more than 100,000 people here have waited more than a year to see a consultant, against a comparable figure of about 1,000 for all of England and Wales. This is despite the funding per head of population in Northern Ireland being the highest for any region in the UK.
We need to look at the politics to understand this. The DUP and the other unionist parties fish in the same pool for votes and likewise the SDLP and Sinn Féin. Like any society, we have many special interest groups who promote their interests strongly. If any party makes a proposal which will damage any of these groups, their competitors slaughter them at the microphones. We get politics marked by populism. Strategic change requires a challenge to existing structures. Somebody will be annoyed before the benefits will show themselves. It is no surprise that we have free prescriptions, free travel at age 60, our hospital system unaltered, no water charges or equivalent rates increase, industrial derating, small business rates relief, free transport to schools of our choice, welfare mitigation. Some of these things may be justified, some may have to be sacrificed if we are to make real economic progress and have good public services.
The structures of the Good Friday Agreement will not last forever but they were put in place for good reasons. We need to make them work, and for example ignore the chimera of improving things by creating an opposition. The only way for the new executive to avoid the failures of its predecessors, and avoid most of the political talk being hot air, is for the executive to get into a huddle away from the microphones and agree a serious strategy for improvement, and be prepared to back each other in the unpopular decisions necessary.
DECLAN O’LOAN
Ballymena, Co Antrim
Illegitimate children need answers and now is the time for explanations
Seventy eight years ago, this month my biological mother crossed the frontier from Donegal into Co Derry pregnant with a baby. She was unmarried, gave birth to me in her elder sister’s home and put on her coat and forgot to take me back home. I am illegitimate.
I go every so often to a Donegal grave yard to see if she is alive or dead. She never said to me I am your mother and I will never, never ask. I will never be able to call her mother because she was never a mother to me. She is a stranger, complete stranger. I write this letter because I am interested in the mindset of other women who gave up their child for adoption.
Why was this done? Was it pressure from family or Church? Do they ever think of the birthday or Christmas concerning their child? Do they think of their grandchildren? Don’t tell me it was in a different era. Nearly 70 years ago my adopted father who was a farm labourer had a daughter who got pregnant outside of marriage. His eldest son said to him: “When are you putting her out?” He replied: “You go.” This man was a real father. He didn’t care about the Church or community.
A picture haunts me on television from black and white screen days portraying a ship anchored in an English dockyard bound for Australia with lots of children on the gangway with their little suit cases. Illegitimate children and I always wonder what happens to them.
Can the fathers and mothers of women who found themselves pregnant be proud of themselves? I don’t think so. Illegitimate children need answers. Now is the time for the explanation.
JOHN MULLAN
Limavady, Co Derry
Let’s hope new executive will rise to the challenge
Finally at long last, the people of Northern Ireland are once again having their own government. I can now look forward to watching the evening news on television having a degree of hopeful expectancy of witnessing something politically positive, instead of hearing more depressing news of yet another teenager who felt there was no future for him/her and sadly took their own life.
I now beg and trust our new government will rise to the challenge and let the world see that this government is capable to govern the people in a manner that compensates, or at least helps, alleviate the pain of our horrible past.
I feel it behoves both the taoiseach and the British prime minister to offer every financial support possible to not only help make up for our people’s 30-plus years conflict of hell and suffering but to finally permit the speedy return to a form of normality.
I wish Arlene Foster and Michelle O’Neill my sincere best wishes.
HARRY STEPHENSON
Kircubbin, Co Down
Monarchy misfortune
Prince Harry’s namesake Henry VIII was idle, irresponsible, ignorant, lacking in judgment and completely oblivious to any sense of duty to the community, but he knew how to beat the big drum for money and the nation trooped at his tail. Through all the misfortune and miscalculated adventures into which he lead the realm – disastrous foreign wars, state bankruptcy, debauchery of the currency, government by confiscation, judicial murder and change of religion, the great mass of the people obediently followed. The English have always responded to strong government invested with majesty and colour and operated by a self-confident will, In that respect the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have not been found wanting.
WILSON BURGESS
Derry City
