News that the north of Ireland has become one of the world’s worst affected areas as regards Covid-19 should have our politicians hanging their heads in shame. However, all parties do not share equal blame. Of the five parties in the executive, one stands head and shoulders above the others as regards culpability. It will come as no surprise to any clear-thinking person that the party I am referring to is none other than the DUP.
The arrogance of this party has brought the assembly down in the past. Its shameful connections to scandals such as Red Sky, Nama and RHI tell us much about how this party operates on a regular basis. All of these, however, fade into insignificance when compared to its current stand in the fight against Covid19.
As you will know, this virus is lethal and is worldwide. It is a pandemic. Here in the north of Ireland, as everywhere else in the world, it is killing people on a daily basis. It is crippling our NHS. It is leaving many with long-term medical conditions.
During the first wave of the virus, the leaders of all our political parties publicly stated, on a regular basis, that anything they did would be solely be carried out on medical and scientific advice - absolutely the right path to follow. We did that and we brought the virus down.
Now we are in the middle of a second, and more lethal, wave and the DUP have decided to do what they have always done best – say no. Of all the parties the DUP have decided to no longer act on the best medical and scientific evidence but to ignore the professionals and do their own thing.
The top medics and scientists have all said that this will cost lives. More lives than we are currently losing and certainly many more than would be lost if they followed the advice. But no, the DUP know better. They are shamelessly using a measure in the executive that allows one party to block any measures the other four parties vote on.
The result of this foul action is that more people will die unnecessarily. The DUP cannot say that they are not aware of this. The chief medical officer has stated this publicly, several times. It is on public record. However, on this occasion, the DUP’s arrogance is going to cost lives.
This situation would not be allowed or indeed tolerated in any other democracy on the planet.
The DUP know that they will suffer no punishment in future elections. History may not be so kind.
When this pandemic is over, and it will be over, we will have to look back on it and see what could have been done better to save more lives. The DUP will have to face the consequences of their unilateral actions.
SEAN SEELEY
Craigavon, Co Anrmagh
Vulnerable in society waiting too long for certainty on benefit protections
This month five years ago the DUP, Sinn Féin and the Alliance party voted to implement the worst Tory piece of welfare legislation seen in post-war Britain in the Welfare Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 2015. This legislation saw PIP replace DLA which has continuously been challenged in appeal tribunals and the courts for being flawed. The legislation also saw the implementation of Universal Credit which replaced benefits like income-related ESA but without elements such as the severe disability element worth £66.95 per week. This means new claimants to UC and PIP are £66.95 per week worse off than people in similar circumstances on legacy benefits.
The SF/DUP/Alliance axis tried to cover up their welfare cuts with a package of mitigations which didn’t go far enough. We have already seen some households lose entitlement to the welfare supplementary payments that were supposed to cover the bedroom tax.
We are now in a position where we are still waiting on Department for Communities Minister Carál Ní Chuilín MLA bringing forward legislation to extend and expand the current welfare mitigations.
It has been eight months since the original mitigations legislation finished and they have only been extended through regulations from the most recent budget act.
It is bad enough the most vulnerable in society have been hammered by Tory cuts but how long will they have to wait before Carál Ní Chuilín will provide certainty on future protections?
GERARD McDONALD
Belfast BT13
Beating nature into submission
Father McVeigh (November 18) laments the industrial attack on hedgerows. The modern farming approach appears to be ‘beat nature into submission’, with no apparent accommodation for birds and insects.
The farmers’ union vocally claim to be custodians and guardians of the countryside. The visual evidence contradicts this viewpoint. Now that the leaves have fallen, it is possible to view the deplorable state of the few remaining hedgerow trees. Many are strangled by ivy and may not survive winter storms.
Why is ivy so prevalent and widespread? Does any official body or expert group know or care?
At this rate of death and destruction, chapter eight in Rachel Carson’s extraordinary environmental book published 1962 - “And no birds sing” - may eventually happen in some parts of Ireland. Her book was Silent Spring.
BRIAN WILSON
Craigavon, Co Armagh
Two sets of rules are alive and well
It is melancholy time in our land and it is perplexing to discover an element of the population with such an inflated sense of their own importance that they feel free to disregard government regulations – like wearing a mask or social distancing. This self-entitled ilk from the north, such as the DUP’s Sammy Wilson and Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill, are now joined by Miriam O’Callaghan, David McCullagh, Bryan Dobson and Eileen Dunne – RTÉ’s broadcasting stalwarts from the south.
This flagrant contempt for government directives and the public which they serve, will be excused by banal apologies and to them resignation is an improper word All this while young people are being fined and ostracised for the same offence – confirmation that two sets of rules are alive and well in our land.
WILSON BURGESS
Derry City
