We’re about to find out if the Ireland / US link comes down to more than a bowl of clover and a White House photo on St Patrick’s Day.
the UK is in the second parliamentary reading to amend the Northern Ireland Protocol and Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.
It flies in the face of the 1993 Downing St declaration signed by Ireland and the UK.
It also flies in the face of Stormont Assembly members who wrote to Westminster opposing any change to Northern Ireland’s current agreed status.
In addition, appeasing the predominantly loyalist minority would suggest an almost sectarian stance by the Tory government.
In 1956, US President Dwight D Eisenhower ended Britain’s role as a world power when he ordered Anthony Eden to remove British troops from the Suez Canal.
Eisenhower threatened with severe sanctions if Britain did not comply with his threat. The British withdrew.
If the protocol and Brexit agreement are tampered with, the Good Friday agreement will be permanently damaged – a goal of the DUP, but guaranteed by America.
Will Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden do an Eisenhower over Britain and Boris? I would not hold my breath. We’re in the shamrock bowl anteroom.
The US and the UK do business in the Oval Office, where Winston Churchill’s bust guards everything. More is the pity.
John Cuffe
Dunboyne, Co Meath
Do not prolong the war – give peace a chance in Ukraine
The continuing deaths in the Russia / Ukraine war are not diminishing and no one seems to want to stop it.
NATO is sharpening its war machine, and Russia will not back down.
Those who suffer are, as usual, the civilians – as in all conflicts. Nothing changes.
Who among the international world leaders has the courage to call for a ceasefire and put an end to this massacre? In the end, as in any global conflict, people will sit around a table and sort it out.
Why wait? Please give peace a chance
paul doran
Dublin 22
Boris Johnson has favored women in politics
The beleagured British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has made one of the great strides for women entering politics by saying that Vladimir Putin represents toxic masculinity at its worst.
He further said that if the president of Russia had been a woman, then Ukraine would not have invaded.
Now he can take it a notch and be remembered forever for creating a level playing field in Westminster.
His male-dominated party, the Conservatives, will not thank him, but the rest of the world will set such an egalitarian example in the UK.
Women make laws differently than men. They are not likely to be aggressors, are less likely to own weapons, have different leadership styles, and usually care as much about family, community and social welfare as they do for personal careers – so a majority of female MPs in Work. Go figure.
Politics (just like in sports) should make men compete against men, and women against women.
Here’s how. At the next election, create two lists in each constituency – one for male and one for female candidates (all affiliated to parties or independent). On polling day, voters (men and women) vote for their preferred husband and wife on each list. The candidates with the highest number of votes on each list are elected.
Voila: 325 women and 325 men in Westminster. Parity. Bravo, Boris – what a legacy.
Alison Hackett
Dun Laoghaire, Dublin
Empty homes can be used to alleviate rent crisis
Recent reports on the large number of vacant homes counted in the current Census have not mentioned how many are vacant due to repossession orders or disputes taken by the courts.
Some of these have been left vacant by banks for many years due to the long and expensive legal process.
These houses can meanwhile be used to give people a home for a period of time and take pressure off the rental market – especially during the Ukraine crisis.
This figure should be updated on a regular basis by the Central Statistics Office.
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A message from McDonald for those close to the edge
Mary Lou McDonald told the Dáil that most people are just an account away from “going over the edge”. Or a voting card?
Eugene Tannam
Fire Department, Dublin 24