Letters: Does Eamon Ryan realise that the Deposit Return Scheme is not suitable for everyone?

The Deposit Return Scheme is just another in a long line of clangers by our well-meaning but utterly out of touch Environment Minister Eamon Ryan. People without transport, people with disabilities and people who need to get their groceries delivered are completely disadvantaged by the scheme.

Maybe people who are incapacitated should just walk to their local return bank and retrieve their deposits.

And maybe they could cycle back, as Mr Ryan would surely frown upon anyone taking a taxi or Uber. Our city’s roads are for bikes and bikes alone, and don’t you forget that.

It might serve Mr Ryan well to glance across the water at the recent local elections where people have simply had enough. God speed our general election where hopefully this madness will finally stop.

Eamon Kearney, Ayrfield Road, Dublin 13

Don’t forget about cruelty to animals when election candidates knock on doors

Though many issues are demanding our attention in the run-up to the local and European elections next month, we shouldn’t forget our animal friends at this crucial time.

If you feel strongly about ill treatment of animals, then please ask your local candidates where they stand on this issue.

Will they support a ban on hare coursing, a practice in which our native Irish hare is forced to run for its life from dogs and can be mauled, tossed about or have its bones crushed, all for a gamble and a laugh?

And where do they stand on those annual state subsidies to the greyhound industry… €19m in Budget 2024 alone. This industry exploits a gentle creature that belongs on a couch or playing in the garden, not being treated as a mere commodity, to be raced until it can no longer perform to expectations, after which it may receive a bullet in the head or the whack of a shovel, or, if it’s lucky, a lethal injection from a vet. Spare a thought for man’s best friend at election time.

You should also ask your candidates if they will back legislation at local, or European level, aimed at banning fox hunting.

They need reminding, too, that existing animal protection laws are not enforced adequately. Emaciated, dying or dead horses, for example, are routinely found in roadside ditches or in fields. Pets are abandoned by reckless owners who have tired of these loyal companions whose affection is too often repaid with callousness.

Farm livestock, including poultry, can fare badly too, with intensive agricultural methods subjecting them to untold stress and suffering.

Animals can’t vote, but we can be their voice, so let’s act for them next month when we cast our own votes. Let’s make life a little easier and less oppressive or painful for them. They enrich our lives in so many ways. We owe them something in return.

John Fitzgerald, Callan, Co Kilkenny

Our lives would probably be far better if we let AI make political decisions

There has been much in the papers lately about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) and the real danger of natural stupidity, mainly in politics, especially with a well-known example in the US. What would happen if we combined them?

Politicians could be replaced by robots using AI. They would probably make more sensible choices, more quickly and without the need for expensive committee reviews. They would also help the environment as they would not be as full of hot air as politicians are.

They would probably speak English better than some politicians and could be programmed never to lie, something that is difficult to achieve for many politicians. They also won’t be caught out by inappropriate activities or paying to keep their sins hidden. Maybe we should make the choice to switch before AI takes over anyway, if it hasn’t already.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Melbourne, Australia

High-income countries should reimagine their immigration policies

A policy of sending asylum applicants from the UK to Rwanda looks unrealistic due to the distance, and because people could go to another country after arriving, suggesting there is no foundation to having this country as a destination.

Other states provide resources for accommodating migrants in countries including Egypt and Tunisia, where human rights conditions can be terrible.

In any of these schemes, the countries intending to reduce migration provide substantial resources, which could mean the individuals accommodated have more secure and functional housing than many others in the host countries.

Beyond these policies, governments in higher-income countries have implemented policies based on high consumption supported by low-paid migrant employees, despite questionable financial or ecological sustainability. They need to reimagine this to move away from these current challenges.

A O’Rafferty, Headford, Co Galway

Those who protest outside politicians’ homes need to be dealt with by our laws

As someone who believes in the rule of law, no one can condone the protests and intimidation outside politicians’ homes.

It does nothing for proper public discourse and those who perpetuate this type of extremism must and should be dealt with robustly within our laws.

The use of Section 7 of the Offences Against the State Act or even the Special Criminal courts to prosecute agitators, or categorising them as domestic terrorists – when the use of much simpler laws like the Public Order Act would be more than ample – will only add fuel to the fire. The Government and certain politicians who categorise all who protest at the out-of-control inward migration by asylum-seekers or those seeking international protection are only feeding the monster of extremism.

Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal

Critics of asylum issue here should be louder in taking arsonists to task

I have a real issue with all of the negativity that is being laid at the Government’s door over immigration. The Coalition has actually made Trojan efforts to alleviate the situation as best it can.

Modern science has made huge leaps in development but it has yet to achieve fitting a gallon of liquid in to a pint bottle – and so it is with this.

The critics don’t seem to have anything to say about the arsonists who burn buildings down to deprive immigrants of accommodation.

Donough O’Reilly, Kilmacud, Co Dublin

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