Currying favour... Anti-Semitism... A spinning success
Tuesday January 29 2008
- Your correspondent, Marie Duffy, from Donegal (Letters January 24), referred to the need for Donegal women to travel to Dublin for forensic tests after being raped and, also, for the need for people from Donegal to travel to Dublin for vital cancer treatment. By coincidence, Niall Blaney, a Fianna Fail TD from Donegal, has recently been in the letters columns of our national papers seeking to convince us that Mr Ahern is tax compliant. Mr Blaney's party has been in power for the greatest part of the last 20 years and has had the resources to put in place the facilities which Marie Duffy has highlighted. Mr Blaney should be focusing on these real issues rather than attempting to curry favour with his leader.
MOUNT OVAL VILLAGE, CORK
- The term "anti-Semitism", which Robert O'Sullivan attempts to obscure by linking it with the Arabs as a Semitic people, was coined in the 1870s within the specific historical context of the so-called "Jewish Question" in Germany, leaving no room for the type of ambiguity which Mr O'Sullivan implies. He then remarks that one cannot be critical of Israel without being accused of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial, and proceeds to use the imagery of a "jackbooted" Israel. What else is one meant to conclude?
GREENLEA ROAD, DUBLIN 6W
- In reply to Shane Holden (Letters, January 28), may I comment that I am quite happy for all Mr Ahern's positive achievements to be counted as well as his negative. I am sure the spin that "it is a measure of our success" makes a huge difference to those who travel over three hours to work a day because we allowed development without infrastructure, and to those whose loved ones are dying because we do not have beds in our hospitals.
PAULINE BLEACH
GALWAY
- galway
