Housing crisis is a result of failing to plan for the future properly

It is a stark reminder of how we had welcomed the closure of psychiatric hospitals a lifetime ago. We are still dealing with the results of the inadequate planning for services to be put in place at that time and to date this has never happened.

Sadly, daily we see the results of that failure. We learn nothing from history.

Alice Leahy

Bride Road, Dublin 8

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Restricting home ownership can help house more people

While the Government and opposition play “morality snap” with the housing issue, the fact is that Irish society allows people to own more than one residence.

If people are really concerned about landlords, homelessness, renting and so on then legislation to allow even a maximum of two homes per person would release many properties onto the market which would hopefully lower prices.

It would allow councils to add second-hand properties to their housing list instead of relying on developers who primarily want to develop their bank balance.

Eugene Tannam

Firhouse, Dublin 24

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Neasa did the right thing in voting to keep eviction ban

Green Party TD Neasa Hourigan is to be lauded for voting against the government, which includes her own party.

For ending the eviction ban will create a level of homelessness unprecedented in modern Ireland.

While many government TDs and others are slavishly following party whips on the extension of the eviction ban for fear of deselection, party sanction or expulsion together with their own selfish interests, she has a moral compass beyond party politics.

In the national interest, TDs should be free to vote as their moral, just and fairness compass guides them.

Hugh McDermott

Dromahair, Co Leitrim

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We need a well-deserved break from the DUP

THE article headlined ‘DUP votes against Stormont brake – and Donaldson says it won’t restore assembly’ ( Irish Independent, March 23) tells us the DUP will not return to Stormont any time soon.

They should give us a break and accept the Commons margin of 486 in favour of the Windsor Framework that replaces the Northern Ireland protocol.

It seems they are only prepared to accept their own wishes.

Leo Gormley

Dundalk, Co Louth

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Only person responsible for Iraq war is Saddam Hussein

In response to Ian O’Doherty’s article (‘I’m ashamed when I think of my support for the grave crime that was the Iraq War’, Irish Independent, March 22), the case against Saddam Hussein is to this day substantiated.

Leading up to the 2003 conflict, Saddam Hussein had been in breach of clear undertakings that led to the ceasefire of the first gulf war that he instigated back in 1990 by invading and annexing Kuwait.

He was also in breach of 17 United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Not only did his regime promote Islamic extremism he was a collaborator with various terrorists groups.

John Carey

Co Westmeath

Invasion by US and Britain was more than justified

Ian O’Doherty believes Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair and George W Bush should be sitting in a cell in The Hague for war crimes.

I disagree as Saddam Hussein was a genocide-perpetrator and this was enough to justify the invasion.

Most of the violent deaths in Iraq after the invasion were caused by militants on both sides of the sectarian divide in the country.

There is no justification in international law for blaming one party for crimes committed by other parties to a conflict.

Ciarán Masterson

Cavan

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Few saw through the lies over weapons of mass destruction

As one of those 100,000 who marched in Dublin in opposition to the attack on Iraq, I found it hard to understand how more people did not see through the lies told by the US and Britain regarding weapons of mass destruction.

Surely it was obvious that if there were such weapons then no country would be so insane as to try to invade.

Mary Stewart

Donegal town