A chara, – Generally, but not always, I try to ignore the nonsense sometimes written about me. But Pat Leahy’s Inside Politics (“Smart people still insist the truth of a patent absurdity – that Gerry Adams was never in the IRA”, December 14th) deserves a response. He writes that as Sinn Féin seeks to understand what has happened to it in the past 12 months “I think an unappreciated dynamic – and not a healthy one for the party – is the secrecy and trauma of its past.”
Many people suffered trauma and worse during the conflict. But this has little to do with Sinn Féin’s fortunes in the last 12 months. For example, in that time Michelle O’Neill MLA was elected as First Minister. In July, Sinn Féin returned as the largest party in the Westminster election. It remains the most popular party in Ireland.
In the South, Sinn Féin is blocked from government by the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael leaders. They refuse to speak to Mary Lou McDonald. Even the late Ian Paisley did not say No as stridently as Micheál Martin. Ian came to appreciate the primacy of dialogue. The FFFG leaders do not.
However, the political dynamic has changed. FFFG now represent only 40 per cent of the electorate. This is progress. Slow, yes, but that’s how change happens.
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Sinn Féin’s election results and why so many citizens did not vote is worthy of deeper analysis than that offered by Pat Leahy. I don’t think for a second it has anything to do with “the secrecy and trauma of its past”. The vast majority of Sinn Féin members are unaffected by any of that. Our 39 newly elected Sinn Féin TDs are a fair reflection of the rest of the party. Mostly youngsters during the conflict and 38.5 per cent are women.
The main thrust of Pat Leahy’s column is based on a Walt Disney version, promoted as entertainment, of a particularly horrific phase of our recent history and based on the totally discredited Boston College Tapes fiasco.
These dealt with the IRA’s very regrettable killing and secret burial of Jean McConville. Those who contributed to these tapes confessed to their involvement.
They also opposed Sinn Féin’s peace strategy and the wider peace process. Some were involved with so-called dissident groups. Whatever trauma they suffered does not justify this. Other republicans suffered equally but were able to rise above their own difficulties to build the peace. They put the future of the people of this island before their own egos. They are hardly objective witnesses for Pat Leahy to base his analysis on.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin continues building the peace, including the legacy of the past and the plight of victims and survivors. Republicans are engaged in reconciliation and the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, including the unity referendums.
The party under the very capable leadership of Mary Lou McDonald and others will no doubt identify how Sinn Féin will increase its electoral support, North and South and how that support can accelerate the urgent changes that are needed across our island. Pat Leahy’s musings could have enlightened your readers about some of this. Unfortunately, he failed to do so. – Is mise,
GERRY ADAMS,
Belfast.
The disabling impact of society
Sir, – Ann Marie Flanagan (Letters, December 10th) and Sean O’Donnell (Letters, December 12th) highlight long-standing issues for disabled people. Their letters and previous research raise the question as to why, despite legislation and a plethora of policies and quangos, has there been such little change to the lived experiences of disabled people in Ireland.
Part of the problem may be to do with the way we think about disability in this country. We have been mainly influenced by religious, charitable, medical, individualist and welfarist ideas. Such views see disabled people as those who need to be prayed for, pitied, segregated, collected for, treated for a cure and looked after. It is also assumed that they have no voice of their own and require others to speak on their behalf. In the past, such thinking has led to cruel treatment and exclusion. Over the past 40 years, it has also led to inadequate measures to address the problems.
Since the 1970s, disabled activists at home and abroad have challenged traditional thinking and have argued for the adoption of the social model of disability. The social model proposes a major shift in thinking as it redefines disability as relating to the disabling impact of society, rather than the workings of the body and mind. While they do not deny the limitations of their impairments, activists believe the real problems are the socially constructed barriers in relation to issues such as access, attitudes, transport, employment, accommodation, communication and low income. It is these barriers that prevents disabled people from participating as equal citizens in society. Consistent with this view, they have rejected the term “people with disabilities”, as it implies that the disabling effect rests within the individual and not with society.
Traditional views of disability have dominated for far too long. While there has been much rhetoric around the social model, there remains a considerable disconnect between good intentions and the lived experience of disabled people. Now is the time to shift outdated thinking that sees disability as an individual problem, to one in which we locate the problems firmly within society. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN HOBAN,
Drimoleague,
Co Cork.
Crisis point for homecare system
Sir, – As Christmas approaches, a season synonymous with family, warmth, and compassion, many people with disabilities and older adults across Ireland face an altogether different reality – isolation, neglect, and despair. The homecare and personal assistant system, already plagued by chronic under-resourcing, reaches a crisis point during the festive season. With many care staff taking well-earned holidays, vulnerable people are left without essential support. The HSE contracts out these vital services to private providers, yet it utterly fails to ensure continuity of care.
People with disabilities do not cease to be disabled over Christmas, nor do older adults suddenly become self-sufficient. This failure has very real consequences. Essential daily tasks such as eating, dressing, and basic hygiene are left unmet. Individuals are often forced to rely on family members who are already stretched thin or, in some cases, are left with no support at all. Loneliness and despair set in as people feel abandoned by the very system meant to support them.
It is beyond comprehension that, year after year, the HSE allows this crisis to unfold. There is no plan, no contingency, and no accountability. Contracting out services cannot absolve the HSE of its duty of care. If anything, it reinforces the need for rigorous oversight, which is glaringly absent.
Shame on the HSE for allowing the most vulnerable in our society to suffer during what should be a season of goodwill. This issue is not new, and it is not unexpected. A functioning health system plans for foreseeable pressures like Christmas, but it seems this lesson remains unlearned.
The voices of people with disabilities, older adults, and their families must be heard. Vulnerable people deserve dignity at Christmas – and every other day of the year. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL O’DOWD,
Rights without Limits,
Drogheda,
Co Louth.
Money no object?
Sir, – You published “Which car should you shell out for in 2025?” (Motors, December 18th). Eight cars were suggested but in no case was any price given. Do you no longer believe that price should be a consideration when purchasing a new car? – Yours, etc,
LOUIS O’FLAHERTY,
Santry,
Dublin 9.
Seasonal visitors
Sir, – I enjoyed Michael Harding’s account of the bard, the balladeer and the baby who stayed with him for two nights (“A poet, a singer and an infant came to visit and we didn’t mention the election”, People, December 18th). Mind you, if they had stayed any longer, Michael might have had to add them to the electoral register! – Yours, etc,
ENDA CULLEN,
Armagh.