Galway Advertiser 2007/2007_11_08/GA_0811_E1_016.pdf 

Extracted text

16

GALWAY VOICE

November 8 2007

Council lose 80,000 a year by not ticketing builders' vans
Dear Editor, Local residents have complained to us that for many weeks workers' vehicles from the Parakvera building site have been allowed to park in the Mill St area, but without paying any parking dues. Over the past week, two regular daily checks by us (ca 11am and 3pm) substantiate these complaints. On average there were some 20 vehicles (mostly of a builder's nature) parked locally without any tickets or permission, ranging from a minimum of 14 to a maximum of 31 on Nov 5. Assuming eight hours daily at the required fee of 2 an hour, this represents a weekly loss of 80,000 calculated annually. We do not see why the city should be subsidising builders' operations in this way. It is contemptuous of the ordinary motorist that others should be treated so preferentially, given that other people who park illegally elsewhere are ticketed more quickly. We therefore deplore this continuing neglect of the public finances. To alleviate widespread local anger, we call on City Hall to explain. We believe that our local complaints and our figures can readily be verified: the crux is finding out just how many parking tickets have been given out around Mill St over the past six months. Yours, Cairde na Gaillimhe, Galway

Abusive street woman put Dublin writer off Galway launch
Dear Editor, I visited Galway from Dublin last Saturday for first time in a year, to check on some details of a forthcoming book of mine. I won't be returning for some time. I managed to avoid several Romanians who were begging freely in the streets. But, below Lynch's Castle, I was very firmly accosted by a darkattired obese gypsy woman who asked for money. I tried unsuccessfully to escape her attention and eventually told her she should not be begging. She immediately became very aggressive. In front of the passing pedestrian tide, she repeatedly told me to "F**k you. F**k off". I'm in my late sixties, so I am not so easily shocked, but this person's beligerence took my breath away. My wife told her she should not speak like this. She then turned her attention to her, shouting "Bitch, Bitch"! It was an unexpected and scary experience and I am shocked that in Galway you tolerate this sort of aggression. There were no Gardai around. I eventually met some an hour later who were very supportive but they apparently can do very little. This is a problem you must address yourselves and quickly, otherwise say good bye to your good name and your tourist potential. I have visited and enjoyed Galway for over 40 years. But I can assure you that I will not be returning for a repeat performance. Twenty four hours later, I am still shocked. My book is relevant to Galway. I had considered a launch there next year. Not now. Yours, Brendan Lynch, Dublin.

Who advises the Minister?
Dear Editor, I assume the people who advise the minister for transport Noel Dempsey are today looking at the classified pages searching for employment, perhaps they might consider a comedy club ? Before the minister announced any change in laws regarding provisional licences did he not have a duty to offer alternative solutions? Do we have an adequate public transport system where we can jump on a bus/ train when a full licence holder is not available to accompany us, or can we sit a driving test in a couple of weeks? Until he could answer yes to one or both of these questions he would have been better off to stay quiet. Road safety is very important to us all and it's such a nice feeling when you turn on the news in the morning and realise no one was killed or maimed on our roads last night. Even the dogs on the street knew this announcement, putting second provisional licence holders off the road was bound to rebound in his face. You cannot upset 120,000 people and hope to get away with it. This problem is ongoing since Sylvester Barrett attempted to clear the backlog in 1979 (if you agreed with his method or not) and successive governments have stood aside and let it worsen. Statistics tell us only 60 per cent of applicants for driving tests pass on the day so already we must expect almost 50,000 will go back on the waiting list again and join the other applicants who have applied for their driving test. It's not rocket science to understand the solution to helping to reduce this disgraceful waiting list -- its compulsory driving lessons. Who was it said failing to plan is planning to fail? It goes without saying if we prepare ourselves better we can reduce the failure figures, hence reducing the waiting list. And remember when you ring to book a driving lesson ask your potential instructor ? What qualifications do you have? Yours, Liam Joyce, Craughwell, Galway

Grealish announcement just more humming and hawing
Dear Editor, The so-called revelatory remarks of Noel Grealish this week that he has not yet made up his mind on whether to join Fianna Fail or on the future of the PDs or not is just more humming and hawing by the TD. Sure isn't that what he said at his election celebration back in the summer and what he has said many times since across a variety of media, so it's nothing new. Maybe the matter only becomes of importance when he has finally decided on what he is doing. Up until then he would be better advised to concentrate on delivering the Clkaregalway bypass to alleviate the situation I find myself in each morning and evening in which I am stuck for hours. Yours, K Hannon, North Galway.

What Government salaries not justified happened to the Newcastle sheep?
Dear Editor, I heard reports of a pair of men dragging a sheep along by its ear in the vicinity of the Westwood House Hotel traffic lights at Newcastle at 6pm on the evening before Hallowe'en. I wonder if any of your readers know what became of this sheep. Cruelty to animals in a criminal offence under Irish law. Just another grim reminder of the widely held `truth' that terror and suffering are acceptable when the victim has a different face, voice or intelligence to ours.The `truth' that leaves some of us cold. Animal welfare activists are forever dismissed and mocked for caring more for the plight of animals than that of humans. The truth is that we have deeper empathy skills which exten to all sentient beings but are repeatedly disillusioned by the veil of cruelty the general public choose to hide behind to their own end. Yours, Concerned reader, Gort,Co Galway (Full name and address with editor) Dear Editor, When you pay the top wages you should get people of outstanding ability who are capable of delivering world class services and conditions. This is not the case in Ireland and I can give you a few examples. Justice -- our crime rate is appalling. In the year ending Oct 1, 2007, 70 people were murdered. That's two busloads of people in one year. The UK has 15 times the population and fewer murders. If you apply the ratio of murders to the population in the US, it would be over 5,000 murders or more than have been killed on service in Iraq. Environment -- House prices here are almost out of the reach of any young person trying to purchase. In the US a house costs three times the average salary. In the UK, it is six times. In Ireland it is a massive 10 times. We paid 60 million for e-voting machines that were never used and almost 1m per year to store them. Health -- Sometimes referred to as a Third World service, ours must be the only country where you go to hospital to get sick and go home to get better. France is regarded as having the best health service, yet having many times our population, they spend three times less. Transport -- We should be delivering super roads and public transport plus proper regional development. In view

of the recent shambles with Shannon and the driving licence issue, every conference in recent times has highlighted the need for access to the wider world for our goods and services and we should be looking at the development of areas like the Western Rail Corridor. Agriculture -- This is in real decline and we are now paying subsidies to landowners not to farm. Defence -- probably the most glaring anomaly in ministerial pay. In comparision to the US, UK or Germany, what mindboggling decisions have to be taken in relation to our defence forces or our naval service? We rank 22nd in the world in global competitiveness; 45th in the world for the quality of our air transport infrastructure; 60th for the quality of our roads; 38th for internet access in our schools; 55th for the quality of railroad infratsurture and 64th for the quality of our port infrastructure? Those should be the guidelines in calculating the pay of ministers and junior ministers -- and not receiving world class wages for delivering very shoddy services. Yours, John Foley, Newcastle, Galway.

Remembering Noel and Phyllis
Dear Editor, Next Saturday November 10 at 1pm a ceremony, honouring the lives of Dr Noel and Phyllis Browne will take place at the graveyard in Clochmore, Ballinahown, Inverin, Connemara, near where they lived so much of their lives. Many people make the journey to Ballinahown to seek and visit the grave of Noel and Phyllis Browne. Now friends have commissioned a memorial seat at the site where people visiting can sit and contemplate at their grave beside the Atlantic. The formal unveiling of the seat at the graveside in Ballinahown, at 1pm on Saturday, will take place at a special memorial event with tributes and music from members of their family and friends. Yours, Michael D Higgins, TD, Galway

Manuela Riedo
Editor's note -- We would like to thank all of the people who wrote to comment on last week's editorial re how to commemorate Manuela Riedo. Thank you for the remarks, which have overwhelmingly illustrated the public desire for the matter to be let rest for the time being. We have decided not to publish any more letters on the matter to allow due process to take place -- Declan Varley

GALWAY VOICE - HAVE YOUR SAY

letters@galwayadvertiser.ie
The Galway Advertiser wishes to advise that it is not responsible for the content which appears in the letters pages and accepts no liability arising from publication of material on these pages. The Galway Advertiser, 41-42 Eyre Square, Galway. Tel: 091 - 530900. Fax (General) 091 567079 Fax: (Advertising) 091 - 567150 Fax: (Newsdesk) 091 - 565627 Internet Address: http://www.galwayadvertiser.ie / news@galwayadvertiser.ie