I tried to renew my car insurance with brokers Cornmarket. I informed the broker that my annual mileage was 8,000km, my driver’s licence was renewed in February after a medical test, my car’s NCT certificate was obtained in October 2023 and there was to be no named driver on the policy.
The first quote I received was €748.67, an increase of €198.49 on last year’s premium, or 37pc. I contacted the broker and was offered a revised premium of €718.96 — final offer.
I believe the exorbitant increase is age-related as I will celebrate my 80th birthday on February 15.
Now for the good news. I have been insured for the coming year by An Post, with a premium costing €560.18 — for the exact same policy.
Name and address with editor
Seán Russell statue acts as Holocaust reminder
Sir — Tom Cooper (‘Attack on Russell is lacking in evidence’, Letters, December 10) dismisses Eddie Naughton’s contribution (‘A Nazi collaborator honoured in Dublin’, Letters, December 3) as “high on hyperbole, but lacking in substance” and needs clarification.
Arriving in Berlin in May 1940, Seán Russell, then chief-of-staff of the IRA, was accorded the privileges of a diplomat and provided with a villa and a chauffeur-driven car. Russell’s liaison officer while in Nazi Germany was SS Standartenfuhrer Edmund Veesenmayer.
In summer 1940, Russell suggested to his friend Veesenmayer: “England’s difficulty is Ireland’s opportunity.” He proposed setting up a new Irish Brigade in his meetings with German intelligence and the foreign ministry.
Veesenmayer was a Holocaust perpetrator who significantly contributed to it in Hungary and was a subordinate of Ernst Kaltenbrunner. It was Kaltenbrunner who gave the order to hold on to captured Irish-born British merchant seamen in the Bremen Farge slave labour camp for refusing to work for Nazi Germany.
One could argue, like Mr Naughton, that the existence of a statue that memorialises Russell in Fairview Park is an insult to those who suffered in the death camps.
Irrespective of honestly held opinions, we cannot change or rewrite history by removing statues with connections to our past. Russell’s statue should be left in situ as a visible reminder of the Holocaust.
Mr Cooper seeks to defend his and Russell’s reputation. A fair point. However, he should be mindful of the Latin adage “qui cum canibus concumbunt cum pulicibus surgent” (if you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas).
Peter Mulvany, Clontarf, Dublin 3
Dublin tribute insults all victims of Nazism
Sir — Tom Cooper claims there is no evidence that Seán Russell was a Nazi collaborator. I disagree. Maybe there’s no smoking gun, but the circumstantial case is quite compelling.
It is a matter of record that up to his death on a German U-boat in 1940, Russell wholeheartedly supported the Nazis against the Allies. Most observers believe he was being brought back to Ireland to make preparations for a German landing.
Indeed, his supporters had already been laying the groundwork for such an invasion by telling people: “Should German forces land in Ireland, they will land… as friends and liberators of the Irish people.”
Russell’s statue really needs to come down. It’s the least Dublin can do by way of an apology for insulting the victims of Nazism over the last seven decades.
Eddie Naughton, The Coombe, Dublin 8
Cop28 fossil fuel deal is just a smokescreen
Sir — To be or not to be: that is the question when it comes to the so-called historic agreement that everyone at Cop28 is raving about. But is it really a Cop-out?
While it urges nations to transition away from fossil fuels, it does not obligate countries to phase them out altogether.
The eight options proposed in the agreement to reduce our carbon emissions is a form of get-out-of-jail-free card for the bigger emitters and suppliers of fossil fuels.
Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal
Sir — Cop28 was nothing but a fob-off to give wealthy states some time to increase production, bring down the price and flood the world with their black poison.
Mike Burke, Sixmilebridge, Co Clare
Sir — Before this summit, Cop28 was mentioned as being the chance for humanity to be saved. I am sure this same narrative will again be peddled next year in Azerbaijan. It’s like we are living in an unrelenting Groundhog Day of Cop summits.
John O’Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
Global issue could have local solution
Sir — Could I suggest that one action we could take to combat climate change would be to increase local production of commonly used items? From a climate change perspective it makes complete sense to have as short a distance as possible between the purchaser and the consumer.
While shoes were made in 10 Irish towns in 1971, now, aside from dancing shoes, they are no longer made here. The last sugar factory in Ireland closed in 2006. Ireland now imports sugar from nine countries.
In the light of global unrest and economic uncertainty, it is only practical to be as self-sufficient as possible, at least for the essentials. Local food production boosts local economies and in addition increases community resilience and cohesion.
Elizabeth Cullen, Kilcullen, Co Kildare
Roderic O’Gorman cuts shine light on hypocrisy
Sir — Irony of ironies. Roderic O’Gorman, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, looks like he will now get his way in both reducing the amount paid to new Ukrainian arrivals to a standard €38.80 a week and limiting state-provided accommodation to 90 days (‘Welfare cuts on the cards for Ukrainians’, Sunday Independent, December 10).
This is the same Green Party minister who was roundly criticised by his cabinet colleagues last October (as reported in the media) for proposing such an initiative that would normally be the preserve of a right-wing administration such as that of Hungary’s Viktor Orban.
Roderic O’Gorman is an underrated minister
The Rural Independents now find themselves in a quandary. Do they support the policies of a party of the left to limit the amounts paid to new refugees while at the same time arguing for greater accommodation supports to which they and the private sector have benefited enormously from?
Fair play to one of the busiest and most underrated ministers this country has ever seen. In one fell swoop he has driven a plank through the naked hypocrisy of most political representatives.
Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry
Voters silenced in immigration debate
Sir — Gavan Reilly argues that the Government has made it a “virtue” of not engaging with the far right on immigration, the unstated aim being to starve them of the oxygen of publicity (Opinion, December 10).
The problem is that the strategy has failed. The voting public, in opinion polls, has consistently shown immigration is an issue. You may not wish to engage with the far right, but ignoring voters leaves a vacuum. The far right filled that vacuum.
The political messaging has also been both contradictory and botched. On the one hand, anyone who attempts to articulate a rational approach to immigration is labelled far right. Based on Helen McEntee’s definition, a large portion of the population is now far right. That is how silly the debate has become.
At the same time, Leo Varadkar has argued that Ireland needs to “slow the flow” of migration and be “realistic” about the support offered to Ukrainians. According to Leo, we have to stop the “pull factors”. Does this not speak the language of the far right? Of course not.
Andy Hales, Kenmare, Co Kerry
Israel’s propaganda must be called out
Sir — Julia Molony poses the question as to why the sexual abuse of Israeli women in the ongoing conflict is not highlighted more by the media (Opinion, December 10). As an answer, maybe it is Israel’s ongoing fumbling and obvious attempts at discrediting Hamas by propaganda.
Their childish and much-failed attempts leave most groups unwilling to react to their propaganda attempts, knowing the stories are probably lies.
It is the responsibility of mainstream media to call out the constant, unproved Israeli lies designed to give credibility to their actions in Gaza, but as of now they have failed to call Israel out.
Ray Dunne, Enfield, Co Meath
Hamas poised for a reign of true terror
Sir — According to UN and EU data, about 65pc of Palestinian people support Hamas. Hamas, which controls all aspects of life in Gaza, including its health ministry, is recognised and classed as a terrorist organisation by the EU and US.
I have heard many from Sinn Féin and People Before Profit compare Gaza to an open-air prison, but I know of no open-air prison anywhere that has a stockpile of thousands of rockets, mortars and machine guns raining down death at every opportunity on their neighbour.
Eoin O’Dubh, Delgany, Co Wicklow
Missing persons are neglected in media
Sir — National Missing Persons Day fell on December 6 and was not mentioned in Sunday Independent editions either side of this. This neglect was across much media and brings to mind the Pearl Buck phrase, although used in a different context: “The test of a civilisation is the way that it cares for its helpless members.”
Brian S Goggin, Knocknacarra, Galway
Journalists deliver knockout blows
Sir — Long may your excellent Sunday Independent last. I enjoy your writers so much it takes me an entire week to read the paper. Last week’s edition was exceptional, with Eilis O’Hanlon’s Conor McGregor piece the icing on the cake.
Eilish Ni Raifteirig, Portlaoise, Co Laois
Eilish O’Hanlon a worthy successor to Gene Kerrigan
Sir — I thought the Sunday Indo would not be the same without Gene Kerrigan’s brilliant, witty realism. His article was the first page I read each week. However, I think we have a worthy successor in Eilis O’Hanlon.
Chris Kelly, Raheny, Dublin 5
Sinn Féin’s show of ire masks its true nature
Sir — Sinn Féin’s attempted portrayal of itself as the true party of law and order is strategically aimed at winning over middle Ireland. However, given the party’s sordid history and its continuing ambivalence about the Special Criminal Court, it’s fair to ask if the fire and brimstone from Mary Lou McDonald and her colleagues is the stuff of conviction — or mere convenience.
Why are many current affairs journalists beguiled by the always-on angry mode of Sinn Féin, but rarely commend the Coalition’s achievements? The latter’s successful handling of national crises like Brexit, Covid and the past year’s inflation surge is rarely applauded. There’s a much greater propensity to lap up Sinn Féin’s mad-as-hell soundtrack.
Yes, there are real shortcomings in the Government’s record: housing supply, hospital bed shortages, and, latterly, immigration pressures. The biggest pinch factor common to all three has been the population explosion. Of course, the resource challenges this poses don’t feature in the Sinn Féin narrative and are rarely referenced in media analysis either.
Younger people, up to the age of 40 perhaps, don’t share the visceral antipathy to Sinn Féin felt by many older voters. They were no more than 15 when the Good Friday Agreement brought a formal end to the more murderous activities of the IRA. But it doesn’t excuse younger voters of the need to inform themselves about the true nature of Sinn Féin.
Sinn Féin is not a normal, democratic party. Its political agenda is decided by the eight-person Coiste Seasta (which includes a number of ex-IRA operatives) based in Belfast.
Both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste continue to call on Sinn Féin to condemn the IRA’s murder campaign; Leo Varadkar recently stated that the prospect of a Sinn Féin minister for justice, or defence or foreign affairs after the next general election was “repugnant”.
However, this evokes little media reaction. Instead, they endorse the Sinn Féin argument that it’s time to move on. But would Sinn Féin, or its media “cheerleaders”, get away with declaring that we should draw a veil over child clerical abuse in Ireland in the 1980s and 1990s and no longer investigate or prosecute such cases?
Stephen O’Byrnes, Morehampton Road, Dublin 4
Action over water services stagnates
Sir — Some years back, following a successful campaign against the implementation of water charges, the Oireachtas established a Joint Committee on the Future Funding of Domestic Water Services.
The committee issued a report in April 2017 that was strongly critical of the State in its neglect of the public water services over the years. It also supported the concept of a referendum on water services continuing in public ownership, stating that this should be enshrined in the Constitution
Almost seven years later, the Government has not acted. It would seem it has no problem in having referendums on liberal ideals, but has difficulty in holding one on the public ownership of water services.
Dr Tadhg Moloney, Gouldavoher, Limerick
Irish marriage bar was clearly sexist
Sir — David Quinn warns against “misinformation” and states that only women who were paid by the State were affected by the marriage bar (‘Don’t be fooled into thinking referendum is about sexism’, December 10).
My mother held a clerical position at Sunbeam Wolsey in Cork, which she loved and excelled at. On marrying my father in 1963, she was obliged to leave that position due to the marriage bar. My father continued in his career in the same company because he was male. Her career was effectively ended because she was not. That is sexism, Mr Quinn.
Not only did she have to leave a position she loved, her contributory state pension would have been affected had she not returned to the workforce once the marriage bar was lifted.
Kathryn Doyle, Millfield, Cork
A welcome change to the Constitution
Sir — It is not often I agree with David Quinn, but his article regarding the proposed referendum on Article 41.2 was accurate.
His proposed change in wording to “the State shall, therefore, endeavour to ensure that carers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour outside the home” would be good for all of us.
Paddy Murray, Castlepollard, Co Westmeath
JP McManus scores with GAA donation
Sir — My late mother used to say: “There is no tow-bar on a hearse — you can’t take it with you.” JP McManus, in donating €32m to GAA boards, shows he understands that. Well done, JP.
Kevin Carolan, Bailieboro, Co Cavan
Kindly garda made a victim of PC culture
Sir — It was no surprise to read about the garda who was suspended for giving an elderly man an unwanted bicycle (Sunday Independent, December 10).
In the real world years ago, he would have been praised for his charity and compassion. In the PC world we now live in, he is treated like a criminal.
Gerry Dunne, Balbriggan, Co Dublin
