1 week Ago
The symbolism of Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky sitting inside St Peter’s Basilica – with no interference from JD Vance or a reporter with connections to right-wing conservatism – at the funeral of Pope Francis, was not lost on those of us who saw Trump deride and demean Zelensky in the comfort of the White House surrounded by his acolytes. The same Trump was only recently calling Zelensky a “dictator” and claiming that Ukraine was responsible for starting the war. Whether Trump, through the usual soundbites or his social media, is willing or prepared to turn his back on Putin in support of Zelensky or just “walk away” is yet to be seen.
His flip-flopping on all matters, except his stance on migration into the United States, shows that he is not a man to be trusted. He is no longer the ally of European or Western democracies. He has become Putin’s proxy in the White House, and recent polls across America show his popularity dipping to even lower levels than most other presidents in his first 100 days in office.
With mid-term elections coming in 2026, those Republicans who tied their coattails to the Trumpian ideology could face a cataclysmic collapse given the economic and global fallout of Trump’s mismanagement of the US economy and his overt threats and bullying approach to close allies and neighbours. To quote from American historian Heather Cox Richardson: “If Republican leaders are willing to enable Trump’s autocratic enthusiasms in return for oligarchy, American democracy will die.” We in the West hope the American people will not let it die and that they will fight, through peaceful and lawful means, to preserve that which their forefathers fought for.
Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal Irish legislation stripped away women’s rights with no debate or consultation Jenny Maguire (‘If my rights as a trans woman can be removed in an instant, what does that mean for yours?’ Irish Independent , April 28) raises an alarm about all sorts of rights potentially disappearing “with the flick of a switch,” following the UK Supreme Court’s clarification that the words woman and sex in the Equality Acts have always referred to sex at birth, with protection from discrimination due to gender reassignment remaining a separate category. Spare a thought for Irish women whose sex-based rights were actually erased with the flick of a pen in 2015 by the Gender Recognition Act. No debate.
No vote. No consultation. No consent.
I look forward to the Irish Independent providing equal space for women to highlight how Irish legislation has removed protections for women’s and girls’ single-sex spaces, services and sports, and the very real consequences of this. Liz Fitzpatrick, Rathfarnham Co Dublin UK ruling clarified that one group is not entitled to colonise rights of another Jenny Maguire’s opinion piece on Monday is incorrect in asserting that people who are trans lost rights in the recent UK Supreme Court Equalities Act ruling. In fact, the ruling merely clarified the existing legislation, which states that women have protected rights and that people who identify as trans also have protected rights.
These rights are not interchangeable and one group with protected rights is not entitled to colonise the rights of another group. The UK ruling clarified what women know to be their right: that we are entitled to safety, dignity and fairness in single-sex spaces, services, prisons, refuges, sports and the arts. Nobody is denying that trans people face challenges, but these challenges cannot be resolved by offloading biological males into women’s spaces and services.
Joan Conway, Bray, Co Wicklow Taoiseach seems to forget his party was not voted in by majority of electorate Reading Micheál Martin’s reaction when asked about the size of the anti-immigration march on Saturday, I was amused at his comment: “We just had a general election and I think the ballot box is the key as to who gets elected into government.” He seems to forget Fianna Fáil got just 21.9pc of the vote.
Now, we all know how he managed to get into government eventually, but it certainly wasn’t because the majority of the electorate wanted Fianna Fáil running the country. D Byrne, Dublin 8 It is just as well a certain cardinal is not fizzing over with ideas to be next pope It is a good job Cardinal Angelo Scola is barred due to age from becoming the next pontiff, because if he retained his name a “Pope Scola” could cause an unholy rift with a certain soft-drinks company. Dominic Shelmerdine, London All good things must come to an end – especially for all the Dubs fans on Hill 16 Eventually, nearly all records come to an end, and so it has happened to the Dubs’ footballers after 15 years.
A brilliant display by Meath in the Leinster final broke their dominance. For many of those years, the opposition would have no chance, even if the venue was Lourdes. But never was the extra man, Hill 16, such a loss to the Dubs.
Well done to Meath – and well done to the Dubs. Seamus McLoughlin, Keshcarrigan, Co Leitrim Hurling is greatest game in the world, but there is one aspect of it that’s ugly I’ve been following hurling for 70 years and I’m convinced that it’s the greatest game in the world. I’m not alone; Roy Keane, one of our greatest soccer exports and now pundit, said: “If I had a chance to watch any game in the world tomorrow, I would go to a hurling match.
” I played the game in my youth and I’m enthralled by the skills and speed of the modern players. But there is one aspect to the game that disappoints me – the shouldering and jousting of players off the ball, sometimes before the ball is thrown in. We’ve also seen a substitute introduced during a game only to be hit with a hefty shoulder before he gets anywhere close to a ball.
In my opinion, this is ugly, unsporting and disrespectful. This is not tolerated in any other sport and has no place in ours. Parents watching this ugliness may think twice about introducing their child to this great game and that would be a pity.
Pat McLoughlin, Newcastle West, Limerick.
