Well done Katie, but we need to talk about the dangers of boxing

Kate Taylor is a world-class athlete. Congratulations to her on her unique achievement and for waving the flag for Ireland. But in boxing – especially in professional sport – the general public, sports commentators, journalists and politicians have a collective blind spot that I find difficult to understand.

As we become increasingly concerned about the long-term impact of injuries on rugby players and the impact of headers on football, we delight in hits to the head, upper cuts, hooks, combinations, cuts above the eye, bloody noses and even knock-outs .

We all know what happened to Muhammad Ali. We know what “punch drunk” means. It’s time to have an uncomfortable discussion about boxing’s long-term effects on brain health. This could be done without belittling the performance of one of our greatest sports stars.

Chris Fitzpatrick

Dublin 6

Turf wars take more time and energy than it warrants

With the good news of Katie Taylor’s boxing success and the (hopefully) end of the pandemic, it’s a shame that our country has become so obsessed with so-called turf wars

Our energies should be devoted to more important matters of state. We should be proud of our achievements as a country. Despite Ireland’s size, we still punch above our weight in many areas.

In the meantime, may I suggest that we ignite the peat saga.

Leo Gormley

Dundalk, Co. Louth

Democracy threatened by Twitter takeover

I was heartened to see populist politics with authoritarian leanings given a chance
Good knock on the knuckles with Emmanuel Macron’s re-election in France. Likewise, Slovenia’s rejection of pro-Trump populist Janez Jansa is not a bad thing. However, my optimism about the sustainability of democracy was challenged when I heard that the richest man in the world, Elon MuskShe had taken over Twitter.

As Vladimir Putin’s bullets and bombs continue to ravage Ukraine, those of us at a safe distance shouldn’t feel too safe about the world around us.

A very rich man is now becoming the arbiter of a vital worldwide forum where his idea of ​​free speech would be to welcome back Donald Trump, to preach his version of the truth again.

This threat may not be as tangible as what we are witnessing in Ukraine, but in the longer term it could do more harm to our democracy.

Michael Gannon

Kilkenny

Persistent price increases are pushing people beyond the breaking point

For weeks, the turf debate in the Dáil has seen angry barbs – mainly from disgruntled rural Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs – sent in the direction of Eamon Ryan‘s Green.

The price of heating oil has just gone up. This mainly affects the rural houses that combine peat and oil. A proposal to delay the price increase and reduce VAT on household oil was rejected, possibly because it was Sinn Féin who proposed it.

Government spokesmen tell us that the carbon tax price increase will be offset by a one-off utility bill voucher and public service obligation cancellation, among other minor offences. The weight in our energy bills should certainly be carbon weighted.

The old Indian was right about the US government’s attempt to save Daylight Saving Time when he said, “Only the government would cut a foot off the bottom of a quilt and sew it into the top and then tell you the quilt was longer.” is.”

This coalition is bound by ambitious nonsense from the green side. People are under pressure from rising rent, food and fuel prices. It’s time our TDs think of Paddy and Patricia to take the bill for their decisions.

John Cuff

meat

The meeting on the real estate crisis is little more than a technical discussion

THE Citizens’ Assembly is now discussing the housing shortage. How many homeless people are members? It’s an early summer school that will only repeat the obvious.

There will be no solution to the housing crisis as long as people see it as an investment tool rather than a fundamental right. For example, legislation that would allow each person to own no more than two houses would put real estate on the market, lowering asking prices. An inflation-independent upper rent limit for 10 years would also wake up the major landlords from their slumber and force them to sell.

Or we can wait for recession, war, or mass emigration to provide any answer.

Eugene Tannam

Dublin 24