by Pat Brosnan

The Magnificent Seven

Now that the final candidates have at last been nominated to contest the Presidential election which is due to be held later this month we can now take it for granted that all the seven who are going forward are serious and dedicated contenders for the high office. In the early stages when every Tom, Dick and Harry whose name or face ever became known to the public were being proposed for nomination the whole episode almost became a shame as some of those who were being proposed prolonged the speculation when instead of giving a straight yes or no answer within hours in a private and confidential manner to those who were proposing them, they indulged in a rather publicly known think-in before giving a definite answer as to what they intended doing. It is doubtful if some of these, particularly the celebrities, had ever any notion of putting their names forward for nomination in the first place unlike those who are now being nominated.

All seven who were finally chosen to contest the election by the democratic process of nomination deserve our respect instead of the slurs and brickbats that are already being thrown at them by some who have never had the courage to engage in the democratic process at any level  themselves. In my view the candidates, every one of them, who are contesting the election are the magnificent  seven and are genuine citizens of our country of which we can all feel  proud.  Already the begrudgers and the mud-slingers are hard at it on the airwaves, the print media, and by whatever other means they can employ to trip up a candidate. When some of us were on West Limerick Radio in the Exchange Programme last Thursday the main subject being discussed was naturally the Presidential election. There were other more brief discussions too, such as the verbal and unwarranted criticism by the Minister for Health about the Regional Hospital nurses in Limerick. If Minister Reilly and his Government colleagues had kept the promises and assurances they made to the public in the build-up to the General Election last February the situation where the nurses were forced to air their protests would not have arisen. This was the unanimous verdict of our panel on the Exchange Programme on West Limerick Radio last Thursday.

But to return to the Presidential Election as a topic, no doubt we will be hearing a lot more about it during the coming weeks. We can only hope that the interviews with the candidates, particularly on television, will be conducted in a civilised and courteous manner in which each candidate can set out their ideals for the future and not for the purpose of trying to embarrass them by concentrating solely on the past. Some of the candidates who have been nominated by their parties such as Gay Mitchell, Fine Gael, Martin McGuinness, Sinn Féin and Michael D Higgins – former Labour Minister have found their nominations easy enough. There were others who had to fight every inch of the way and who deserve our respect and esteem for their tenacity in their efforts to get on the ballot paper. It is said that the cream always comes to the top and no doubt it has happened again on this occasion. Whichever one of the seven is elected will surely be a worthy representative of the people of our country and the minority of cynics who are often so vocal in declaring that we do not need a President might have something useful to learn. The President’s office here should not be a matter of show-off to either Europe or the world, most of whom know very little about it and couldn’t care less anyway; one need only visit England to discover this.  The Áras should above all be a source of pride for all the people of Ireland and our exiles abroad, that is its primary function and it is hoped that such values will be upheld and promoted by the incoming President, whoever that will be. We will have to await the result.

Credit Union Loans

By all accounts the financial controller has suggested to Credit Unions to follow up bad debts which had accrued from unpaid loans and take appropriate measures for their recovery. This will surely be welcome news for all who are associated with Credit Unions whether as committee members, depositors or members who make use of Credit Union facilities to borrow for various purposes.  Most people who draw out loans from various Credit Unions have usually the means as well as the intention to pay these back in the shortest possible time rather than the long term, but if the borrowers would, through no fault of their own, fall on hard times Credit Unions would, in most cases, be ready to make arrangements to have the loans repaid in perhaps, smaller regular amounts than might have been originally agreed upon.  Most likely those whom the Financial Controller had in mind were the smart guys who might borrow substantial amounts and then walk away from the undertakings and commitments they gave to the credit unions who gave them the money in the first place.  The tiny minority who welch on their loan repayments probably consider Credit Unions somewhat as a soft touch who might not put the same pressure on them to repay their loans as would other financial institutions. Of course, their negative attitude is entirely opposed to the whole spirit of what Credit Unions stand for and these delinquents deserve no sympathy if their actions or rather their inactions in dealing with their loans are deliberate and motivated by the wrong intentions. The Financial Controller is perfectly right in urging Credit Unions to pursue these defaulters and more so by the fact that Credit Unions generally are providing a very valuable and useful service to their members who at any time would require them.

Closing of Garda Stations

The recent announcement about the closure of several Garda Stations throughout the State has alarmed many people. Already many stations had been practically phased out already, but at least there was some semblance of a Garda presence there. Now, apparently, some stations will be completely shut down leaving entire villages, parishes and perhaps even small towns without any Garda presence whatsoever. Yes, of course, we all know there is a recession and cutbacks in all Government Departments but the security of the citizens of the State should be, along with the Health Service, top priorities no matter where the cut-backs can be made elsewhere.

We all remember, how even in poorer times, when there always 3 or 4 Gardaí in places such as Athea and where the Garda duties mainly consisted of driving their bicycles around an area looking for unlicensed bulls or dogs, catching cyclists without a light at night, raiding bars who were still open and serving drinks after official closing time, perhaps being called out to a fist fight on the street or in a dance hall and they sometimes brought the participants to the station for the night particularly if they were drunk. But in those days the Gardaí were respected and considered to be part of the local community and because of this there was very little crime in rural areas. When they reluctantly came out to inspect or investigate unlicensed dogs or bulls it was usually because of reports sent in by a begrudging or jealous neighbour who had fallen out with somebody else and who was trying to get them into trouble.  It was, however, all very innocent and harmless in those days compared to the present and this to a great extent was due to a strong and visible Garda presence in each locality.  It was a sad day for rural villages that the Garda Stations were either partially or totally dismantled and with further closures the crime scene is certain to become worse. The only realistic remedy is to return Gardaí to the local stations and reinforce them with help from the Army if this is needed to tackle criminal activities. Peace meal measures such as those being proposed are definitely not going to work.

Non-Regulation Warning

Limerick Dáil Deputy Dan Neville was recently reported for warning vulnerable people about the dangers of engaging with non-qualified or non-regulated people who, as things stand, are free to take up the title of Councillor or Psychotherapist whether they have any training  experience or not. The Croagh based TD who is the President of the Association of Suicidology was speaking at a Mental Health Conference at Dublin City University.  He further stated that a full system of regulation and statutory registration is urgently needed to prevent those in crisis being damaged by maverick Councillors or Psychotherapists who have no proper training or qualifications in dealing with patients who might seek their help with problems.

Sympathy

Sympathy is extended to Roger Ryan, his wife Claire and their family on the recent death of Roger’s mother Margaret in Carlow. Many travelled from Athea to attend the removal to the local Church and pay their respects. ‘May her soul rest in peace’.

Rugby Team on Course

Rugby followers all over the country were all delighted with Ireland’s win over Italy on Sunday. If the team can keep up the momentum, which has already brought them this far, the prospects are looking good. By all accounts the team will be meeting Wales in the next round which will certainly be a big challenge but hopefully they will be up to it.