THIS WEEK, WE heard from our readers on topics ranging from football to a Swiss canton. Have something to say? See our letter guidelines here. 

A dry sense of perspective

[What am I allowed to do during the hosepipe ban, and why are businesses like car washes exempt?]

After more than a month under a boil water notice, followed almost immediately by a hosepipe ban, I have found myself developing a new skill: calculating exactly how much water is required to make a cup of tea without accidentally wasting a drop. It is a talent I never expected to put on my CV.

It is noteworthy, if not concerning, that data centres are exempt from publishing information regarding their water usage. Perhaps we can expect to be furnished with such inconsequential information after they dig up half the country to pump fresh water from the Shannon River Basin to Silicon Átha Cliath.

There is, of course, a legitimate frustration here. Residents have every right to ask questions about how our water infrastructure is managed and why reservoirs can be allowed to reach such concerning levels. Uisce Éireann must be held accountable for ensuring that our water systems are resilient, properly maintained and prepared for increasingly (un)predictable weather patterns.

However, there is another question we should all ask ourselves: where has our collective understanding gone that fresh water is a limited resource?

For generations, many of us have grown up assuming that clean running water will always be available at the turn of a tap. Climate change has other ideas.

It is curious that some people are willing to dismiss the impacts of climate change while simultaneously complaining about the consequences of those very impacts.

A little inconvenience today may be a useful reminder that the water coming from our taps is not magic. It is a shared resource that requires careful management, investment and respect.

Yours faithfully,
Michael O’Brien
Tipperary

***

Copying our neighbour’s (wrong) homework

[Burnham wants to make Manchester the second seat of power. Could that happen in Ireland?]

In a recent article, it was asked whether Ireland could copy Britain’s “second city”.

Admittedly, my toes curled up with cringe because this idea sums up our lack of ambition: we wait for the neighbours to think of something, then attempt a smaller version.

Look instead at Zug — a Swiss canton of 30,000 that became a world technology hub through low taxes and clear rules, not subsidy. Ireland has the scale and talent to do the same.

That starts with a tax system that rewards work and investment instead of punishing it: a drastic cut in income tax, and the abolition of capital gains tax and inheritance tax, so people can build, invest and pass on what they earn without being penalised at every turn.

Picture the payoff.

You live in Clonmel, walk five minutes to a warm, refurbished station, and take a clean, fast train to Waterford or Dublin with ease. Today the line carries two trains a day, none on Sundays — while running a car is punished with Europe’s dearest insurance, VRT and fuel duty. The tracks are already there; the ambition isn’t.

And we should grow up about housing. Barely a third of Swiss households own their home, and no one calls a lifelong renter a failure. Housing is a utility — make it abundant and affordable by building far more, not by subsidy.

None of this needs a bigger state. We have just grown the Dáil to its largest ever while basic services stay broken. We need a leaner state that taxes less and delivers more.
The question was never whether we can copy Manchester. It is whether we have the nerve to out-build far larger countries — as a Swiss town of 30,000 already does.

Best Regards,
Richard Brett, 
Tipperary 

***

Trump terms

[Trump revives claims of Chinese interference in 2020 election in prime-time address]

Perhaps the current US president’s apparent fixation with his allegations that the outcome of the 2020 election was influenced by China among others is akin to the old rhyme about the Grand Olde Duke of York! After all 2020 is in the past.

However, just imagine that his allegations are correct, he could retrospectively be declared the 2020 winner & be disqualified from his current role.

Wishful thinking or simply too much sun!

Joe Harrison,
Spanish Point

***

Memento Moris Messi

[Lionel Messi keeps the magic of youth and possibility alive for all of us]

Unlike most, sports stars have to face two deaths. Their first death normally comes in their late 30s. At 39 years old, Lionel Messi’s football career should be approaching the end, on life support. But it isn’t. He raged against the dying light in this World Cup. His athletic prowess may be diminishing but his influence on the pitch and desire to win are most certainly not. His vision, touch and spatial awareness are unparalleled. England can attest to these facts after their 2-1 defeat in the semi-final. His contribution of two assists breathed life into Argentina’s World Cup hopes.

Unlike Ronaldo, Messi ages with dignity and grace. Undoubtedly it is difficult for a star’s power to wane, but where Ronaldo chases records Messi uses his other set of skills to helped his country to the verge of another world cup success. He is an antibiotic to petulance and arrogance. If only Ronaldo had the same prescription. Enjoy him before we mourn his passing from the game.

CJ Callaghan,
Donegal