EVER SINCE THE Journal started back in 2010, our readers and their thoughts have been fundamental to our coverage of the news. Here’s what you’ve been saying to us this week. Have something to say? Send a mail to letters@thejournal.ie. You can see our letter guidelines here.  

Budget maths

[Budget calculator]

This letter was written ahead of Budget 2027, which raised the minimum wage for next year to €14.94 and the state pension by €10 per week. 

In 2025, the minimum wage increased by 5.5% to €13.50 per hour, while the state pension rose by 4.3%, adding €12 per week.

This year, the minimum wage has increased by a further 4.8% to €14.15 per hour while the reported proposal for Budget 2026 is a 3.3% increase in the State Pension, just €10 extra per week.

I had the crazy idea that the cost of living rises for pensioners the same as for everyone else – am I missing something in my dotage?

Regards,

Ronan Quinlan,
Co Roscommon 

***

Horse and dogs

[State funding for greyhound racing exceeds €20m for the first time in 25 years]

Dear Editor,

In recent days, we heard about government departments competing fiercely to advance their own vital projects or economic priorities, with each department hoping to get as big as possible a slice of the budgetary cake

That’s understandable, and indeed commendable, and they are right to seek the best possible funding for what’s important to them.

But how can it possibly make sense to fork out a whopping €102 million to horse and greyhound racing, with the usual 80-20 split between the two?

With so many sectors crying out for state support, it’s mind-boggling to witness the ongoing love affair between these industries and our political establishment. 

Both of them claim to be sensational money-spinners, generating wealth and boosting the rural economy. So why the need for lavish state funding?

Greyhound racing is rife with animal welfare problems…the damning spectre of cruelty hangs over it…with weekly reports of injuries, deaths, over-breeding, and unnecessary culling of greyhounds.

But even if the sport were completely above board, and the dogs loved every minute of it, there’s still the question: how can the annual budgetary allocation be justified?

Other sports could only dream of the support horse and dog racing get, including such wholesome and popular pursuits as soccer, rugby, Gaelic football, tennis and cycling, which are grossly underfunded.

Imagine…horse and greyhound racing receive more state funding than all our Olympic and local sporting activities combined.

And what an indictment of political priorities that domestic, sexual and gender-based violence initiatives are allocated a mere fraction of the funds that benefit those two gambling-driven sectors.

Sadly, the horse and greyhound industries are politically better connected than any of the poorly funded sports. I presume that’s why successive governments gloss over so many other worthy sports, and infinitely more deserving causes, in favour of dogs and horses running around in circles!

Thanking you.
Sincerely,
John Fitzgerald,
Kilkenny

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