Letters to the Editor: Bureaucrats a drain on democracy

Irish Examiner

3 days ago

By definition, 'democracy is a system of government where the power is held by the people'. The reality is that democratic values of public engagement have been replaced in recent years by a complicated maze of bureaucracy.
Local democracy has become redundant.
Bureaucracy is the real thief of democracy and taxpayers' money; it creates a multiplicity of laws and regulations which bamboozle the average citizen. It breaks one of the most basic rules of law in that 'the law must be clear and precise'. It must be understandable to all who are bound by it.
In Ireland's case, the President, who is the last signature on every bill brought into law, should keep this in mind.
That would ensure that our courts are not taken up by petty squabbling among barristers and judges as to meaning of laws passed. It is too costly for the average citizen to challenge any law or get justice, and only of benefit to those with deep pockets.
Public consultation has become a form of window dressing, formulated to address the statuary obligation to take the public's view on board. In reality, they (the public) are just shown what is to happen, how, when, and where it is going to happen. There is no guarantee that any suggestions or objections they have will be listened to unless they launch a costly judicial review.
We see this clearly with policies on health, education, childcare, climate change, immigration, and housing. It seems that democracy as was originally intended has been cannibalised and comatosed by bureaucracy.
Nuala Nolan, Bowling Green, Galway
How will we remember Gaza?
What are we to say in the future when they ask us what we did during the Gaza genocide? What will we tell the children and grandchildren when they ask?
That we wrung our hands at the horrors, lamented the starvation, the brutality, the bombings, the killings of countless innocents? That we flew our flags and wrote our letters, gave some money to the charities, hopelessly overwhelmed by the greatest crime of our lifetime.
Will we say all that? And the genocide went on … Or, will we say we stood up and stopped it, ended the cowering government inertia, obtained full trade sanctions and the end of all arms supplies, ceased all sporting, cultural, and business links, marched in the streets and clamoured and screamed, and never let up until it was done, all of it done.
Will we be able to say that? Or just that we were horrified?
Sinéad Boland, Co Wicklow
Britain has lost its way morally
On Saturday, the metropolitan police arrested more than 500 people in central London for opposing what they view as Israel's genocidal actions against the Palestinian people. Many were carrying placards stating, 'I oppose genocide. I support Palestine action'.
Among those detained was a disabled, blind man in a wheelchair. These arrests were carried out under the UK's terrorism act 2000.
Has Britain lost its way — both politically and morally? In many ways, yes.
These are the kinds of authoritarian tactics we once condemned in other nations. Once upon a time, we prided ourselves on living in a society defined by free speech, civil liberties, and open protest — even if that ideal was never perfectly realised.
Yes, history reminds us of events like the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre in Derry, where 14 civilians were killed during a peaceful demonstration. But today, we seem to have crossed into even darker territory.
We now live in a country more heavily surveilled and restricted than what was once exposed in the former East Germany or Soviet Union — nations we used to hold up as cautionary tales of tyranny. Yet here we are.
Corruption, oppression, and brutality are not unique to any one system — they can flourish anywhere when a disengaged, distracted population allows elites, driven less by compassion than by control and darker ideologies, to dominate public life.
This is not just about policy or protest; it's about the very soul of a society.
Louis Shawcross, Co Down
Trying to right a great wrong
I am trying to contact those women and their loved ones who have suffered great historical injustices in institutions in Northern Ireland. My appeal is to them right across the world.
This year we, the politicians in Northern Ireland, have the opportunity to right a great wrong of the 20th century, imposed upon young women in mother and baby institutions, Magdalene laundries, and workhouses between 1922 and 1995.
We have launched an international appeal to victims and survivors of these institutions, asking for their views on legislation to establish a public inquiry and financial redress scheme.
Both are aimed at addressing the terrible wrongs done to them during one of the most distressing and hurtful episodes in our history.
The inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries, and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill was introduced to the Northern Ireland Assembly in June 2025. Our scrutiny of it has begun and as part of our work, we are asking those who will be directly affected by the legislation to respond to an online consultation. We want as many as possible to have their say before it closes at the end of September.
The consultation is available online at niassembly.gov.uk, but we can also email or post hard copies to anyone who is interested. Email us at: [e-mail]. You can also contact the committee for the executive office by writing to us at: Room 247, Parliament Buildings, Belfast, Northern Ireland BT4 3XX.
Paula Bradshaw MLA, Committee for the executive office chairperson, Northern Ireland Assembly
Men must do more to end toxicity
I want to commend the Sarah Harte for her brilliant article on Wednesday last.
As a clinician for over 25 years , I have become acutely aware of how angry we have become.
Men have become very expressive of their pent-up anger and rage. Violence against women is always an individual choice. It is never excusable. This is why all men need to stop enabling these choices and stop contributing towards a culture that too often tolerated gendered violence.
Over the years , I have found many men feeling entitled to use certain behaviours to be the man of the house, because that's what they believe men have always done, and that's what they have witnessed in a patriarchal belief system.
It's as if they believe their behaviour is justified because someone is challenging their position in that relationship.
They act out when their power is challenged.
It's my contention that we are not going to change men who don't want to be changed.
I have always contended that men must take ownership, responsibility, and accountability for their behaviour, which then gives them the opportunity to change.
This is why men must sit with the consequences.
Some of them will start feeling some shame about their conduct and that's where the work begins in bringing about change.
There is far too much lethal male violence against women and I sometimes feel that for women this is akin to a culture war for survival.
Men will display rage and violence towards women in order to feel power and a sense of bravado. Some will go out of their way in front of other men to show how tough they are. Some men feel threatened by feminism and may say that feminism has gone too far.
Just as we need the perpetrator of violence to take responsibility for their behaviour and to make safe, respectful, nonviolent choices when they are feeling angry or bad, all of us men need to identify how we feed sexism and gender inequalities, and how we comply with rigid stories of what it means to be a man — stories based on putting down and dehumanising the 'other' through defining ourselves based on what we are not … not feminine, not gay, not someone with any hint of gender diversity and fluidity.
As men, we can create space and acceptance for diverse masculinities. We can speak up when we see our friends or colleagues make offensive jokes or demeaning comments.
We can work towards putting into place maximum quotas for men, rather than minimum quotas for women.
I applaud journalists like Sarah Harte who have the courage to write on such an emotive subject.
John O'Brien, clinical psychotherapist, Clonmel, Co Tipperary