13 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Letters: Young people could well afford to repay a mortgage – if they could just get their hands on one
House prices are continuing to climb. Stock Image
The real problem is that they cannot get a mortgage. This is because house prices are at a level that their savings, salary and funds offered by banks just don't get close to.
Even with parents raiding savings and pension plans, the gap is insurmountable.
Borrowers might well afford to repay instalments on a 30-year mortgage, but they just cannot get one.
The solution is simple. We need a very clear agreement between banks and clients. And I'm not ruling out government-sponsored lending. It would state: We will give you the funds you need, provided you have shown history of savings.
But – and it is a big proviso – should you renege on your mortgage payments after an agreed timescale, you must hand back the keys.
There can be no ifs, ands or buts. This is an adults' agreement.
I believe that thousands of people in Ireland today would happily take this offer were it available.
So many people are trapped paying prohibitive rent that not only cripples their finances, but cripples their chances of getting a mortgage.
Eamon Kearney, Baldoyle, Dublin
I'm greatly reassured to learn that red wine, dark chocolate, tea and apples now count towards our five-a-day ('Your 'five-a-day' can now include chocolate and red wine,' Irish Independent , June 3).
At this rate, all I need is a Tayto crisp sandwich and we'll have cracked public health in Northern Ireland. As someone from Armagh, I've long maintained that an apple a day – preferably from a tree your grandad planted – is as medicinal as anything in the pharmacy.
Now, thanks to Queen's University Belfast, it seems flavonoids are the future.
Tea and red wine included? That's breakfast and supper sorted.
Kale, of course, remains under review.
Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh
There are a lot of issues with generative AI and large language models in education. They can be used by students and teachers to create essays and lesson plans. However, AI is entirely dependent on what you ask it to do.
Even the slightest error in a request can lead to wildly varying results that may not reflect the author's intentions. Users must be very precise when asking AI to generate text.
In the past, there was no such thing as a 'stupid question', but there is when using AI.
Students and teachers need to be trained in prompt engineering. This is learning how to ask AI to generate something by giving it appropriate and well thought-out prompts.
AI has become a new cornerstone in education; everyone can learn to be thoughtful and reflective when using it. In the future, students shouldn't be assessed on their AI-generated essays, but, rather on the quality of the 'prompts' they use to generate it.
Dr John Jennings, Knocknacarra, Galway
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) does a lot of moaning nowadays about how members are treated by the Government and the people. Does this go on across Europe?
You'd think that those sworn to uphold the law would follow that promise through and not bark at every new regulation brought in by a democratically elected government.
Liam Doran, Clondalkin, Dublin
At the moment, Israel has been green-lighted and armed by Donald Trump to start the bombardment of Iran. The reason is to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons, because the country is seen to be unstable and a threat. But I would argue Israel might be viewed as equally unstable under the current leadership.
Ray Dunne, Enfield, Meath
The horrific war in Gaza, which started with Hamas' shocking attack on Israel's civilians in October 2023, has appalled most decent people, and yet the bombings and killing of Palestinians continues.
Despite frequent words of condemnation, most world leaders have done nothing to stop it. Worse still, many European countries, as well as the US, continue to stand by Israel economically and militarily.
The EU was quick to call out the Russian invasion of Ukraine, so why is the EU not stopping Israel's genocide in Gaza? Is the EU not hypocritical in its actions, and has it learnt nothing from past conflicts?
The union was a European project to foster peace. So why is Israel, a perpetrator of destruction, mass migration and famine on the people of Gaza, still allowed to participate in EU-funded research projects? And why do EU countries continue to sell arms to Israel? Has the EU lost its moral compass?
C Bailey, Dundrum, Dublin
Enda Cullen is to be commended on his sharp observance of 'hitting the floor' over Saturday night's GAA commentary on Armagh v Galway ('GAA commentary needs to be more grounded – I was floored by what I heard,' Letters, June 16).
There are so many sideshows on our current TV commentaries and analysis. 'Playing deep', 'middle three', 'middle eight', (is there a difference?). 'Push-up', 'giving' (no presents given in Gaelic football). 'On the back foot', 'running deep'. These are just some of the phrases that we, the viewers and readers, run with. Gone are the golden sports days of the great Michael O'Hehir's lone broadcasts.
The whistle, the throw-in, the game is on, there's five minutes left in the game, there goes the final whistle. Game over.
The last we had of that long-lost sporting activity was the legendary John D Hickey's famous reports in the Irish Independent on Monday mornings. No confetti or strings attached – like now.
Tom Curley, Galway
