Letters: Savings account promise is an insult to children who suffer ...

If Fine Gael is seriously concerned about the well-being of the nation’s children, it would spend the money it proposes to splurge on this scheme to address the shameful hardship that many children currently have to endure.

The numbers are stark. Nearly 5,000 children live in emergency accommodation. There are over 8,000 children on long waiting lists to see a psychologist, with 500 on a Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services waiting list for over a year.

Add to that the thousands of children who turn up for school hungry, as well as the many living in households that suffer frequent power disconnections because their guardians can’t keep a prepay meter in credit. Take it all into account and Fine Gael’s concern for the well-being of many of our children begins to ring very hollow indeed.

Jim O’Sullivan, Rathedmond, Co Sligo

Government holds so many aces that election can’t be considered a fair contest

The Government is supposedly in place to use the financial and infrastructural means at its disposal to create the best results for the people of this country. That was my understanding of the so-called task it was set.

Now we find that Simon Harris has managed to retain considerable funds to sugarcoat his election manifesto, including €1,000 for each baby arriving after the election.

In real terms, holding back vital funds from the community at large to the self-centred benefit of one’s party should be illegal, not to mention the obvious advantage it gives the Government over the opposition as it controls the purse strings.

It’s a very one-sided campaign when the incumbents are holding all the aces.

I hear the immortal words of the late Charlie Haughey, though in a different context: “Grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented.”

Eamon Kearney, Ayrfield Road, Dublin 13

Election campaign of 1977 was also full of promises, but what followed was grim

Looking at all the promises being made by our politicians brings back painful memories of the 1977 general election. Back then, there were promises of huge give-aways.

I fear we will face a similar fate to what we experienced after 1977.

Rory O’Connor, Kenmare, Co Kerry

Ireland will be expected to open the wallet as soon as Trump cuts Nato funding

Given what happened during Donald Trump’s last reign as US president, I suspect that he is going to reduce funding to Nato.

This will result in the EU having to make up the funding difference. I think Ireland is going to be told by our EU colleagues to actually start contributing. This in turn is going to create a major political issue.

It’s not just Ireland that will be impacted; it will also affect other independent neutral states. We will all be expected to step up to the plate with funding.

John O’ Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary

Sinn Féin leader won me over with her charm and genuine interest in others

Tom Grufferty writes that his voting choices have changed and he won’t be backing any of the government parties (‘Political promises have been ignored, so my voting choices will now change’, Irish Independent, Letters, November 16).

Until recent days, Sinn Féin wasn’t going to feature highly in my voting preferences. Recent scandals in the party and general satisfaction with the Government were my reasons.

However, last Saturday I met Mary Lou McDonald in the local community hub during her visit to Mervue and Ballybane in Galway city. She came across as very personable and genuinely interested in people.

A local woman sang a song for her and I recited a poem as Gaeilge. Mary Lou lapped it up! We don’t get many high-profile politicians visiting us in Ballybane but after Saturday, my opinion of Mary Lou has changed.

She needs to meet as many people as possible before election day and spread the charm she showed us.

Tommy Roddy, Ballybane, Co Galway

Political posters give no indication of popularity, but it’s different in the UK

As I watch the election campaigning from across the Irish Sea, a notable difference is that election posters can appear on random lamp-posts on the roads anywhere in Ireland. Sometimes, the same tall pole will be displaying up to three different faces of local candidates, along with their party logo.

This is not allowed in the UK, as political posters can only be placed in private gardens or on land with the owner’s permission. The streets and public walkways remain clear.

You can get a good idea of just how popular a candidate is by noticing how many people allow party logos to be displayed in their gardens.

Seamus Joyce, Richmond, London

Appointment of RFK Jr risks sending US back to dark ages of healthcare

Since being confirmed as US president-elect, elated Donald Trump supporters in Ireland are dancing with joy at the dubious pro-life stance promised. Some are even estimating, without the backing of empirical facts, the number of children that will be born in the coming years.

The appointment of Robert F Kennedy Jr to head the health services has stunned medical scientists worldwide.

Medical scientists are men and women who do have evidence-based knowledge relating to infant and early-childhood vaccinations. They also understand the benefits fluoride has brought.

My father was an undertaker at a time when, sadly, many babies were delivered stillborn. Infant and early-childhood death was a tragic reality for many.

Around 1954, life became more certain as vaccines became available. The addition of fluoride to public water supplies made a massive difference to public health.

In 1984, as I arranged a funeral, I was reminded of the unnecessary deaths. The deceased’s wife (in her early 80s) remarked, with great sadness: “Your father buried six infants for us, between 1946 and 1955.”

Trump supporters thinking they bear no responsibility for any decision that impacts on human life, I would advise them to think again.

Declan Foley, Melbourne, Australia