Letters: When it comes to housing, the State should look after its own citizens first

Yet this same Government won’t allow a policy for it to buy homes on a wholesale basis for our own citizens on a social and affordable basis.

As of April, there were 15,418 people in emergency accommodation, a record high that includes nearly 5,000 children. This represents a 10pc increase on March last year.

Home ownership among those aged 25 to 39, once considered a prime home-owning age group, has dwindled to just 7pc. This is less than a third of the rate recorded in 2011 (22pc), when the country was broke and on its knees.

Someone needs to tell Mr O’Call­aghan that charity begins at home.

Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry

Government has taken its eye off the ball over this country’s emergency

Your editorial rightly takes the ­Government to task for inaction on the housing front (‘Actions speak louder than words when it comes to housing’, June 17).

The housing situation is no longer a crisis, it’s an emergency, and the Government needs to treat it as such. Housing is its number one priority, the Taoiseach has repeatedly said.

The electorate gave the Government the benefit of the doubt on housing at the last election on the acceptance of fragile signs of progress, but that was a false dawn when infrastructural deficits came to light.

It seems the Government has taken its eye off the ball, with nonsense talk of a housing tsar. I trust it is not waiting for a recession to solve the housing crisis.

Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18

Trump still to learn that building peace requires patience, not theatrics

The world is again caught between Iran’s theology of provocation and Israel’s fantasy of finality. Into this strolls Donald Trump, promising a “big, beautiful deal” and threatening Tehran with ruin.

As your editorial notes, these are not diplomatic efforts, but ultimatums dressed up as strategy (‘Trump has the power to end Iran-Israel war: it’s time he used it’, June 18).

Trump has the leverage to demand a ceasefire and push for a two-state framework – if he can resist the lure of theatrics and grasp that peace demands patience, not posturing.

Still, we must entertain the improbable: that Trump, thinking about his legacy, decides to play the peacemaker. If he does, it will not be through swaggering tweets or stealth bombers, but by understanding that peace in the Middle East is built, not imposed.

Enda Cullen, Tullysaran Road, Armagh

Strongmen like to believe they can control world’s destiny when they cannot

While the essence of your editorial of June 18 is prudent and wise, Trump and his acolytes are unable to think laterally.

He is surrounded by “yes” people whose loyalty is solely to him, Project 2025 and the MAGA evangelists, these last being warmongers who back Benjamin Netanyahu to the hilt.

Trump’s remarks earlier this year about turning Gaza into “a Riviera” were a clear indication of his total ignorance of world affairs, other than money.

Netanyahu continually speaks of war to prevent elections that would see him ousted. The deliberate killing of innocent people at food distribution points in recent days, as well as the deliberate poking of Iran, is evidence that the Israeli prime minister is locked into a never-ending conflict.

While Trump, Netanyahu and others such as Putin like to imagine they can control all future events, the fact is they cannot.

It is obvious the EU does not have a statesperson to bring detente to this perilous situation before it gets out of control.

Declan Foley, Melbourne

Israelis must demand that their leaders bring an end to the bloodshed in Gaza

I write without any political agenda other than a wish that something can be done to end the suffering in Gaza.

The Israeli people should take this moment in history to demand that their government stops the killing.

As a people, grave injustice has been perpetuated on them for thousands of years, culminating in the Holocaust.

However, the pain and suffering they have endured must have an end and a purpose. It must serve life rather than take from life. Pain must translate to compassion, even in the face of hostility.

With sophistication of mind, technology and ability, this capacity is with them.

Their faith demands that they do good in a situation where the end result does not matter as much as how it is achieved.

By recognising the Palestinian people and their rights, the Israeli people would recognise their own rights. By respecting international law, respect would be enshrined within their own law.

Ronan O’Brien, Enniscorthy, Co Wexford

Breheny’s criticism of the championship structure ignores the club players

Yet again Martin Breheny comes up with another missive against the current format and timing of the championship without providing an alter­native structure that can be used (‘Hurling is being sold short by crazy lack of summer fare’, June 18).

The simple fact is that the vast majority of players and participants in the club and county spheres are strongly in favour of the split season and current format, giving certainty to them after years of maybe getting notified of fixtures on a whim.

Using the Waterford example, they lost three championship games and did not deserve to go any farther.

Blaming the split season is an easy cop-out when the work hasn’t been done at club and schools level to keep them on a par with their rivals. Their wholly uncompetitive county senior hurling championship is more of an indictment of the state of the game there.

From the tone of the piece, it seems like Mr Breheny would be happy for club hurlers to be slogging it out in the winter months, dealing with postponements, unplayable pitches and other issues associated with sport in winter.

Remember, club players for the most part don’t get to play on pristine pitches like inter-county players do.

Matthew Ryan, address with editor