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Muddying the waters
Nobody is being held to account for the shambles that led to life-threatening drinking water being supplied to the people of Galway. That might be understandable if this outbreak of cryptosporidiosis was exceptional. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has been warning local authorities about the dangers posed to public health by this sewage/slurry-based parasite for years. Citizens have been put at risk in this latest outbreak. More than 200 became seriously ill. But our unaccountable, inefficient and irresponsible system of local government has reacted by engaging in blame transference. p
Walk this way
The UK environment secretary announced an ambitious scheme last week to establish a right of access to the entire coastline of Britain. This extension of the right to roam may reflect noble ideals, but it is rooted in utterly practical considerations. The UK, along with most developed countries, recognises that recreational walking has obvious social benefits. It can give a huge economic boost to rural communities struggling with the decline of farming and if well organised, provides an environmentally sustainable form of tourism. p
Opinion
No relief for crime victims in flawed Bill
Michael McDowell's legislation has more to do with the impending election than combating gangland and organised crime, writes Gráinne Malone . pMutual distrust behind problems in health service
A culture of confrontation has blighted the State's interaction with the health professions, writes Ray Kinsella . pMore passion and less of Mr Nice Guy, Bertie
Having been sick for three weeks has left me seriously cranky, I fear. It was nothing life-threatening, and thank you for your concerned e-mails, notes and phone calls. But I am still cranky, writes Breda O'Brien. pTransport slowly moving in right direction
The past record of Irish transport policy is frankly dismal, and it is only quite recently that it has started to emerge from something like chaos, writes Garret FitzGerald . pLocalised polling often shows a sitting TD's vulnerability
In an address to the Patrick McGill Summer School in Donegal in July 2004, Garret FitzGerald, emphasising that he was no longer actively engaged with the Fine Gael party, revealed that he had been surprised at how well it had done in that June's local elections, writes Noel Whelan . pBenedict has emerged as a persuasive voice
Despite not having the charisma of his predecessor, the present Pope draws those keen to listen, writes Fr Michael Collins . pPolitical experiment in north Africa brings great risk
World View : Suicide bombings in Algeria and Morocco this week claimed by radical groups linked to al-Qaeda raised the question of how these two states have handled Islamic terrorism and whether they now face a prolonged threat from it, writes Paul Gillespie . p
An Irishman's Diary
Since the great moment at Farmleigh 10 days ago, I have been remembering an evening which spread into a night, and a night which spilled into a gloriously bright December Sunday morning in 1971, and wondering if Ian Paisley's famous handshake with a Taoiseach might not have come much sooner, writes Henry Kelly . p
