Letters: Computers could help manage the counting of unwieldy ballot papers

The reason? Some ballot papers are too long and cumbersome to handle, take up too much space both in the ballot box and count centres and have an environmental impact

A possible solution is to use both sides of a ballot paper to cater for large number of candidates and to develop an electronic method to scan ballot papers.

This is different to the “electronic voting machines” piloted in 2002, which was a failure unfortunately.

Surely scanning casted ballot papers is possible now with improvements in IT technology? Maybe AI could be adopted, adapted and applied.

Richard Whitty

Swords, Co Dublin

Sinn Féin missed open goals in the election and got result it deserved

The biggest takeaway from the recent local elections is the current electoral acceptance by the Irish voter of the Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael alliance.

Sinn Féin blew every open goal in front of it. The recent referendums, housing, migration, rent, the Justice Minister. The main opposition party never read the room.

Every decision seemed predicated on what the “establishment” and media commentators wanted.

Courting big business and the influencers led the party away from its core support. Sinn Féin paid the price and lost my vote.

A campaign poster with the leader’s picture bore the slogan “Change starts here”. Might not be the worst place to begin the rebuild from.

John Cuffe, Co Meath

Democracy is alive and well in the State and we must be grateful for this

There was a niceness about the local and European elections. It reflected perhaps how generous the voters appeared to be to all candidates – spreading the love down the line.

From looking in at the count centres you could see how democracy in Ireland is vibrant and decent.

There were lots of Cheshire-cat smiles beaming at the cameras. Our politicians, local representatives and campaign workers went about their business in good spirits.

It is never easy to lose and there is no doubt we have been fortunate with those who have worked for us at local and European level.

To single out two who bowed out: Ciarán Cuffe was very generous in defeat and spoke well, and Europe’s loss will prove Ireland’s gain; Clare Daly, who in defeat could still manage a cheeky smile when declining with gusto an RTÉ interview.

But well done to all for putting themselves out there.

Aidan Roddy, Cabinteely, Dublin 18

Hourihane wins my vote with her critique of RTÉ’s coverage of the elections

Ann Marie Hourihane’s amusing and sharp-as-a-tack review of the weekend’s TV and radio election coverage had me laugh out loud (‘Repetition, sweating correspondents and tiny pie charts: why is RTÉ’s televised coverage of election results so terrible?’, Irish Independent, June 12).

However, I would beg to differ about her praise of David McCullagh. Very good he may be, but sometimes when interviewing hapless politicians he can resemble a teacher looking down at a naughty schoolboy.

Perhaps some in RTÉ need to remember that no one ever voted for them.

Karl Martin, Dublin 13

Aer Lingus owes the pilots for their sterling service and should pay them well

The ongoing pay dispute between Aer Lingus and its pilots, erupting into the heart of the holiday season, is absolutely disgraceful.

Hard-pressed and hard-working families looking forward to a well-earned break are now caught in the middle of this industrial action.

I believe the blame for this situation lies squarely at the doors of Aer Lingus management.

Industrial action is always a last resort, undertaken by workers only when they feel they have no other option.

While the demands of the pilots may seem steep at first glance, we must remember the sacrifices they made during the pandemic.

Pilots undertook gruelling 14-hour flights and round trips to China to secure much-needed PPE for our healthcare system, at a time when the country was in dire straits. It seems that, in the rush to return to normality, these efforts have been forgotten.

Additionally, discontent is not confined to the pilots alone. Other workers within Aer Lingus, such as cabin crew, are also expressing dissatisfaction.

Many feel betrayed by how the pandemic unemployment payments were handled and believe they did not receive the full benefits they were entitled to.

These grievances remain unaddressed by Aer Lingus management, who must bear responsibility for any ensuing disruptions.

I sincerely hope a resolution can be reached soon.

Oliver Doyle, Carlow town

Before we ban certain breeds of dogs how about disciplining bad owners?

As an owner of a restricted breed, I take exception to Tánaiste Micheál Martin’s words on Saturday’s Independent that he “personally cannot comprehend why one would have such restricted breeds or breeds that are that dangerous”.

I sought the particular breed I own, which is restricted, for security as well as companionship. I’m female, who lives alone a lot of the time due to me and my partner’s shift work.

My dog provides security for me, on my walks as well as at home.

I’m wondering why no one is looking at owners rather than the breed.

If there is a ban to come in on certain breeds, there will be no change to irresponsible ownership. The irresponsible owners will move onto the next big dog that provides the “hard” or “tough” look that some desire.

My dog wears a muzzle in a public place. He is on a secure, two-metre lead. The muzzle to my dog is like a saddle to a horse; we don’t go to a public place without it on and it’s part of our routine.

I think there needs to be more enforcement of the current Control of Dogs Act legislation as well as education. I do think the list of restricted breeds is extremely outdated.

Instead of restricting breeds, increase owner responsibility. There should be mandatory training from a qualified dog trainer or behaviouralist in order to obtain a restricted breed licence, something like the Initial Basic Training for a motorcycle licence.

Róisín O’Dwyer, Carlow