Your Country Your Call (part 4)

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A Call to
"Your Country Your Call"
Organisers

“Your Country Your Call” initiative I fully support in principle, but as I have said here already, I do have a number of worries regarding the planning and strategies being employed.

Another of these worrying aspects has only just come to my attention.

Before I outline the problem let me preface it by saying that; IMHO two prime factors have caused Ireland most of its major problems historically.

1. Its politics, and
2. Drink.

Drink;
(a) has ravaged family life in Ireland,
(b) has drastically reduced the efficiency of the Irish work-force,
(c) is costing the health service countless extra millions every single year,
(d) is a major factor in giving the Irish a yob image internationally,
(e) and is currently decimating our youth through binge drinking.

It is therefore unfortunate that a drink company should have the honour of funding the prize fund.

I want to categorically state here that if I should, by some outrageous set of circumstances, win one of the prizes on offer, I would refuse to accept it on the basis that it is offered by a drink company.

May I suggest that this serious procedural factor is carefully reconsidered by the organizers. "Your Country Your Call" is a worthy effort initiated by our first citizen and Dr Martin McAleese representing the highest integrity of our nation. The stated aim of the initiative is to raise Ireland's hopes and better our fiscal circumstances. Drink sponsorship is therefore most inappropriate and totally conflicts, on several levels, with the stated goal, and with the high ethics and moral standing of the organizers.

Finally, I want to again emphasise that I am not being negative towards this worthy project, I simply wish it to function at the highest efficiency and at the highest ethical level.

My Best Wishes and Regards,
Tony McGinley

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