D Monday, November 30, 2009 METRO 17 Storm birds: Seagulls battle the elements at Howth Harbour in Dublin at the weekend as strong winds and heavy rain continued across the country Picture: PA The Big Picture Support our jobs Ghost town? Dublin city centre Louise, the problem I have with the exodus to the North last Tuesday is not that the public sector were not standing in the cold with placards. My problem is that a majority of those shoppers would have been public sector employees striking so that their wages would not be cut. How do they expect the Government to have the money to pay them when those people are supporting the English tax man? Shopping up North does nothing to help our hospitals, schools, public transport, roads, police and firemen and it does nothing to support our jobs. We need the Vat revenue to stay in our countrys coffers. By shopping in the Republic, you will be keeping jobs and even creating jobs. By shopping up North, the retail and service industries will be decimated in January, city centres will be ghost towns, our unemployment lines will get much bigger, which will increase the amount of money that needs to be spent on social welfare, leading to more public sector cuts next year. It is a vicious circle and we all need to help this country through this mess. I am an employee in a retail shop in Dublin and the deals we now offer I believe make it as attractive to shop here as to deal with the traffic and petrol expense of shopping up North. I really fear for my job in January and I would love to work in the public sector where I knew Id have a job next year. Darren, Dublin Dear Martina, you imply that all bus drivers are grumpy. I ask you if your workplace bears any resemblance to the cab of a bus. An oil-drenched steering wheel, piles of stinking cigarette ash on the floor under you. A seat which causes discomfort and pain whilst driving. A bottle of urine left in a Dublins best-read letters page Metro Mail E-mail letters to mail@metroireland.ie with a name. Or text us. Text MAIL followed by comment and name to 53131. *Texts cost 30cent per message + standard network charges. SP. Oxygen8 Communications, Hospitality House, Cumberland Street South, D2. Customer service number 0818286606 talk to us In one ear: Ricki, the This Life cartoon of the guy getting baby info shows it going in one ear and out the other :-) Laura Bing: Jay, you are a moron. While I disagree with the public sector workers cause, I am not stupid enough to think that they would get paid for striking! Dedicated follower, you are not much brighter with your tired old clichs. Save yourself the price of a text message next time you hear that BING sound above your head. Outraged, Dublin 9 Come on Ireland: I would just like to say that Ireland were brilliant on Saturday. Hats off to Sexton, DArcy, ODriscoll and Kearney they were superb and so was Davey Wallace. We had some great rugby this autumn and I cant wait for the Six Nations. Come on Ireland! Tadhg, Meath No pay for strikers: Jay, those of us in the public sector who went on strike on Tuesday didnt get paid. Educate yourself a bit better. When people strike, they dont get paid. Ciara In Brief storage area beside you. There are no toilets for drivers at any bus terminus. The official procedure is to go back to the garage when nature calls, but to keep the service running to a realistic timetable many drivers use a discarded coffee cup or just pee on the street at the terminus. Marking the area with your scent can help you find your way back, I guess. Would these workplace conditions put a smile on your face? A peed-off driver I am absolutely sickened and disgusted by the history of paedophilia and child abuse within the Catholic Church and the extent to which the abusers were protected by Church leaders. Those who abused the children and those who protected the abusers need to be severely punished for their despicable crimes. I have totally lost faith and trust in the Catholic Church. If Jesus was to come back and walk amongst us, I am sure that he would want nothing to do with a Church that tolerates abuse and uses fear and guilt to control its members. P Sendusyour txt If the State made a big saving by the strike, why does Ibec say it cost 100m? Maybe the public sector is needed after all. JM, D8 Taxi men, Im not that drunk every Saturday night. Drive slowly to hike up the fare and I will wait for my change. Drive at a normal speed and I will tip. Ive yet to get a taxi home where you dont slow down coming to a green light etc. Cop on lads! Generous tipper in Dublin Is it just me or does anyone else think all those people in the new Meteor ads just look like full-of-themselves know-it- alls? Albert, Dublin 5 If it were compulsory for all cyclists to wear helmets and have front and back lights on their bikes, it would save lives. Motorists find it hard to see cyclists at the best of times much less at night. If motorists are being advised to drive with lights on during the day, surely it makes sense to make cyclists light up too. Janet Dunne txt MAIL to 53131* index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html