20 METRO Thursday, December 3, 2009 D Super troupers: Acrobatic models display creations by designer Sonia Rykiel for the H&M 2009-2010 ready-to-wear collection at Grand Palais, in Paris, France Picture: EPA The Big Picture Fifa ridiculed us all Blatter: The smile that riled I really must protest about Mr Sepp Blatters laughter at the Football Association of Irelands request to be included in next years World Cup Finals. I mean, how laughable is it by comparison to a competition where cheating is rewarded by a place in the finals of that competition just because the governing body is too incompetent to implement technology that other sports have been using for more than 20 years! If the FAI hadnt lodged a complaint to begin with, Fifa would not now have the subject of extra officials on the agenda of their next meeting. And it seems to me that it will only be by such protests that the worlds football authority will be dragged into the 20th century, participation in this century probably being an unrealistic aspiration... Jim So Fifa president Sepp Blatter can get away with mocking and ridiculing the entire Irish nation to a worldwide audience over the Football Association of Irelands last-ditch attempt to see Ireland included in the World Cup? Fair play to assistant team manager Liam Brady who at least had the balls to stand up and say something, but not a word from our President, Taoiseach or Tnaiste? Have we Irish lost our collective backbone? I know things are tough with the recession and far-reaching cutbacks, but has the nation become so bowed that were willing to accept such a direct insult without so much as a whimper? 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 UK thanks you! Many thanks to everyone who goes up North to shop! Thank you for helping Britain before your own country. Your money is being well spent on great things like Sellafield, a war in Iraq, helping us get out of recession and creating jobs! But dont fret about every normal working-class person who works in the likes of Dunnes and Superquinn, its only a job theyre losing at the end of the day! Erin go bragh! Gordie Brown Eejits: I totally agree with Disgruntled Droghedian. Youd think that given the success of the recent bus transfers, they would be encouraging people back onto the trains. But no, trains now leave earlier AND take longer and other services have been scrapped. Congratulations, CI, you really have excelled yourselves this time! Dundalk Commuter Smart? The average human has to work five days a week, 48 weeks a year in order to enjoy two-day weekends and four weeks of holidays. The average dolphin or chimpanzee can eat, sleep, have sex, hang around with mates or relax, all day every day. They must wonder why we think were more intelligent creatures... SC In Brief I am absolutely fuming at this turn of events and am seriously considering boycotting the World Cup as a result. And no, I am not bitter, but I resent Mr Blatters handling of an event which has been globally noted as most unsavoury! As a matter of fact, Im ready to invade both Switzerland and France as a result! Should be, ahem, easy who is with me? The beautiful game my a**e! Boru Did I hear that correctly? We avoided a one-day strike by the public sector by giving them all 12 days off? Hooray! Does that include school teachers, who already get more than 100 days off as it stands? Yes! Hooray, Hooray! Sorry, who was negotiating on behalf of the Government? Eric Zoolander? We could have let them go on strike for 12 days and got the exact same result! This makes no sense. In fact, this makes negative sense, the anti-sense if you will! Neil, Dublin Sendusyour txt Although poetry and culture are important, it seems ridiculous to print poems and not print Dart timetables... And there arent even that many notices up to say the times have changed! Mairad It seems to me that once your profession in Ireland begins with a P, youre safe from the law, ie, police, priests, politicians... Joe Grappa Now that Ireland is in the worst recession since 1924 and 6,000 homes in Galway and Mayo have no running water, how much aid will Africa send? Yeah, thought so. Kev Albert and Lee, I LOVE those Meteor ads! I dont dispute theyre headwrecking, but theyre really cheerful and always make me laugh. And not everyone has much to laugh about these days... Cit It was only two years ago that an actually funny Meteor Christmas ad was taken off the air for alleged ageism. Any chance the current ad could be taken off for w**kerism? Meteorite 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.html28.html29.html30.html31.html32.html33.html34.html35.html