Irish Examiner view: Possibility of peace is delayed yet again
Russian president Vladimir Putin speaking during his visit to military headquarters in the Kursk region of Russia. Picture: Russian Presidential Press Service/AP
Developments this week in the Russia-Ukraine conflict followed a now familiar pattern. A glimmer of hope followed by a violent strike, which all but extinguishes the chance of peace. Two days ago, Russian president Vladimir Putin visited the Kursk region, which was the subject of a Ukrainian counter-offensive last year. Dressed in military clothing, Mr Putin said he hoped Russian forces would soon liberate — to use his term — the area in a series of offensives.
The Ukrainian commander in the field, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, immediately retorted that he was making a tactical withdrawal to a better position, and accused Mr Putin of trying to make “political gains” by trying to drive Ukrainian forces out of the region.
There have been encouraging signs a ceasefire might be on the horizon — a ceasefire Mr Putin says Russia “technically” favours, despite some reservations. Does that strengthen Mr Syrskyi’s point?
Before talks aimed at resolving a lengthy conflict even begin, all sides involved like to approach the bargaining table from a position of strength.
In that sense, even the appearance of success on the battle-field counts for a good deal: Mr Putin would be quite happy if his representatives begin their negotiations following a victory, or what he claimed as a victory.
The name Kursk has a potency for students of Russian history — it is where, in 1943, the Soviet Union defeated Nazi Germany in the biggest tank battle of all time.
In due course, the victory was seen as one of the key turning points in the Second World War — a resonance that is surely not lost on Russia’s president.
The situation remains fluid. It is understood that Ukraine’s membership of Nato is a sticking point for Russia in any future negotiations, but US president Trump was full of praise yesterday for Nato secretary general Mark Rutte, saying: “We have the same goal in mind. We want the war ended.”
A pointed remark?
Perhaps.
Such obstacles are not insurmountable, of course, but the sooner the sides sit down to discuss them, the better.
It is one of the purgatories of modern life: Raising an issue about goods or services, only to find a complaints process which is opaque, unhelpful, or impossible — or all three.
This week, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) published a detailed breakdown of consumer experience based on those who contacted the organisation and why in 2024.
The commission noted there had been an increase of 5,000 contacts made to its helpline compared to the previous year.
It is worth pointing out the organisations named in those complaints and the number of complaints each attracted — Ticketmaster was the company most cited, with 614 complaints, then Eir with 604, Ryanair (554), Sky (498), Harvey Norman (446), Vodafone (429), Currys (401), Aer Lingus (340), Virgin Media (319), and Lidl (278) making up the top 10.
One would like to think that there are consequences of bad customer service, that consumers take note of organisations which do not treat their customers well and spend their money accordingly.
Yet, on the very same day we learned that one of those companies attracted hundreds of complaints, it also emerged that it is enjoying increased profits.
Eir has posted a 4% rise in earnings during 2024, which was driven by an increase in its customer base — including fibre broadband and mobile phone services. The company’s results for 2024 show revenue increased by 2%, or €30m, to nearly €1.33bn compared to 2023.
If the increase is being driven by Eir’s continued expansion of its customer base, this seems counter-intuitive — to put it mildly.
It makes little sense that the company attracting the second-highest number of complaints is not only increasing its profits but that that increase is linked to a growth in its customer base.
The contrast between customer growth and the number of complaints may also be a telling insight into the company’s priorities, however, which appear more focused on profit than quality consumer service.
For consumers — which means all of us — it should be noted that tomorrow is World Consumer Rights Day. It’s good to have a day devoted to consumer rights every year, but companies need to focus on consumer rights every day of every year.
At a time of such global uncertainty, good news can appear to be in short supply — which may explain the solace many have found in the news from Fota Wildlife Park.
This week, the East Cork nature reserve announced the birth of a François’ langur monkey — part of a species classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
The baby François’ langur was born on February 1 to mother Mei and father Shinobi of Fota’s Asian Sanctuary, who are both nine years old.
Its arrival is a considerable triumph for Fota, whose lead ranger Teresa Power said: “This birth marks another milestone for the park’s successful breeding programme for this rare primate species. We hope the birth of this baby will help raise awareness about the critical need for conservation efforts for the François’ langur.”
Fota is certainly doing its bit to raise awareness of the François’ langur — the public have been invited to help name the new arrival, and suggestions can be made via the park’s website.
Given the name of the breed, and the proximity of so many well-known golf courses, surely Bernhard is an obvious choice?
