We should fear the living, not the dead, on Halloween

The other night I was awoken the by flashing lights of a fire engine parked outside my house. I initially thought that a neighbour's property had gone up in flames so was relieved to learn from a fireman that they were dealing with a blaze in an unoccupied Martello tower across the road.

It was quickly brought under control by the experienced fire-fighters. It looked liked an act of wanton vandalism. After all, a vacant historic building such as this is hardly going to be hit by an electrical fault in the middle of the night.

The madness that is Halloween had started early, it seemed. Despite the best efforts of local authorities to remove stockpiled bonfire material in the run up to October 31, certain teenagers somehow always find a way to ruin the seasonal rituals for the rest of us. It's likely that football pitches and local green spaces throughout Dublin will bear the scars of unauthorised bonfires when we wake up on Saturday morning.

What should be a fun night for families and young children can be a fraught with danger. Hospital A&Es tend to be overrun at this time of year with Halloween related injuries sustained through drink-fuelled violence, fireworks and bonfires. Unspeakable acts of cruelty against animals have been committed by low-life thugs during the pagan festival, a sorry reminder of the need to keep our pets indoors over the next few days.

Unfortunately, like St Patrick's Day, Halloween has long been hijacked by out-of-control teenagers intent on causing mayhem in the name of celebration. It's a bit of an Irish thing, really. Any special occasion in this country is often used as an excuse to drink to excess and engage in reckless, anti-social behaviour.

This Friday, it's vital that we supervise our children as they innocently head out trick-or-treating. In particular, we need to keep tabs on our teenagers. A recklessly stacked bonfire or mishandled firework can instantly change their lives forever. One thing's for sure: our overstretched, under resourced emergency services will have their work cut out for them.

Amid the chaos, there will be community-based Halloween events throughout Dublin providing safe havens from the darker side of the festivities. If we take proper precautions and point our kids in the right direction, there is no reason why the night can't be an enjoyable and safe experience for all.

It's a sad fact that Halloween, for all its spooky connotations, has become a night where we should be more afraid of the living than the dead.

Government suffers major water damage

You can only begin to imagine the panic that belatedly gripped the Government parties as the full ramifications of water charges finally hit home over the weekend.

Depending on which media outlet you believed, the numbers protesting in Dublin city centre were somewhere between 10,000 and 100,000; a display of public unity not seen on the streets in decades. Whatever the correct figure, the photographs and television images laid bare the full extent of anger at the Government's imposition of water charges on a nation reeling from seven years of brutal austerity.

•The marchers' message to our politicians was clear. PHOTO: Conor Ó Mearáin

How many of those who marched will vote for Labour or Fine Gael in the next general election? You can be certain that this question concentrated minds in Government Buildings in the panicked pre-budget scramble to offer some concession on water charges. As predicted, there was some respite in the form of tax relief and an additional €100 for those receiving the household benefits package but this is unlikely to be enough to quell growing public discontentment since the establishment of Irish Water.

While tens of thousands of people chanted anti-Government slogans in the city, the political realities were being spelled out for the main parties in Dublin South West and Roscommon South-Leitrim. The election of two new TDs on the basis of their opposition to water charges has sent serious warning shots across the bows of Labour and Fine Gael. Perhaps not quite holed beneath the waterline just yet, but the Government is now very much on the back foot on this issue and the anti-austerity movement will rightly feel that they have the wind in their sails.

Despite all the claptrap about water charges being a measure to encourage conservation, in reality it is simply a revenue raising exercise, with no pricing guarantees beyond 2016. The State itself is the biggest waster of water, not the domestic or commercial user (I am loath to use the word 'customer'), with its antiquated network of leaky pipes.

We are being asked to fund a major capital expenditure programme that will take years or even decades to bear fruit. Once water meters are installed and our new utility bills start plopping through the letterboxes, there will be no turning back. As householders, it's hard not to feel that we are once again being lulled into a false sense of security by having our initial bills based on an assessed charge. It was the same when the €100 Household Charge was introduced, which was simply a precursor to the more punitive Local Property Tax.

Most of us suspect that the only way water bills are heading is up. Just look at what we are now forced to cough up for our refuse collection - a former local authority service that was once funded from general taxation.

The Government continues to insist that water charges are necessary. However, the thousands who marched through the city this month will no doubt be emboldened by the partial climbdown on the issue by Michael Noonan in Budget '15. The question is: how much more water damage can the Coalition withstand?

Soccer parents should be seen and not heard

One of the most welcome developments in schoolboy soccer this year has been the 'Silent Sideline Weekend' initiative.

This is where parents and coaches alike are urged to let the kids play the game without the distraction of expert advice or criticism being shouted from the edge of the pitch. However well intentioned, loudly expressed words of encouragement often have the effect of intimidating the youngsters and hampering their development as players.

Skills: kids should be allowed to enjoy the game. STOCK PHOTO

As a father of two sons involved in schoolboy soccer, I am happy to report that the majority of parents, coaches and supporters generally behave in an exemplary manner. But there have been some exceptions.

I've witnessed unacceptable behaviour from a minority of parents over the years. Some can be incredibly critical of their kids and you shudder to think of what the car ride home is going to be like if the result doesn't go their way. You'd wonder if they are trying to live their own unfulfilled sporting dreams through their children.

I recall one particularly nasty incident when a parent positioned himself directly behind the goalkeeper - his son - and shouted instructions in his ear for most of the match. For the rest of the time he hurled abuse at the young referee and almost came to blows with the coach from the opposing team who had asked him to calm down. It was an uncomfortable spectacle for the kids. They just wanted to play the game that they loved and weren't really all that bothered about the final score.

Young soccer players need to make their own judgements and mistakes. It's how they learn to progress. The coach can offer them constructive advice at half time or when the match is over. They should be able to communicate with each other on the pitch without being drowned out by deafening roars from the sidelines.

It's a sad fact that a number of referees have quit schoolboy soccer due to intimidating and thuggish behaviour by some parents. There should be zero tolerance by clubs for this type of behaviour. I imagine it's a problem not just confined to soccer.

When it comes to letting your kids enjoy their sport, it should be a case of parents being seen and not heard.