Sunday, April 13, 2008

poor turnout at health protest is heartening news

if the recent march against the malaise in the health service had attracted bumper crowds, it would have pinpointed that vast sections of the population are even more delusional than previously suspected. the fact that there was a paltry turnout reflects the fact that, as recent elections would perhaps show, the public aren't as exercised by its systemic problems as media hysteria, and the understandable comments of patients on the front-line would indicate. its not that there shouldn't be public concern, but if there is, its incumbent that people look at how their own actions affect services.

- electoral system;
people want a better service, but they are unlikely to get it when they wholeheartedly buy into a system, that ensures maximum pressure will ensue so that local services will be maintained. its instructive that fine gael have bought into the H.S.E's centres of excellence but have naturally let local t.d's bleat about the denuding of local services in the north-west & north-east. one of those t.d's being enda kenny, who's predictably populist attitude to the "crisis" wasn't challenged by Eamonn Keane on his Newstalk show, lest it interfere with their hyperbolic agenda!

-public service culture;
many public service voters, who wouldn't want politicians to get any bright ideas, don't have any problems with the atrocious duplication of employment that has occurred in the health service, post the setting up of the H.S.E. junior minister John McGuinness whilst tilting at public service windmills in recent times, naturally directed much of his ire at the H.S.E, whose creation very annoyingly took away politicians sinecures on local health boards.

- pay more taxes;
it may be that the lancing of inefficiency is a greater priority, but there's no doubt that if the population was sufficiently exercised by the cutbacks, they could raise the issue at local t.d's clinic. we know anecdotally that t.d's aren't asked any questions about the Mahon Tribunal when they face the great unwashed, but we may also suspect that joe public doesn't wander in and opine,

" d'know what? considering the crisis in the health service, i'd like to offer to pay more tax, and i would like you, my local representative, to campaign for an increase in taxation at next years local elections!

something else that occurs is that the distaste for centres of excellence, which of course doesn't come from patients like rebecca o' malley, might emanate from relations of the unwell who don't want to travel large distances to visit!

of course the poor turnout at the protest could have been down to congenital laziness.

No comments: