Private versus public begrudgery does great damage we can ill afford

LISTENING to Joe Duffy’s Liveline programme the other day, you’d really wonder what’s going on in the country.

I’ve seldom heard such bitterness, accusations being thrown all over the place, people getting hurt and angry as if some major pain or loss was being inflicted.

And the issue under discussion? It was the discovery that a lot of public servants are allowed to avail of two “privilege days” in addition to their holidays. The airways got so heated you’d think a major scandal had been uncovered.