Dear Sir... Readers' Views (06/01/17)
Politicians must own their bad decisions
I’ve just returned from a Christmas trip back to see family in Ireland and I noticed two things that (to me) perfectly summed up all that is still wrong in Ireland and why, despite everything, nothing has changed.
The first is that apparently it’s now the right time for the government to pay for Brian Cowen to sit for his official taoiseach portrait, which is likely to cost in the region of €20,000.
While I don’t begrudge Mr Cowen having a portrait, I do begrudge it being paid for by taxpayers who were forced to make sacrifices that were baulked at by people like Mr Cowen, whose failures as minister for finance and taoiseach led to the economic collapse of the country. If Mr Cowen had a shred of decency or embarrassment over what he did to his country, then he would pay for the portrait out of his own ample, taxpayer-funded pension. It’s not like he can’t afford it.
The second thing is a small point but very revealing. While out for a walk around the city to see what had changed, I found myself walking down Kildare St past Leinster House. But at 11am on December 30 who should I see pulling out of the Dáil carpark in their flash new car but a former Fine Gael minister for education Gemma Hussey. Given she is almost 80 it is unlikely she was there for work reasons. So I can only assume she was using the carpark because as a former TD she has the privilege of free parking for life in the centre of Dublin and she was using it while doing some shopping or meeting friends.
The mentality of people like her and Mr Cowen tells you everything you need to know about why Ireland is going to crash and burn again. Fixing an incompetent policy decision making process is one thing but changing the mentality of the people involved in that process is a whole different matter and even now the mentality of entitlement displayed by Mr Cowen and Ms Hussey is as strong as ever.
No doubt Ms Hussey, and the many politicians like her, will be outraged at the cheek of me for calling her out. But her outrage is not good enough because every cent of cost incurred by her actions is a cent not available to provide services to people with real needs. It’s not good enough that all of the sacrifices were made from the bottom up when all of the mistakes were made from the top down.
Even though they served in government at different times, both Mr Cowen and Ms Hussey made poor decisions that had real consequences (and still do) for other people but not them of course because their children and grandchildren won’t need to depend on the public health or education system, or struggle for a deposit.
Loosen purse strings for the health service
The need to provide step-down rehabilitation services to deliver ongoing therapeutic programmes to individuals with disabilities, including acquired brain injury on discharge from acute hospital care or medical rehabilitation has been identified as a priority service for development.
In the case of acquired brain injury, this service will provide the appropriate therapeutic programmes to enable those with cognitive impairment and psycho-social functioning problems to make the transition from hospital to the community.
I learned a lot from attendance at a conference in Skerries, Co Dublin on the health problems referred to.
Needless to say, because these conditions are generally acquired in adolescence or early adult years, significant psychological strain is placed on the family and the ongoing care and support required by the individual and his or her family needs to be addressed within the community support services.
There is a need for the provision for specialist units, providing constant nursing care, for some individuals with severe acquired brain injury. Such specialised units would also provide respite care. I recall back in 2003, we had similar health problems and the then minister for health, Micheál Martin, approved €92m, under the national development plan for services for people with physical and sensory disabilities. I have every confidence the present Health Minister, Simon Harris, will deliver the goods, but government must loosen its purse-strings and give our people the health service they deserve and not left waiting for years — with one leg in the grave.
Med mercy missions must be supported
Mr Clarke (Irish Examiner, Jan 3) seems to be embarrassed by what he describes as “an orgy of self congratulation” relating to the actions of the Naval Service in saving over 15,500 lives while on rescue ops in the Mediterranean. One would have thought that our Defence Forces were deserving of all the congratulations that ensued for their actions? Obviously Mr Clarke thinks otherwise.
Mr Clarke highlights his experience of being brought up in a fishing port, and “knows all about the dangers of the sea”. He states “that plucking people out of boats in the Med cannot be that distressing or traumatic for disciplined military personnel”.
If Mr Clarke had paid attention to the media reports he would have seen and heard that the people being plucked from the sea included migrant families with young children, and regardless of the training personnel receive, exposure to those conditions must have an affect on individuals post mission. Thankfully the Defence Forces have a support structure in place to deal with those issues if and when they arise following operations. Unlike Mr Clarke, Joe Public is extremely proud of the men and women of our Naval Service and we will continue to publicly congratulate personnel on their achievements as they do their duty in the Mediterranaen and elsewhere on our behalf.
Regardless of the politics of locating or dumping migrants into Italy, the operation in the Med is about saving lives and until Government’s get off their backsides and sort their priorities, the mission in the Med should continue to be supported by the Irish Government, on humanitarian grounds.
Unborn babies
Opponents of abortion argue that an unborn baby is a human being exactly the same as any other human being and deserves the same rights. In my opinion this clouds the issue by refusing to recognise that a baby in utero is part of the mother by virtue of the umbilical cord. An unborn baby’s life in the womb is contingent upon the life and health of the mother.
The philosophical argument that the two lives can be treated independently is nonsensical. This argument is only coherent after a baby has been born (ie, physically separated from his or her mother).
Look any pregnant woman in the eye and tell her that her unborn baby is not a part of her and she will not understand. Tell her that her unborn baby can be advocated for, in a court of law, independent of her own rights and she will know that the umbilical chord has already been cut.
Spreading a Cork tradition, one coin at a time
Last year you published a letter from me telling of my “distribution” of €1 “Hansel” good luck coins on January 1, 2016.
The rain was extremely heavy that morning. Your readers may recall my account of ringing the bell of a retirement home. The staff nurse who answered the bell was naturally a little hesitant to open the door when she saw a person outside, soaked from the heavy rain and wearing “shorts”.
It turned out the staff nurse was Polish. I explained with difficulty my “mission”. Finally she accepted the coin and thanked me.
This year as I approached the door of the retirement home I noticed a staff member prepareing to open the door.
It was the same staff nurse — but this year I was greeted with a big smile and the comment “I had a very good year thanks to your coin”.
(As Agnes Brown would say “That’s nice”.) After I issued this year’s good luck coin some other staff members (not Irish) arrived.
I informed them of the old Cork tradition of “Hansel” and they gratefully accepted a “good luck coin”.
The first person I met on January 1 was a West Cork man (jogging) visiting from Texas. He was unaware of this old Cork tradition but accepted the coin.
I met him again on January 4. He informed me he is heading back to Texas to-day but will carry the “lucky coin” with him.
Let us hope this old Cork tradition may bring so “luck” to those who accepted the “Hansel” coin.
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