Readers' Blog: High time to hold our politicians accountable
Recently I saw a headline “More than 1 million awaiting hospital procedures” — I read the article expecting to see a reference to one of the many so-called Third World countries where I have worked over the years.
I was surprised to learn this referred to Ireland (one of the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world). This would be considered a “national scandal” in most countries. Not so in Ireland.
If we add to this the question of homelessness (more than 10,000 many say) including families — I must say the Irish people are very tolerant. Now we should add to this the banks.
When they got into trouble politicians jumped to their assistance (using taxpayers’ money of course) without thought of seeking the people’s approval.
Now the banks are turning the screws on people having difficulty maintaining mortgage repayments and selling many mortgages to so-called vulture funds. It seems politicians are not acting in the interests of the people. Politicians and senior civil servants have very little interest in working on behalf of the people of Ireland.
One major difference I find between Ireland and so-called Third World countries is that Ireland’s politicians and civil servants have not been held accountable for their actions. They sit back and wait for their “substantial” pensions to kick in.
In my opinion nothing will change in this regard until the people demand politicians and civil servants be held responsible/accountable for their actions.
