Was anyone at the demonstration today? Was it party politicking, or a genuine expression of public exasperation?

All too busy posting?

If it was anything like the one I was at in Ennis last summer then I'd guess party politicking half in disguise. You don't see Fianna Failers at them - if they weren't party partisan then you might. Having said that there have been a lot of meetings in Clare about Ennis hospital and I'm sure the local TDs Tony Kileen and Timmy Dooley were at plenty but probably got barracked out of it and didn't turn up to the Grand Parade.

I reckon what FG are doing could be useful - a self-financed audit of the HSE then publish all the figures in a booklet - every penny the doctors earn, every report they can on the cleanliness of hospitals in relation to hospitals and systems elsewhere.

FG have enough money to do this. Despite all the Tribunal stuff they certainly have the time. Otherwise I'm supporting the view that they are happily, cozily in Opposition, happily picking up the paychecks...

I'm not getting a lot of hop out of this one, am I? I noticed too on P.ie a low level of response to any health threads.

I think it is a serious miscalculation to ignore health as a political issue.
Just my opinion, but at the end of the day, it was health and education that scuppered the Tories and ushered in the regime change to the Blair Group of Companies - even though Blair did not make many promises on health, it was the gut feeling that the Conservative Party would not and could not look after the health services that brought their long reign to an end.

The difference here perhaps is that the Church still controls a big slice of the services and there isnt the same history of the T.U.s linked with the Labour Party getting big improvements in access to health services as in the UK.
Do the public sense that there is no real will in the opposition to tackle health services and put them right? And is that really why we are still landed with Bertie?

cactus flower wrote:

I'm not getting a lot of hop out of this one, am I? I noticed too on P.ie a low level of response to any health threads.

I think it is a serious miscalculation to ignore health as a political issue.
Just my opinion, but at the end of the day, it was health and education that scuppered the Tories and ushered in the regime change to the Blair Group of Companies - even though Blair did not make many promises on health, it was the gut feeling that the Conservative Party would not and could not look after the health services that brought their long reign to an end.

The difference here perhaps is that the Church still controls a big slice of the services and there isnt the same history of the T.U.s linked with the Labour Party getting big improvements in access to health services as in the UK.
Do the public sense that there is no real will in the opposition to tackle health services and put them right? And is that really why we are still landed with Bertie?

To be Blunt Cactus - everybody gives out about the health service on the doorsteps on the media etc etc - its like the weather - but when they have a serious opportunity to do something about it - ie an election - they cop out and vote with their pockets - problem is nobody believes that anybody else can do any better with the health service and the Me Feiner United line up that works in it -and secondly the minute somebody tries to change the status quo - everybody freaks out - thus nothing changes.

Given the opportunity -everybody will complain about it - who wants to come across as a seflish NAZI on the doorstep in being honest and saying to keep their taxes low and they'll take their chances with the health service by going private.

BTW - if everybody who gave out to me about the health service and what a rubbish job FF/PDs were doing about it before the last election - had voted on it - FG would have won all 166 seats in the Dail.
Irish people are used to shite services and treating the public purse and agencies as a FAS employment scheme - they'll vote with their pockets.

I totally agree with you on an election - by election basis.
What happened in the UK was a very very slow build up of dissatisfaction and the minute anyone appeared who looked like a possibly viable alternative there was a landslide. In any event we are in for a very bumpy ride on the economic front and the pockets will be feeling much lighter