Time to front up: lead the Garda – wear the boots, Nóirín

MANY people complain about Americanisation contaminating our Hiberno-English language which, one way and another, we have been speaking for some 400 years.

But American-English has delivered some very pithy and useful gems which enrich our conversations. Among my favourites is: “Comes with the territory.”

The most popular theory about the origin of this one is that it dates from the heyday of commercial travellers criss-crossing the United States moving vast arrays products into small shops. The reality of their lives was that there was heap of writing-up to be done at the end of a long day when they checked into their modest commercial hotel.

“A lot of paperwork to be done in the evening? Well, it comes with the territory.”

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan has got herself into a considerable spot of bother as she prepares to go on her long, prebooked holidays just as the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee (PAC) delivers a very critical report about accounting failures at An Garda Síochána’s training college in Templemore.

It’s pretty rough stuff which yet again raises serious questions about standards among senior managers in our national police force. It adds to the demoralisation of the average garda who must, day on day, face citizens and feel his or her force is devalued in the public’s view.

But the Commissioner is about to head off on holiday.

Now, any decent family doctor will tell you that an annual break is not a luxury. Holidays are a necessity – not a luxury – and everybody needs them.

Ms O’Sullivan is no exception here.

In fact, there is a strong argument for saying the nation needs people in such difficult and sensitive jobs to go on holiday to keep them right, and the rest of us not becoming victim of wrong calls being made by somebody who is completely overwrought by work pressures.

So, is the Commissioner entitled to a pass here? Am I saying: the holidays are the holidays – and sod the begrudgers? I mean, she did book the time-off when this year 2017 was a mere banbh.

Simple answer is that I would dearly like to reach that conclusion. But it does not stack up.

The reality is that she has a really big job which comes with responsibilities. The term of her appointment has not been well-starred. Apart from the considerable series of problems confronting our force, we are amid change from old-style policing to something which must be seen to be more open and immediately accountable. But there’s a simpler imperative here: it’s called join the army – wear the boots.

In sumary, Ms O’Sullivan could have parked the holiday to front-up to this issue.

People in big jobs must live with the obligations that come with them