Hospitals, houses, hooligans and hooch

Poor Leo. Poor Donald. Can either of them get anything done? Remember Obama and the enormous expectations he faced? The wheels of change grind very slowly. It was frustrating during the Obama years. It is reassuring during the Trump months. It feels more personal when it is Varadkar in charge.

I asked people at the weekend had anything of substance changed since Leo took over.

I was met with silence. Some felt it gave Ireland a good image. One felt that “he was streets ahead” of the last few Taoisigh. All vaguely positive, but that doesn’t butter any parsnips.

I wish him well. Some day we will wake up to Leo doing a Theresa May and asking us for a thumping great majority. He is sure to prepare better.

I trust he has someone in the team listening to local radio. The people who don’t get to “Talk to Joe” talk to the locals. Daily. Some are whingers. Most are not. Methinks they are a better barometer of the mood of the people than the experts.

Three issues dominate. None was covered by the ‘keep the recovery going’ nonsense.

I checked the list of Ministers for Health to see who has presided over the quarter century of trolleys and lengthening waiting lists.

Howlin, Woods, Noonan, Harney, Cowen, Martin, Reilly, Varadkar, Harris. No shortage of talent there.

In “Angola” work practices are as resistant to change as MRSA is to antibiotics. No one noticed that if doctors and nurses can earn more in better conditions in other countries then, amazingly, many will choose to do so. Improved medicine means people live longer. Good news. Pity it wasn’t included in the plans.

I remember when homelessness affected a few unfortunate people who ended up on the streets. That has increased hugely. So also has the number of families being reared in entirely unsuitable hotel accommodation. More fortunate are the hard-working children stuck living with their parents (and vice versa) when they should have left the nest. You don’t have to worry about the in-laws visiting these days. They are asleep in the next bedroom. There is something terribly wrong with a society where model citizen twenty-somethings cannot afford to rent or buy living space to begin families.

Thirdly, ordinary decent people, and apparently airline passengers also, are tortured by anti-social behaviour.

People are afraid to walk in parks because of drunken louts. Litter is thrown for someone else to deal with. Alcohol is at the centre of much of the behaviour.

Forget drugs. Our problem is legal. It’s alcohol. You will get good change from €20 and you are rarely more than five minutes from a legal supplier.

Good luck Leo. I mean it.