‘Tragi-Theatre’ show

Dear Editor,

One surely has to lament and lambast the ongoing improvisatory quality of Government Covid response, a tragi-comedy without the comedy. Any budding theatre critic could easily illuminate the amateurish contradictions, fallacies, oversights and overall performance ineptitude of the incumbent ‘mosaical’ coalition of party apparatchiks, rookie ministers and overpaid advisors, etc.

The headline act would conjure such critical sharp riposte to the downbeat and debilitating ‘theatrical’ fiasco masquerading as leadership in a crisis. What, with puerile jousts against the people who happen to know a thing or two about viral epidemiology (i.e. NPHET); the reckless disregard of risk in the face of sound advice (i.e. Christmas relaxation measures); the incomprehensible laissez-faire approach to quarantine management (i.e. paltry border-travel controls) inter-alia ad nauseam, to say nothing of constant mischievous leaking of half-baked policy protocols and undermining commentary, the whole shebang conjures tragedy in real time.

Of course, the political classes have always loved the ‘stage’ no matter what chaos prevails...., the bright lights of constant media coverage fostering electoral advantage, career enhancement and eventual pension-perks etc. It’s ‘showtime’ most of the time for them, but alas in a pandemic such shallow aspirational roles are totally redundant and ‘off-stage useless’. Needless attributes that merely sicken and stymie any residual hope in the valley.

Improvisation at a time when there’s already a tried and tested script that works” (aka New Zealand, Australia et al) offers zero entertainment, mere angst-ridden flux and entropy. Not the stuff of any worthy national theatre, or the Dáil ‘Hippodrome’ for that matter. The blindingly obvious is being trumped and travestied by the blinding derogation of logic and leadership.

Curtains, please, this show must not go on !

Yours etc., Jim Cosgrove, Chapel Street,

Lismore, Co. Wateford