Accountability applies to you too Fr Healy, so stop throwing stones

IN PUBLIC, his word is usually taken as gospel, so when social justice campaigner Fr Seán Healy found himself in the unusual position of being questioned by top public servant Robert Watt, he hit back, accusing Mr Watt of being aggressive.

Trust Fr Healy, pictured, to be so melodramatic. Mr Watt, the secretary general at the Department of Public Expenditure, was merely attempting to hold the clergyman to account. He’s a key player in the nation’s finances, so he’s free to speak up when he wants, without fear of being chastised by Fr Healy for being too ‘political’ for a public servant.

And talking about people in glasshouses throwing stones – surely the same could be said of Fr Healy being too political for a man of God? He’s a persuasive campaigner against poverty and inequality but it’s a mistake to expect obeisance from all corners. When you appeal constantly to emotion rather than logic, you’re also asking for trouble.

Fr Healy was a constant fixture during the crash, complaining about the paltry amount of tax we pay compared to Europeans, despite statistics showing workers being squeezed dry. He always stuck to his guns, not even backing down when economists countered that we had a progressive tax system. He uses elastic terms like ‘living wage’ or ‘relative poverty’ interchangeably and always to pull at our heartstrings and convince us it’s the State’s duty to provide everything.

There is no denying that there’s too much inequality in the country but it’s fresh thinking that some of our gravest problems need rather than more money. There are also positives, loath though Fr Healy is to admit it. As Mr Watt said, our longer life expectancy is a real sign of progress and of how the health service works so well in certain areas. It’s not all doom and gloom, even if Fr Healy talks as if we’re all going to hell in a handcart.

FAIR due to Aldi for its new school uniform packs of two polo shirts, jumper and trousers or skirt for a grand total of €5. That’s an excellent price but is it good value? It’s one thing to make a low-cost uniform but the jury’s still out on a €5 uniform that withstands continuous wear and tear and repeated washing.