CoVid-19 Part VII - 169 cases ROI (2 deaths) 45 in NI (as of 15 March) *Read OP*

I honestly think Simon Harris and probably quite a few other Irish ministers for health have been given impossible tasks over the years. In business the role would be called 'a widow maker' as it's basically a job nobody can succeed in. The ones who escaped unharmed tended to either disappear out of the job very quickly, or back some positive public health measure like the Smoking Ban.

I'm not saying the policies have been great or that the reforms have been radical enough to make a big difference, but they've been generally very well intended and I honestly think the comparisons with right wing Tories and all of that is a bit nonsensical. The system is a complex mess and has been for decades and needs radical reform.

All I could say is right now, he's doing a his best. He's communicating facts well and he's taken some pretty seriously tough decisions in the face of what are often very powerful vested interests and we haven't melted down into some kind of chaotic mess, as is apparently happening in some of our peer countries.

If out of this horror, a true public health system somehow emerges at least that will be something we can chalk down to the legacy of this nightmare.

Sometimes a crisis like this can be what changes a system. It's how the NHS emerged after WWII.

On a personal level though, I wish him well and hope we all succeed in this, no matter what nuance of Irish politics we're looking in at this from, we're all on the same page when its comes to this.

completedit wrote: »

Looks like we will be okay I reckon.

Thanks. I feel reassured Dr. Completedit. I was really waiting on your thoughts on the situation as they carry a lot of weight.