Marking Time

Irish Rail regrets any inconvenience caused due to the late arrival of this train.

This is a familiar refrain over the tannoy to regular rail commuters in Ireland. I question the sincerity of the regret. If they were truly sorry they would be falling over themselves to pay me back the fare. And they’re not the only ones at it. Up and down the country the service industry fobs off consumers with a token apology whenever they mess up or fail to live up to their promises. We’ve heard so many apologies that their value is meaningless. The upper echelons of our government are abusing the tactic wholesale. Exhibit A:

Ms Harney began her 30-minute speech with a series of apologies: to the patients of Portlaoise for the anguish and distress that had been caused, to the nine women whose breast cancer treatment was delayed and to 97 women who found out about their ultrasound scans being reviewed via an Oireachtas health committee.

Irish Independent, 28 March 2007

People have died due to negligence by the HSE. Mary Harney stands up in the Dáil, apologises, feels terrible about all the hurt and pain, sheds a few tears, appeals to the opposition to leave her alone, then sits down and starts playing with her mobile phone. People have died due to negligence by the HSE. No one will resign. No one will be fired. No one will go to jail. People have died due to negligence by the HSE.

I would like to feel sorry for Mary Harney and her troubles. My heart would like to bleed. But given the state of the health service it’s a luxury I cannot afford.

• Most Sincerely Folks: Moses Basket Case
  “Let My People Go -and run their own bleedin’ schools.”�
  (tags: Ireland education religion)

“The irony for me is that last week we had marches on the streets in local communities saying that we dare not touch their cancer services as part of the transformation programme, and this week we face into a Portlaoise situation where we’re being blamed for not having changed it.”

Prof. Brendan Drumm, 5th Nov. 2007

Aside from the crassness of the remark and the boot-boy tactics of blaming the victims, I’m wondering where in the HSE decision-making process that the public has a say? How are we holding up the progress to the promised land? Oh yeah we have marches but where do these have any impact on the machinations of the bureaucracy? Perhaps in the wee small hours, when Professor Drumm feels a tinge of guilt that he might not have fully earned his €80,000 bonus, he can rest assured that the ignorant population brought the misery on themselves despite his valiant efforts. We’re certainly not seeing the impact of people power anywhere else.

Brendan, if you want us to share the blame how about you share some of the bonus? But that wouldn’t be ironic, would it?

Some more added to the derelict set.

• Fiche Focal: Lack of Trust in Government is Killing Labour
  “More money is needed but we simply aren’t prepared to pay […] so we better get used to the crap.”
  (tags: Irish Politics)
• Gavin’s Blog: “I don’t have a driving licence because I don’t drive.”
  “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies”
  (tags: Irish Politics)
• O’ Conall Street : Where to for progressive politics in Ireland?
  “There is a gaping need for progressive, centre left politics because there is a huge difference between talking the talk and walking the walk.”
  (tags: Irish Politics)

On a warm and sunny Sunday we take to the Burren Ramble, an annual event in aid of the RNLI. Through six miles of field, forest, and bog we trek in our hundreds, stopping briefly at the highest point to survey the Burren, Galway bay, the Twelve Bens and the Maamturks, and the Aran Islands, before heading to the well for a packed lunch of sandwiches and tea as we are serenaded by two tenors, a flautist, and a local folk song sung to the tune of Galway Bay.

On the way we saw some horses.
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