Harney makes progress

[qtman]

Poorly funded due to an aversion to reasonable rates of income tax

Reasonable income tax rates are lower than the current ones and FLAT.

Maybe we shouldn't pay any income tax at all?

Inefficient due to the dispersal of acute services across a wide area

You would want a man in acute condition to wait several hours for an ambulance, instead of waiting in a hospital?

You want somebody to die simply because we don't have the volume of traffic through acute centres to develop the world class expertise and allow for investment in advanced care?

[tonys]

[quote=greengoose]

Mary Harney is the most effective health minister we ever had, while the three gobsh[size=7]1[/size]tes above would seem to be the best three ministers we never had. I would call you hurlers on the ditch, but you probably can’t hurl either.

Let's judge that one on results...

The results are already there, if you care to look.

Last look I had was in Blanchardstown Hospital. Not very impressive!

Well in all fairness I don’t think what you are or are not impressed with is a criterion we can use to judge a minister. Try waiting times for major surgery or improvements in A&E’s or ability to sort out the consultants or having backbone enough to face down the nurses just prior to an election or any other normal measure a minister might be judged on.

It would appear tht the consultants issue has not been resolved yet. As for waiting times, I think that waiting for results of cancer screening has not been too famous of late.[/quote:3bebynpx]So you’re going to wait until everything’s perfect in the health service before you make a judgment, sound man, you’re right up there with the usual standard of political thinking on this site.

[droghedasouth]

The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, said yesterday that driving tests will be available 'virtually on demand' by next spring.
He then clarified that he meant that the average waiting time would reduce from the current 22 week to 12 weeks by next spring.

Tonys uses the same dictionary when praising Mary Hearney and the other FFers (sic).

[White Horse]

You want somebody to die simply because we don't have the volume of traffic through acute centres to develop the world class expertise and allow for investment in advanced care?

At the moment I would settle for the provision of basic health care.

All this spin about "acute centre" and "world class enterprise" reminds me of our "knowledge based economy".

[tonys]

The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, said yesterday that driving tests will be available 'virtually on demand' by next spring.
He then clarified that he meant that the average waiting time would reduce from the current 22 week to 12 weeks by next spring.

Tonys uses the same dictionary when praising Mary Hearney and the other FFers (sic).

Tonys is very proud of the record of FF in government going all the way back to 1932, he realises that they’re far from perfect, but then he reasons, he doesn’t know anyone who is, so he finds “somewhat less then perfect” tolerable. What he can’t tolerate is posts from mental pygmies who from reading their contributions couldn’t organise a ride in a brothel much less run a government department, being hyper critical of an obviously able minister.

[Pauli]

The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, said yesterday that driving tests will be available 'virtually on demand' by next spring.
He then clarified that he meant that the average waiting time would reduce from the current 22 week to 12 weeks by next spring.

Tonys uses the same dictionary when praising Mary Hearney and the other FFers (sic).

Tonys is very proud of the record of FF in government going all the way back to 1932, he realises that they’re far from perfect, but then he reasons, he doesn’t know anyone who is, so he finds “somewhat less then perfect” tolerable. What he can’t tolerate is posts from mental pygmies who from reading their contributions couldn’t organise a ride in a brothel much less run a government department, being hyper critical of an obviously able minister.

I guess, tonys, that I am one of the mental pygmies you are referring to. If you are proud of this health service, that is of course your right. I find it difficult to identify anything in this pigs breakfast of a system that anybody could possibly be proud of except the standard of professional medical care and attention provided by those at the delivery end of the health service. And really only they should be entitled to feel proud.

As for Harney being "obviously able", I would agree only in that she is obviously able to spin any good news coming from the HSE to her advantage and bad news is left to the HSE to announce.

[Limerick Lad]

Tonys is very proud of the record of FF in government going all the way back to 1932, he realises that they’re far from perfect, but then he reasons, he doesn’t know anyone who is, so he finds “somewhat less then perfect” tolerable. What he can’t tolerate is posts from mental pygmies who from reading their contributions couldn’t organise a ride in a brothel much less run a government department, being hyper critical of an obviously able minister.

Tonys, one of the first signs of delusional thinking is referring to oneself in the third person.

[tonys]

Tonys is very proud of the record of FF in government going all the way back to 1932, he realises that they’re far from perfect, but then he reasons, he doesn’t know anyone who is, so he finds “somewhat less then perfect” tolerable. What he can’t tolerate is posts from mental pygmies who from reading their contributions couldn’t organise a ride in a brothel much less run a government department, being hyper critical of an obviously able minister.

Tonys, one of the first signs of delusional thinking is referring to oneself in the third person.

I was replying to a comment made about me rather than made to me, besides which I can refute your claim conclusively, for example from personal experience, when I wake up as Julius Caesar I never refer to myself in the third person, so there.

[droghedasouth]

The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, said yesterday that driving tests will be available 'virtually on demand' by next spring.
He then clarified that he meant that the average waiting time would reduce from the current 22 week to 12 weeks by next spring.

Tonys uses the same dictionary when praising Mary Hearney and the other FFers (sic).

Tonys is very proud of the record of FF in government going all the way back to 1932, he realises that they’re far from perfect, but then he reasons, he doesn’t know anyone who is, so he finds “somewhat less then perfect” tolerable. What he can’t tolerate is posts from mental pygmies who from reading their contributions couldn’t organise a ride in a brothel much less run a government department, being hyper critical of an obviously able minister.

In the case of Dempsey and Harney it is not a question of the ability.
No doubt you are also a mental collossus.

The point I am making is Dempsey perverts language when 'Virtually on demand' translates into an average waiting list of 12 weeks.
Given Dempsey's reputation for being straight-talking how are we to interpret the utterances of his less candid colleagues.

The obfuscations of your Dear Leader come to mind.