Friday, January 1, 2010

2010 and into the future


And so, we start afresh, its a new year with new chalenges. All the best to all readers in MMX and I hope all of us have a happy and productive, progressive year.

We are facing an uncertain political future on the Island, and while Iceland have implimented their version of a national recovery plan, with safeguards and support for citizens, we have yet to do that.

I hope this situation may be recovered, but it does not look good.

As a political blog, one must comment on the recent sad news of Minister Lenihans Pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

My sincere sympathy does go out to Brian Lenihan, and I found the manner in which Irelands TV3 broke the news was distasteful - the news of his illness would have been better as a press release.
Whatever I may have written about Mr Lenihan - or other TD's - in this blog must be seen not as personal anomosity but as observational critcism.

The fact is the survival rate for pancreatic cancer sufferers is low, but hopefully it was caught early and he can undergo surgery and chemo.
Someone facing such a serious illness should - at a time like this - ask to be relieved of his duties, if even only on a temporary basis.
Minister Lenihan and Minister Martin have both been named as likley successors to Brian Cowen in a future FF power struggle. Indeed, one feels the Lenihan dynasty felt it was Brians destiny to lead the troops of FF.
In light of the recent diagnosis it gives an only too human face to political observations.

It is both sad on a human level and a cause of anxiety at a national level that after FF drove through the NAMA legislation the person charged with implimentation is now very seriously ill.
TV3's sugarcoating of the NAMA legislation was also unwelcome as they reviewed the ministers career - to date one hopes
- but just because someone is gravley ill does not suddenly mean that their decisions in the past cannot be questioned.

We as a people have a right, and an obligation as citizens to continue to question, and demand, real political action on the issues that matter to us.

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