Minister Jack Hackett

Fr Jack Hackett will be the inspiration for the next Minister for Health, no matter who he or she is. You’ll see why in a minute.
First of all, read the health sections of the election manifestos of the six main political parties. If you’re not cynical beforehand, you will be afterwards.
The two government parties had 10 years to do this stuff, so why are they falling over themselves in the dying hours of their administration to say how they will revolutionise the health service?
As for the four opposition parties, they have to be given some benefit of the doubt because they haven’t been in power for 10 years or more. But if elected, do you think the results they achieve will be anywhere near what they promised? Really?
Firstly, many of the the six parties’ promises will require negotiations with doctors, nurses and other health professionals. So, no problem there then.
Secondly, why aren’t each of these promises costed individually? Easy to promise, not so easy to deliver.
Finally, if anything goes wrong, the Minister will tell the Dáil that these are matters for the Health Service Executive. Funny how Ministers hand the ball to the HSE when they are about to have a herd of angry interest groups or opposition politicians tackle them and stomp them into the ground, but the same Ministers will strut around like champs, claiming the praise, when they get a good result.
So much for taking responsibility for their election promises!
Which brings us back to our Fr Ted character. Remember when Fr Ted trained Fr Hackett to repeat the phrase ‘That would be an ecumenical matter’ if he was asked questions by visiting priests, so he wouldn’t embarrass everyone?
The new Minister for Health, whoever they are, will use a similar phrase, albeit a rambling one, repeated ad nauseum, to avoid awkaward questions: “The question relates to the funding, management and delivery of health and personal social services, which are the responsibility of the Health Service Executive under the Health Act, 2004. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued…” BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.