HEARTBEAT: I am afraid that I might be in the process of evolving into an angry old man. This Monday I awoke to a beautiful spring day, enough to lighten the heart, and renew the spirit. I walked into Blackrock, past lines of vehicles held up by the road works on Rock Road and I pitied the occupants. It turned out that I pitied too soon.
I bought my Irish Times, (you'd think they'd give me a freebee) and a politically incorrect doughnut and wandered home again for my coffee as I perused the happenings in the big bad world.
As usual on a Monday I started with the happenings recounted in the sports section. The results of the weekend in all the various codes were recounted in some detail, and you knew that all of this was important and belonged to the real world. I then turned to the main section with its mixture of news, comment, letters etc. and I envied once more the professional journalists, their perception, and easy facility of expression. Mind you, that isn't to say that I or any of us agree with all opinions expressed. We are all entitled to our opinions, delusions, or worse.
A case in point over the week end was the endless analysis concerning the murder of Mr Donaldson in Donegal. I am a simple soul and for me "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck", then in all probability, it is a duck. Accordingly anguished appeals that such events should not disturb the "peace process", cut little ice with me and I suspect a large majority of both communities on this island.
Similarly when later in the day some gentlemen stole a few bottles of vodka near Mullingar, we hear that it should be ignored for the greater good. I don't believe that and as we know peace at any price can be costly, as Mr Chamberlain found in 1938. Our problems North and South can only be addressed by honest people, respecting each other's positions, and trying to reach understanding and shared ground. We can do without the murderers and gangsters.
The paper this morning contained a third section, entitled Public Service Excellence. This was stated to be a Special Report in association with the Department of the Taoiseach. Furthermore there was also, a little logo, with the motto, Rialtas nios Fearr or Better Government. I began to get a bad feeling and looked anxiously for the familiar, "advertising feature" proclamation. There was none.
Don't get me wrong. A strong, motivated, educated, public and civil service is the cornerstone of any properly functioning society. It is so with ours and most of the citizens acknowledge that fact. It is also a fact that in common with the rest of us, they are expected to move with the times and refresh their skills and knowledge. I wondered idly if these were the same civil and public servants who were to be uprooted from their homes and decentralised at the whim of a Government, for what looks suspiciously like perceived electoral gain.
I looked through this blatant advertisement, to see what earth shattering examples it contained. The first thing to strike me was that many of the achievements listed were with the aid of the voluntary sector.
These were instanced by the Hospice Foundation and by Croí, described as the West of Ireland Cardiology Foundation, which is a heart charity funded by voluntary contributions. Other lauded achievements, worthy as they might be, were hardly breathtaking, given the huge defects in the infrastructure of health, education, transport, and just about everything else.
There were two articles on achievement in Co Roscommon (my mother's county). One of these was on speech therapy and the provision of a centre of excellence in the county. A good programme and hopefully to be repeated in areas that do not already have something similar.
The second I loved, "Farmers have hearts", apparently involves taking health screening out to the cattle marts and lassoing the farmers and their ladies to make sure that they get the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Diet, nutrition, weight etc were all to be optimised and those corralled were to be revisited in six months to ensure there was to be no backsliding. We have a real live one here I thought, they're going to assess their activity levels. They're farmers for God's sake, does anybody out there think they spend the day sitting on their arses?
This is distressingly familiar. Does anybody out there remember the Kilkenny Heart Project? I had better stop right there, otherwise the epidemiologists will descend en masse from their Nirvana in Cloud Cuckooland and place yet another fatwa upon me.
At this point I'd like to return to the letters page and address the comments made by Prof Ivan Perry (March 27th) in response to one of my columns. Yes, I know Prof Perry that you all have saved half the world, and, given a little more time, you will save it all. In the meantime, I recommend those sick to go to their doctor and not await the second coming. Furthermore Prof Perry, I never advocated smoking and I do actually know quite a lot about heart disease, as I have spent nearly all my professional life dealing with same. Unashamedly I admit, however, that I and my colleagues would not claim that we know the cause or causes on a scientific level, with any certainty.
However, I humbly admit that tweaking the epidemiological tail was unkind and unworthy and in conclusion quote Dr William Harvey in his seminal treatise De Motu Cordis et Sanguine, when he wrote " to return evil speaking with evil speaking, however, I hold to be unworthy in a philosopher and searcher after the truth". Perhaps Voltaire would be more apt "the art of war is like that of medicine, murderous and conjectural".
Maurice Neligan is a cardiac surgeon.