1997 - 7,000 Administrators employed in Irish health service across ten health boards.2008 - 18,000 Administrators employed in the Irish health service across a single Health Service Executive.Conclusion: Sack no less than 12,000 of those Administrators.1980 - Number of acute hospital beds in Ireland for a population of 3 million - 18,0002008 - Number of acute hospital beds in Ireland for a population of 4 million - 12,000Conclusion: We need at least 3,000 more beds in our acute hospitals, no matter what state the economy is in....
Looks like there might be a return of the late, lamented Home Nations Championship.The football competition, which was suspended in the early Eighties because England got fed up being beaten by Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, is set for a much welcome return on a biennial knock-out competition basis, rather than the previous league format.And like the cherry on top of the cake, since England don't want to take part and no one else wants England to take part, the Republic of Ireland have been invited to join discussions.The result: hopefully a vibrant Celtic Cup international tournament beginning in two years time.I can't wait. If only Lawrie could have stayed on......
In these days of erratic international football results either side of the border, who is a good Northern Nationalist to support?On the one hand, we have Stan the Man's merry brigade of wasters, scraping past the mighty Wales and San Marino with all the aplomb and grace of a hippo on ice.Nary a Northerner among them of course. Which might indeed be the problem.On the other, there's always Lawrie Sanchez's green and white army, casually wallopping four past the oppo, stuffing teams like England and Spain for fun.But could a good Nationalist truly consider supporting a partitionist team, even if their football association is the original one on the island, given the crazed Loyalist backing the team gets at that bastion of mutual understanding, Windsor Park?The answer to this question is, as...