Monthly Archives: August 2009

In death there’s hope..

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First of all RIP Ted Kennedy. His was an epic life all the more wonderous for the shadow of those around him. A contrast of sorts, a frequent communicant who championed the liberal agenda, a Kennedy who never became president, a legislator beyond excellence. Fabled by his famous older brothers he carved his own destiny and now casts a long shadow of his own over US and indeed world affairs.

Whilst the particular era perhaps ended long ago, there was still a tragic finality in reading that Senator Kennedy’s remains were being flown to Arlington national cemetary after the Boston service, to be laid beside his brothers Jack and Bobby Kennedy in the family plot. Three brothers now all in the ground.

Edward Kennedy did have one shot at the presidency of course, in 1980 when he was beaten for the Democratic nomination, in what he knew then must be his last attempt, he made a poignant post ballot speech, for a man who saw the hopes slip from his grasp only a few hours before but raised himself for the hopes of many and delivered a historic concession “the dream will never die”..

On a slightly brighter note, and am sure the man himself would grant a wry smile, I noted in a side column how the hopefuls are already gathering to contest the now vacant senate seat left behind. Of course with a full slate of legislative progress to be made and at times stormy assembly, that extra Democrat seat cannot be left idle for long. Not that the aspirants will mind an accelerated progression process.

There’s a story told about the late Labour leader John Smith. His own funeral of course was the scene of fevered plotting with the celebrated Blair / Brown feud at full peak of which he would have wholeheartedly approved. On hearing of a bereavement in the ranks, after making the appropriate noises and a suitable solemnity to the relatives, he would turn to his confidantes and allow a sparkle in the eye and a rub of the hands as his thoughts darted to the by-election ahead and the selections to be made with his famous phrase ..  ”Where there’s death there’s hope” …

Comments please..

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Hello everybody. I’ve been blogging since late 2007 and have received a nomination in each year for the ‘Blog Awards’, the 2010 instalment of which is almost upon us. Each year I’ve received a citation and made the long list which is nice in itself but I haven’t yet reached the critical mass which would propel me onto a shortlist or get people to take notice.  Partly I write because it’s therapeutic, partly because I often have strong views which I feel the need to release upon the world, but in a large part I write for feedback. I want to know what people think, do people agree or disagree, am I on the money or off the wall. Comments (feedback) are the lifeblood of blogging. I would like to know that someone is out there. A blog needs to have dialogue for it to be real. Otherwise I might as well write a closed book diary.

So I’m making an appeal. If you like this blog or if it provokes you in any way please say so.  Just try leaving a comment after you read a post. Tell your friends, spread the word. Lionise or lacerate, your choice.  But either way I’d love to hear your views..

PS To those of you who already comment thankyou it is much appreciated.

The baby and the bathwater

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I read two opposing accounts on the controversy in US healthcare this weekend and ironically enough I agreed with both. One was contained within the ‘Open Door’ magazine, a catholic pamphlet that is generally picked up on the way out of church (although this particular copy caught my eye in Tesco Maynooth), the other was in the UK Guardian, a left-leaning publication not normally given to religious regards.

Obama’s health service plans are in the news at present of course, as a debate ranges in the States over his plans to replace the current insurance only system with a national program for state cover. Some right wing critics in the States have seized upon supposed failures of the British public (or socialised as they say) health system to beat the reforming ideas of the new Healthcare push.

The ‘Open Door’ led with a front page missive upon the sanctity of human life and railed against the evils of disconnected secular beauracracies and the spectres of ‘death doctors’, putative panels with deity like powers on life and death. Forced euthanasia and mass abortions were cited as catastrophic consequences of socialised system.

I agreed with the author in the sense that I too would regard such consequences as apoclayptic if they were indeed to happen and I would very much concur with the author’s view on the sanctity of human life. However neither am I convinced that such things are contained within the healthcare package, rather a case of misrepresentation.

Which allowed me to find common cause with a quite different assessment of the plans contained within the Guardian newspaper this weekend, one which defended the plans and vilified the state-side critics. Private healthcare at the extreme as practised in many ways in the states literally is a life and death sitation for those caught in the middle. In this case of course ability to pay is the decider rather than either man or god which is a far less christian conundrum altogether.

Whilst many conservatives may take issue with Obama’s pro-choice views I believe such considerations to be misplaced at the heart of this debate. I believe him to be a fundamentally good man (in every sense including the classic biblical connotation of the word) and I believe the Democrats to be a good party. So Whilst I empathatise with the concerns of the religous orders, I fear the financial fire power of the US insurers is skewing the debate on many axes and for far baser motives, thus obscuring the real benefits the plan can bring at a very fundamental and christian level. As much as God must want to protect the unborn child, equally he must want to protect the poor sick and needy. So let’s get the balance right with an informed debate, but let’s make sure we throw out neither the baby nor the bathwater…