The nurses thing

I’m trying not to snap completely about this, which I know would be out of character, but the situation with the nurses’ strike is driving me round the twist.

Let’s look beyond the facts such as what they’re asking for (shock, horror, a 35 hour week! never!!), and the response of the government (fairly typical level of not giving a cr*p) and take a moment to observe the responses from the public.

Randomer 1, “I really didn’t notice a difference, the nurses were still doing all the most important work, still clearly caring for their patients as much as ever and to be honest if not answering the phone is what they need to do to get fair treatment then so be it.”

Randomer 2, “I was waiting 6 hours to be even seen whatever about being treated, this is an absolute joke, the nurses have no right to disrupt the health service like this. They’re a disgrace”

We’ll call Randomer 1 the “Nurses Rock” approach, and Randomer 2 the “Deluded person who hasn’t been near a hospital in the last three years”  or “Clueless Begrudger” approach.

The Nurses Rock approach observes a few key issues that many seem ready and willing to ignore. Firstly, that nurses do rock (it really is that simple). They work their asses off, they do the kind of things most of us can’t imagine, and most of all they look after us when we’re at our weakest. Even if it’s just coming and bringing you a glass of water. As someone who had the grand misfortune of being hospitalised not once but twice last year, I can categorically state that Nurses Rock.

On the other hand, Clueless Begrudger is the embodiment of what the government must surely be hoping for. Rather than antagonising the electorate into voting the current lot out, this could go horribly wrong. What if everyone who visits an A&E department in the next month seriously believes that the delays are because nurses aren’t answering the phone? Bertie must be soiling himself with glee at the idea of getting away with what is tantamount to murder (in the dreadfully literal sense) and managing to blame it all on the nurses. Damn them.

Not to mention damn those unions. Unions are the cause of all the problems in the world, don’t you know. A few days ago someone tried to convince me that Dublin Bus was a dysfunctional  and pitifully unreliable service ‘because of the unions’.

Uhuh. Yup. That’s clearly the problem.

As of tomorrow, the nurses will step up their campaign by having a one-hour stoppage in two hospitals. “Certain elements within the media” (I do love that euphemism) will go mad, and claim the whole country is being held to ransom. These ‘certain elements’ will overlook the fact that they will of course still attend to emergency cases, and that they will of course do everything they can to ensure the welfare of their patients is not affected. Why? Because Nurses Rock.

I fully understand the views of the families of seriously ill people who quite rightly might be panicking, and getting angry, and trying to find someone to blame. I won’t try to get around the fact that some people may well be infuriated by what’s going on and I won’t try to placate that group of people. But those who are being slightly delayed in having a random benign mole removed, or having a few veins removed (hee hee) or whatever - give them a break. Give them an hour. Because they have given you a whole lot more.