Nicholas Laughlin's blog etc.

At last, a fella with some common sense (from the letters page in today's Express):

Imbert 'right' man for Security job

THE EDITOR: Everyone is calling for the resignation of Mr. Chin Lee because he is perceived as being out of his league as Minister of National Security. However, no one is considering the next question — Who is to replace him?

Therefore I would like to recommend to the Prime Minister, should he decide to let go of his pride and replace Mr. Chin Lee, that the Minister of National Security should be Colm Imbert.

Mr. Imbert is doing a fantastic job as Health Minister. He has shown innovation and foresight in deciding that a one-month contract is sufficient security for a doctor (in fact I think he should recommend that it be used for Government Ministers as well). He always has a back-up plan — if the doctors do not quit their "strike" (though technically the contractless doctors are unemployed and therefore do not have to show up for work) he will replace them with Cuban doctors (presumably English-speaking). Finally, he has shown himself to have a spine of steel in presiding over the collapse of the health care service, all the while insisting that hospitals are still functioning — despite the fact that he has never had cause to actually use those hospitals. After all, he is safe in the knowledge that should he ever require medical treatment he can always go to Cuba like his Prime Minister and never have to spend a single hour in one of the health facilities that he runs.

Emile Enightoola