Why Bother Having Expert Advisors?

A report in today’s Guardian concerning the free availability of anti-virals to treat the symptoms of swine ‘flu.

Before I left for my holiday in Ireland in mid July it seemed that the population was going to succumb to this dread plague but in the nick of time Gordon and his chums had come to the rescue with that most Blairite of concepts, the helpline. Just phone the helpline, repeat the symptoms that everyone knows off by heart thanks to the media bombardment, and send your “flu friend” to the Pharmacy to collect your Tamiflu. No mention of side effects or of whether you really NEED the antivirals or the benefit to the population of taking the medication.

As I suspected at the time, it was a knee jerk reaction by politicians to assuage the public. Why bother appointing experts in their field if you are going to take decisions based on what the daily Mail might say? In Ireland, during the UK’s foot and mouth outbreak, there was a minister for Agriculture called Joe Walsh whose family were farmers, who had studied agriculture and who truly understood the devastation that would be caused should the disease get into the country’s herds. He succeeded. Can’t imagine the UK ever having a minister who truly understood his brief as well as Mr Walsh did.

Here’s the article: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/16/swine-flu-tamiflu-helpline-paracetamol

Here’s another Joe Walsh (and another hero).