Sick joke...Horse and hats ...Cromwell's crimes...Rip off...

l Surely it must be a sick joke? A group of Irish TDs going to Outer Mongolia to help with the health service (Irish Independent, July 19). Hundreds of patients on trolleys? Long waiting lists? Patients dying of preventable infections? Closed wards? Ban on recruiting front-line workers? Two-tier system? Lots and lots of expensive reports never acted on? Yes, we have a lot to teach the unfortunate Mongolians. l I could not believe my eyes when I saw the front page picture of Pippa O'Connor being thrown from a horse while launching the RDS Horse Show. Both horse and rider are very lucky to be relatively unhurt and perhaps now, at long last, the RDS will adopt a "riding hat at all times" policy. It infuriates me every year to see top show jumpers and their grooms riding around the exercise arenas with no hat, while I drum it... [read full story]