Utopia

Working in the civil service the last 6 months has been an eye-opener for me, not just in terms of learning about the workings of local politics, but also of realising how utopian my own view of - "the way things should be" - is.

It amuses me that looking out from the inside, people are actually very fearful of the government (although it shouldn't surprise me <>). Literally. You say jump & they jump.

Another thing that I've realised (and here , I admit that I have been rather naive) is how powerful "The Government" is. Example: I attended a meeting today where there was discussion over how to manage a potential national problem. The meeting was attended by consultants, heads of department, very respectable & knowledgeable people in their fields. And yet, they raised the issue that without support & "recommendations" from the government, their suggestions on how to handle this problem would be moot as the administrators would rather look at the bottom line! Amazing.

My view of medicine is : if it's right, do it. However, when you are within the political system, this view has to change to: if it's right, do it in a politically correct way, although it may mean do it differently. Confounding to me, but I guess I have to live with the system & lower my ideals.