Banks come first!

THE Spanish government is pumping millions of euros into the Bankia bank but at the same time it is radically cutting back on health and education spending. It is a sign of the times. Banks need to be saved but health care can be sacrificed to prop-up the banking system. The Spanish government had little option but to mount a bank rescue mission but public opinion is against cutting back on health and education. In the Balearics the fact that two hospitals are to be closed continues to make the headlines everyday. I would say that the Balearic government has been rather stupid. It could have scaled back both hospitals and reduce spending in other areas. It must be a nightmare being in government at the moment. There is no money, economies are in recession and there is little or no light at the end of the tunnel. Governments have the awful task of trying to persuade the electorate of the need to close hospitals and schools because of the spending crisis. Their pleas often fall on deaf ears. The general concensus of opinion is that politicians should earn less and hospitals should stay open. And then they have to come to the rescue of a major bank. The task facing government will not get easier, it will probably become more difficult as the recession continues to bite. But at the moment the main priority of governments is to ensure that the banking system continues to function. It takes priority over everything else at the moment.