Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@eoinyk It's not like nuclear power generation is banned here because it's intrinsically 'bad' - moreso that we don't have the unique infrastructure/regulations to do it safely. It's not hypocritical to import it from sources in UK & France which are regulated safely.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@eoinyk Nuclear power would be a massive infrastructure project that would require importing foreign expertise and setting up novel transport chains for fissionable materials - possibly not worth the hassle to build one plant for our population, whereas France has the economy of scale.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@ZuFutureSurgeon @MJA9622 The frank answer is that you can never control for all of these factors, and nor should we if it prevents the best candidate from getting the job.

The solution to social inequality lies with the policymakers - progressive taxation, rent controls, enhanced carer supports, etc.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@ZuFutureSurgeon @MJA9622 If you follow the thought process even further along: should speciality training posts (or indeed consultant posts) be randomly chosen from the entire pool of eligible candidates?
i.e. if meritocracy is bad/unfair for FP, why should allocation of later jobs be any different?

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@ZuFutureSurgeon @MJA9622 So how do you balance every individual's advantages when deciding who to hire (and not hire) for a specific job? The obvious answer is to set a minimum competency standard, make sure that protected characteristics aren't discriminated against, and then pick the most qualified doc

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@ZuFutureSurgeon @MJA9622 You're right - it's never going to be a reality that everyone has the exact same level of wealth/privilege/resources/ability/responsibility/etc. But it's also not realistic to expect that everyone gets to go to medical school, or train in their preferred subspecialty/hospital...

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@ZuFutureSurgeon @MJA9622 ... and then they have to sit the same standardised exams as every other graduate in the country (e.g. SJT), all so that they can be allocated to a generic FP job with the exact same contract & pre-set salary. All that is expected of them is to meet the same minimum safe standard

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@ZuFutureSurgeon @MJA9622 The NHS is quite different to the neoliberal ideology being critiqued there. Med students pay standardised fees to sit exams in universities with regulated curricula, have their decile ranking calculated relative to their peers (after their grades are weighted against past years)

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@justin_garson @DrAnnieHickox Save some of your pity for the paediatricians who are so hostile towards seeing measles as part of the richness and depth of human experience.

[LucidTalk @LucidTalk]

..A review of the two latest NI Border Referendum Opinion Polls, (inc. the LucidTalk/@BelTel poll) by Leo Varadkar in today’s Sunday Times…

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@MJA9622 If the old system wasn't meritocratic enough, then that's an argument to create a system which is *more* meritocratic. If some students are disadvantaged in their exam performance, then it's up to the schools/unis to make accommodations on an individual level. Randomness =/= fair

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@MJA9622 The previous system may not have been perfect, but this one is even *less* meritocratic. Some students are always going to be disappointed by their allocation, but that wouldn't be accepted as a reason to randomise med school entry either.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@MichealMartinTD Then stand with them in Kiev, not Washington, on St Patrick's Day.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@kwshaulage @Koolkat6000 @SimonHarrisTD @andrii_sybiha @ZelenskyyUa Move to Moscow, then.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@DavQuinn @danobrien20 @CormacLucey @higginsdavidw We create more medical graduates per capita than most European countries.

The problem is that a disproportionate number of them leave to work in countries that offer better working conditions and/or postgraduate training opportunities.

Won't change until HSE conditions improve

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@brianjohnspencr You were just on here the other day boasting about how you forbid your wife from getting vaccinated. Sounds like you'd fit in just fine in a misogynistic theocracy.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@brianjohnspencr @annie_mcginley @Bt7Resident Out of interest, what would you've done if she decided to get vaccinated against your wishes?

You boast that you can "forbid" her from doing things, but also get uppity when people point out that sounds like coercive control, so does that mean you wouldn't actually stop her?

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@brianjohnspencr @annie_mcginley @Bt7Resident No worries, Brian. I'll add a trigger warning before using big words next time.

[Oisín Antóin Ó Briain-Odhar @ob_oisin]

@brianjohnspencr @annie_mcginley @Bt7Resident Brian, I'm flattered that you've taken an interest in my academic pursuits, but I'm not sure exactly what you're implying when you say "watch it"? Is that a threat, or just a gentle suggestion which is so characteristic of your collaborative (NOT coercive) "leadership" style?