Covering the interminable contract dispute between hospital consultants and the state, the Irish Independent today described the latest offer on the table:

“On top of the €205,000 for a 39-hour week, they [the consultants] would also get an additional €40,000 if they meet targets for treating patients.”

But for some, the prospect of a quarter-of-a-million a year wedge is risible:

“Dr Josh Keaveney, an anaesthetist in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, said yesterday the salaries were so low they will only attract those not at the top of their profession and want a ‘cushy number’.

And he described the salaries as being ‘mickey mouse’.”

As someone who would happily wear a pair of Disneyesque mouse ears 24/7 for such an income, I find Kearney's statement a bit alienating. Perhaps this lack of empathy is exacerabted by the fact that the man's first name is “Josh”.

However, at least his comments are comprehensible. The same cannot really be said about the remarks made by “PJ Breen, another hospital consultant and negotiator for the IHCA, [who] asked: ‘What kind of house could you buy for €205,000?'”

Someone should really tell Mr Breen about a handy device known as a mortgage. It allows people to take on crushing debt in order to occupy houses that cost more than your annual gross income. Even with paltry earnings of 200K, Mr Breen would have a good chance of finding a mortgage vendor willing to be of assistance.