Politics by Numbers is a brand-new series for The Journal where broadcaster, author and spreadsheet stan Gavan Reilly takes a data deep dive into a political point of the week.

THE SAYING GOES that history is written by the winners. That’s certainly likely to be the outcome of the government’s staredown with the board of the Rotunda Hospital, over the idea of consultants offering care to private patients even though they were employed on ‘public-only’ contracts.

The Rotunda didn’t concede on its argument – it still claims the contracts included a clause permitting private work, which if true is a pretty damning critique of government practice – but backed down because of a threat to cut the State funding for its everyday services. All the legal advice in the world won’t help you out if you can’t afford to turn the lights on.

That row has sparked a national navel-gaze about whether the ultimate abolition of private maternity care in Ireland, whether consciously or by stealth, is a desirable policy. For what it’s worth, I can speak with some experience about the comfort blanket that private care can provide.

When our youngest child’s 20-week scan identified an anomaly which could have impeded her growth and development in the womb, the public system made no offer of more regular scans or the continuity of seeing the same consultant each time. Opting for private care was a big financial hit but the peace of mind, as more regular scans assured us our baby was still growing and healthy, was priceless.

The low-level pushback inside Leinster House at eliminating this option speaks to a distrust that the public........

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