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Ps nd - A Sa ol editorial com eit LEI SNE a Chee Fa RE ts SH FAR HN $d B CULE h Lo AK Medical dispute leaves bad taste To say that the aftermath of the dispute between physicians and the Ontario government has left a bitter taste would be something of an understate- ment The government and the executive of the Ontario Medical Association reached an agreement on the weekend which will cover the next two years and possibly a further three if the OMA is happy with it. The agreement, which must still be ratified by the OMA members this Friday, came after a month of testy negotiations which saw doctors close their offices for two days last week and threaten to shut them again for three days this week. There were so many figures and statistics bandied about by both sides in this dispute, that it is just about impossible to determine how much money is actually involved, or how much the average doctor will be earning over the next few years. What is certain is that the general public can hardly be blamed for feeling a bit disgusted about the whole issue. There will be criticism of the govern- ment for '"'knuckling under" to the demands of the OMA; there will be criticism of doctors for appear- ing to be money-hungry, and for shutting the office door on their patients last week; there will be criticism of the OMA for taking this dispute 'to the wall," and for trying to catch up now for pay hikes they say they should have had in the 1970's. It is a no-win situation for all concerned. And the unfortunate thing is that the fall-out is going to linger for quite some time and have an adverse effect on the entire health care system in this province. It is safe to say the problems for the government are just beginning for you can bet the various unions that represent nurses, hospital workers and every- one else in the health field are going to view this settlement as an incentive when their contracts come due. There were statements made during the doctors dispute that the underlying issue was not dollars and cents, but in fact who controls health care: the practitioners or the government. "You ze W Lueck, HE DOESNT BELONG =" ome OMA If this is indeed what's behind it all, then both sides better go right back to the bargaining table and come up with an agreement which instills a bit of confidence in the people of Ontario who depend so dearly on the health care system. A dispute over money is one thing: a dispute over the fundamental foundations of health care, and how it is controlled is something else again. "/ poN'r mio Logis CANADA . .. BUI THE FALKLAND [sLaNDS 7 NE Vd / " Falkland crisis at critical point Although Britain and Argentina are still techni-: cally not at war with each other, both sides used real bullets and bombs over the weekend as the Falkland crisis escalated to an extremely dangerous level. When the crisis began about four weeks ago, there was almost a comic air about the situation with jokes about Her Majesty's fleet steaming south for two weeks to rescue a few thoysand sheep on the sparsely populated Falklands. Many observers felt the two weeks it-took the fleet to reach the South Atlantic would allow time for a diplomatic solution to the problems. But no more. The fleet is in position, bombs have been dropped, and the crisis Is anything but a laughing matter. Neither side has given any indication it is prepared to back down from its demands for a negotiated settlement, and the great danger now is that Argentina and Britain may have lost any opportunity to back down and save face. They may have backed themselves into a corner where the only way out is by military means. ' The crisis Is heightened by the fact the Unitec States is backing Britain and the Soviets say they will line up on the side of the Argentine dictatorship. Mrs. Thatcher is talking tough, calling it a fight for democracy, and has shown already she Is willing to back up this tough talk with military action. The Argenfine generals who rule that country are also talking tough, and said on the weekend they will order their troops on the Falklands to stand and fight if the British invade the islands. The possibility of a great number of deaths is very real. In a world bristling with military hardware, it is frightening to think of a crisis such as this escalating to the point where the two sides are saying "to hell with talking, let's fight it out." Hopefully, it will not come to an all out fight and the two sides can talk their way out of the crisis. But In this tense and hostile world, there no doubt wlll be another Falklands just around the corner. With so many nations just spoiling for a fight, It is just a matter of-time before one happens.