The picture on today's front page of reserved parking for Cabinet Ministers at the Airport is the kind of thing that should set every Bermudian's blood boiling.

Politicians and Government officials are entitled to a modicum of respect and most people grudgingly accept that they are also entitled to a certain number of perks and privileges, such as parking in the Cabinet Office and House of Assembly grounds (for free), having Government cars and so on.

That's because there are many thankless tasks and responsibilities that politicians are saddled with; so if they are given a few conveniences, that's OK.

But there are limits to taxpayers' generosity and to the general public's patience. Reserved (and free) parking at the Airport is one of them. It is not as if the Ministers have to walk very far to reach the terminal. And it is not as if paying one dollar for parking is so burdensome, or that Cabinet Ministers are so underpaid that they cannot afford it. Allowing politicians to swan through Immigration and Customs is quite enough privilege for one place, after all.

On top of that, there are times when parking is tight at the Airport, and it is the way of things that they will be times when the spaces allocated for GP1 to GP20 will be empty, but reserved.

That's the kind of thing that angers voters and it begs the question of which political public relations genius in the Government let this clanger through. After more than four years in power and having been through oversized cars, relentless travel, Ministerial credit cards and the like, it should have been obvious that the public does not like it when politicians start to believe that they are that much more important and privileged than the man on the street, especially in an election year.

The only person who can be happy - secretly, anyway - is Opposition Leader Grant Gibbons, who will have woken up and thought it was Christmas Day because you don't get handed political gifts like this very often.

On a related note, the public is entitled to know more about the state of Finance Minister Eugene Cox's health. Mr. Cox, who is also Deputy Premier, has been ill for some weeks now, and the public is no better informed now than it was when he first entered hospital.

Mr. Cox and his family are entitled to some privacy and Bermudians have traditionally respected that. At the same time, Mr. Cox is a public figure and a respected and well-liked man, and the public whom he represents deserve to at least know from time to time what the state of his health is while it hopes for his recovery.

Unfortunately, these concerns are exacerbated by the horrendous charade that preceded the death of late Tourism Minister David Allen when the public was badly misled by people who should have known better.

That episode only emphasises the need now for dignified and occasional reports on how Mr. Cox is doing. In the meantime, we wish him all the best and hope for a speedy recovery.