5,000 expected at protest in Sligo on Good Friday

by Plato Fri Apr 10, 2009 08:11

Well done to all the citizens of the North West for taking this stand against Harney's privatisation agenda.

by Sligeach Fri Apr 10, 2009 20:42

Any report, pics? Sock it to her!

by rhona Fri Apr 10, 2009 21:08

Large turnout despite the weather,politicans of all persuasions in attendance,very few from Fianna Fail only saw Cllr kilgallon, he who is about to lose his seat.Oh Cllr Jimmy Mc Garry of the Labour Party was Conspicuous by his absence,maybe he was being wined and dined in the Big House by the gentry.The organisers appealed to voters in the local elections not to vote for politicans who do not support the retention of Cancer Services in the North West.Harney and her privitasion agenda also got down the banks ,Death by Geography.

by Killian McLoughlin Fri Apr 10, 2009 21:37

TV3 coverage of todays protest, well done to all who came along and showed their support.
This fight will go on until, the HSE is ran out of the Northwest.

HSE: Harneys Sick Experiment

Mary Harney: Minister for Private Health

by Gerry Sat Apr 11, 2009 00:03

There was politicans there today from all political parties , l didn't see Wee Jimmy , didn't see Rosleen O'Grady then again she is a Fianna Fail Councillor didn't see Brian (Cake ) Scanlon there or wannabe cllr Matt Lyons Jude Devins was missing not one of them would come and support the people today . !
Fair dos to all the people who did come out . !
Great covrage on TV3 News tonight .

by Tagger Sat Apr 11, 2009 01:08

Well done on your efforts to day this is people power,but we need lots, and lots more of it.

Harney sits there on the front bench with her right wing agenda, why is she still there, it is my understanding that the PD's no longer exist as a Politicial Party if this is correct is this constitutional? or maybe I have missed the point and that is, that this Government has and can do what it feels like, when it just feels like doing it irregardless of the wishes of the people they are supposed to serve, however they are execllent at serving their Multinational Corporate friends.We have been sold out by our own Government.

by ned green Sat Apr 11, 2009 14:24

Gerry I can confirm that Cake Scanlon was at the march as I personally walked alongside both him and Cllr Declan Bree.Remember one of the main reasons Brian resigned from the Greens was because of their lack of support for the retention of Cancer Services in the North West,he also refused to attend one of the first meetings he arranged when he was in the Greens with Prof Keane after the Green Party hierarchry tried to gag him from asking pertinent questions.If only our Fianna Fail local politicans had the gall and bottle like Brian who put the lives and welfare of the people before party membership.Gerry Matt Lyon was also in attendance as he can be clearly seen behind John Perry on the TV3 film fotage,this was the first time he attended any of the marches ,now that his running in the Locals Im sure like Perry he was their primarily for the photo shoot.

by Killian McLoughlin - SCSS (Save Sligos Cancer Services) Sat Apr 11, 2009 15:27 saveourcancerservices at gmail dot com

A huge thanks to everyone for yesterday.
The story and photos made the Independent, Irish times, Examiner, Daily Mail and the Star.

I wish we didnt have to depend so heavily on the media and their coverage but unfortunately thats always the case but this one is definitiely a victory, we got all the coverage we could have asked for and it thanks to everyone who came along and helped out.

Watch this space

A big thanks to James Connolly http://www.picsell8.com/ for letting us use his photos, mhes been more than generous with his time and skill since the start of the campaign.

Gathering on O'Connell street

I love the photo at the top of this 'hellish trinity', its not even Cowen but it may as well be

Coming down the mall

by Killian McLoughlin - SCSS (Save Sligos Cancer Services) Sat Apr 11, 2009 15:34 saveourcancerservices at gmail dot com

Forgot these photos

Again thanks to James http://www.picsell8.com/

The T-shirt says it all

The crowd reaches Sligo General

by Gerry Sun Apr 12, 2009 00:13

Brian might have been walking with the campaigners if he was it's only because he is running in the election , he has never attended any of the meetings of a Wednesday with the save our cancer campaigners , as for Matt Lyons he hasn't been seen in the last 5 years or attended any of the meetings either easy knowing there is an election coming they are all starting to come out of the woodwork. !

by ned green Sun Apr 12, 2009 13:51

Brian walked with the marchers last friday,and as he did at all other previous public events organised by the Campaign Group, he even met them in Brussells Because he genuinely believes in the retention of the Cancer Services in Sligo he said publically that the campaign should be non political,he outlined the dangers of certain politicians most notably on the Fine Gael side jumping on the bandwagon for purely selfish political gain,and he didnt intend to go down the same route as Perry ,Comny and especially Imelda Henry.After all like Fianna Fail who are a conservative right wing party,Fine Gaels policys are similar,If it moves Privatise It.Brian also was responsible for a motion which was passed at last years Green Party Conference supporting the retention of services in Sligo.When the party hierarchy later went against this to appease their Fianna Fail Masters,Brian resigned from the Greens unlike the local Fianna Fail TD,s Senators and Councillors who huffed and puffed and when it came down to the wire put party membership before peoples lives.

by Helena Sun Apr 12, 2009 17:31

Local Fianna Fail representatives, particularly the Fianna Fail members of Government, can and must act to save the cancer services at Sligo Hospital.The T.D.'s should be ashamed to put their heads out the door. I would ask local Fianna Fail councillors not to support the Taoiseach in the Dail unless there is a change of heart on this," I also have no difficulty in saying Fianna Fail will close the services at Sligo General Hospital,"Campaigners have called on local Fianna Fáil TDs to “stand with the people who elected them . It is up to us the voters now to stand up for our cancer services , to use our votes wisley no cancer srvices no Fianna Fail votes.

by mark Sun Apr 12, 2009 17:52

I was walking through the North Ward today and l was delighted to see alot of the houses had up the save our cancer campaign leaflets in their windows , No Cancer services No Votes for government parties l thought it was brilliant to see. It is a Fianna Fail government who have let the people down badly by taking away these vital services it is time for the people to remember this when they are voting in the local elections

by Kevin Sun Apr 12, 2009 18:04

I have attended the cancer campaign meetings from the start and the same cllr's are there every week Arthur Gibbons, Declan Bree , David Cawley and Sean Mc Manus every week more than 31 invites go out to Cllr's and Td's and yet not one of them could be bothered to turn up, l think FF have known all along what was going to happen Fair Do's to the 4 Cllr's that have attended all the meetings and shame on the cowards who have stayed away from the start.

by Alan Sun Apr 12, 2009 18:16

I think that the people of the north west have totally been sold out by FF the local elections are only in a couple of weeks, l for one will never vote FF again neither will any of my family members that's 6 votes lost in our house . I wouldn't like to be a FF candidate knocking on people's doors .
It is beneath contempt every hospital should have cancer diagnostic cand treatment facilites centre of excellance is a bogus byword for downsizing and centralisation when the co located hospitals are built the services will be reintroduced for private paying patients and those that have private health insurance .

by Tagger Thu Apr 16, 2009 22:28

The Irish Medical Organisation annual conference in Killarney, Co Kerry
This is a very interesting piece, and puts it up to the Government, when you are reading through this,could some of these horrors happen to Harney or her family members, or Wee jimmy from Sligo,NO it would not,how much of a kicking do we have to get before we waken up.

They are using Demoracy or a kind of Demoracy as a shield to force their right wing idiotic, ideology, on a nation.
And let us not forget the so called Greens are also complicit in this fiasco.
Gormley & Co.are lackeys of F/Fail making up the numbers,their ideology lies in electric cars not in Cancer services what a crowd of fruit cakes.

Dr Ruairi Hanley, IMO committee member, set the bitter tone with a fierce attack on policy, cutbacks and failings which have penalised patients.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/eyaugbsnidsn/

by David Thu Apr 23, 2009 00:22

I beleive Jimmy Devins has been dropped as junior minister , thats how Brian Cowen rewards him for turning his back on the people of the North West l bet he is sorry now. !

by ned green Thu Apr 23, 2009 18:53

Ive no sympathy for Jimmy Devins, since elected he has done absolutely nothing for Sligo,,he tried to run with the hare and hunt with the hound ,in the Dail both he and Eamonn Scanlon sided with the government and voted against the retention of Cancer Services in Sligo,their Senate colleagues Mark Mc Sharry and Geraldine Feeney did likewise putting selfish party interests before the lives of their constituents.Fianna Fail candidates in the upcoming locals should be reminded No Cancer Services ,No Votes,hurt them where it hurts at the ballot box.

by Tagger Thu Apr 23, 2009 22:35

Proves the point how Ireland has been brought into the gutter by this so called government, sad to say this but an Irish Human Being is now just a Commodity this is how the government views, and treats its citizens,shut up and put up and we love it.

Wee Jimmy a Gas man, the top has just come of his cylinder, no sympathy, you get what you deserve in this dictatorship.

by Tagger Thu Apr 23, 2009 22:50

The curious professional relationship between health minister Mary Harney and her husband, Brian Geoghegan, has raised quite a few eyebrows among friends, critics and colleagues over many years. Their paths have crossed in many ways not least during Harney's most recent terms as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and since 2003 as Minister for Health. Geoghegan's former position as Director of Economic Affairs for the employers' group, IBEC, meant regular, sometimes daily, contact with the enterprise and trade department while his more recent role as chairman of public relations consultants MKC Communications (previously MRPA Kinman) involved intensive negotiations with the health department on various matters

Read on it gets much better.

http://www.mediabite.org/

by Jimmy Tue Apr 28, 2009 21:24

Cancer care services in sligo need to be kept because there is none in donegal and soon there might not be any in sligo that leaves galway to deal with all the cancer patients when it can just about provide adequate care for its own patients. people from donegal would have to travel to galway, recieve treatment and travel back which would result in a lot of strees and would not help cure the cancer.

by Tagger Wed Apr 29, 2009 00:37

I totally agree with you Jimmy as do thousands of other people, but Harney and this sick government, plus Prof Drumm of the so called HSE, do not,but we have an ideal opportunity with the local and european elections coming up to give them a proper kicking.

This Government acts with impunity which is a crime in itself, our Constitution (Bunreacht na hEireann) has been undermined by this government to suit thier own needs, how democratic is that?

Will any of Harneys,Biffos,OR Gormleys and many more of them in Dail Eireann,will their family members have to travel from near and far,for cancer treatment NO they will not so why should we.

Only for the taxpayers money that shower would be all on the dole and that would be to good for them.

But as I have said here before we love a good kicking and do they know it,lets get the French over here.