A short report from the health meeting in Liberty Hall
national |
miscellaneous |
news report 
Wednesday February 13, 2008 01:17
by Michael Gallagher - Photographer
libertypix at yahoo dot ie
086 4048249
The main hall was packed with a diverse audience of young and not so young, including a section of the media.
Louise O'Reilly (SIPTU) * Conor McLiam * (Des Derwin President DCTU) * Janette Byrne (Patients Together) * Liam Doran (Gen. Sec. INO) * Dr. Christine O'Malley (Former Pres. IMO) * Kevin Callinan ( Nat. Sec. IMPACT)
The contributions from all sides were quite good and the experiences related from members of families of lost loved ones were very moving. It's still hard to comprehend how these people were and are being treated with contempt and the way in which they have lost a sister, a wife etc. One piece of information that shocked the audience was the fact the Judy Costello, a young mother, had to pay over €4,000 for ONE BOTTLE of medicine every couple of weeks for her sick son Adam Costello Doherty. He is doing quite well now after receiving excellent treatment in a public hospital in Jersey and also treatment in America.
No representatives of the coalition government turned up to the meeting.
Comments (14 of 14)
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Conor McLiam, husband of the late Susie Long
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Brothers of the late Beverly Seville Doyle
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Councillor Joan Collins (Ind. Socialist)
Joe Higgins (SP)
Peadar McMahon from the Save Monaghan Hospital group
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Dáithí Doolin and Mary Lou McDonald of Sinn Féin
Desktop\FOR UPLOAD\Des Derwin, President DCTU - Janette Byrne, Patients Together - Liam Doran, General Secretary, INO
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Judy Costello
What was the attendance like? What conclusions did the meeting come to?
Great photos, Michael.
An estimate of the attendance, based on the official capacity of the theatre (410) would be 300.
There is a good report of the meeting in yesterday's (12th) 'Irish Times' Health Supplement.
There was no process to reach a 'conclusion' as such. The Dublin Council of Trade Unions announced, to general agreement, a March for a decent Public Health Service in Dublin on Saturday 29th March. Last night the DCTU executive confirmed this.
One hitch quickly arose: it emerged just after Monday's meeting that the Tallaght Hospital Action Group is also planning a march for that afternoon (at 1 p.m.). It looks like this will be a big event.
The executive discussed all the possibilities and concluded that the best solution was to keep the date of the DCTU march, as the word is out on that march too, but to hold it at 3 p.m. This would avoid a direct clash with the Tallaght march and also allow time for Tallaght & District people to come in for the City Centre march if they wished, or to send representatives.
A filmed record of Monday's meeting will be going out, as part of the 'Document' series on Dublin Community Television (which broadcasts on a pilot basis on NTL/Chorus digital, 802). DVDs of the meeting will also be available soon.
Can be downloaded from:
http://www.wsm.ie/story/3333
Terrific leaflet, in design and content.
Good turnout.
Gregor Kerr - WSM
Two more
Mary Lou from Sinn Fein
Apoligies, cant remember this speakers name, but he's SWP, Kieran Alan (SWP) and Richard Boyd Barret (SWP/PBP) are also in this photo.
His name is Dr. Peadar O Grady. He works in the mental health sector. He ran for the SWP in an election a few years back and made a big issue out of freedom of speech when the Gardaí tried to disrupt his election campaign as far as I can re-call.
I t was a brilliant meeting - fair play to the Dublin Council of Trade Unions.
I was just wondering if the planned DCTU Demonstration could not be put forward to a week later, so as not to clash with the Tallaght Demo.
I am heavily involved in trying to actively organise for the Tallaght demo. By having the two Demos a week apart we could get extra people from outside Tallaght onto our demo, and thus further increase the numbers and the clarity of the message we are trying to send to Harney and the HSE. We could also call on people at the demonstration in Tallaght (upon which there would be a huge crowd for sure) to then head to the City Centre demo a week later, with fliers about the demonstration handed out at the Tallaght event???
Lets be honest, if there was to be a demo in Tallaght, it would be on at 13:00 the earliest, if not later, and would thus be no way we could get people from there to the city Centre in time.
Sean and Tallaght friends,
It is indeed unfortunate that the Health marches have come under the ‘Dublin Bus effect’: ‘you wait for ages for one to come along and then two come together’. I’ve been in contact with one of your organisers, and obviously should have been earlier. Due to ‘a series of unfortunate events’ several people from the Tallaght campaign who were to come to the Trades Council meeting on Monday were unable to attend at the last minute. They would have put us straight about the clashing times. It was only after the meeting that we learned that there was a march by the Tallaght Hospital Action Group for the same day.
There is a lot of sense to what Sean says. The problem was taken very seriously by the executive when we discussed it on Tuesday evening. We know the Tallaght march could be very big. As reported above, after covering all the angles the executive felt the only course was to keep with the date we had announced and to minimize the clash and maximize the co-operation with THAG, for which we have the highest admiration. The trade unions are already committed to the 29th March. People are already requesting leaflets and posters from the DCTU for the 29th March!
Sean is being practical when he suggests that it will be hard to get people in from one march (ending at 2.30?) to the other (starting officially at 3.00). If representatives come in (and vice versa?) that would be great.
There is no way that this clash is a good thing, but looking at the positive side, and as regards giving messages to the authorities, having two (hopefully) good marches in different places on the same day might double the force of the message. I would imagine that people in Tallaght and the adjoining areas of the Southside will go to the Tallaght march anyway.
Best wishes,
Des Derwin
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