Referendum used as a weapon in cancer care protest

A LOT of media time has been given to the fallout of the Lisbon Treaty referendum result.

One thing that has not been discussed to any great degree is the impact of the Government’s decision to implement a grossly unfair cancer care plan in such a way that people living north of a line from Galway to Dublin have effectively been ignored.

The Lisbon Treaty referendum was the first opportunity that the people of the west and north-west were given to let their feelings be known about the situation.

An attempt by Fine Gael and Labour, with support from Sinn Féin, to redress the situation was debated in the Dáil not very long ago and the Government, without any attempt at worthwhile argument or debate, flagrantly ignored the legitimate wishes of a large section of the country’s population and continued to support this obviously flawed plan.

One of the hooks that they attempt to hang their case on is that the Government/HSE cancer care plan involves the placement of cancer care centres around the country according to population distribution. This could be mathematically disproved by an eight-year-old child. Four of the eight designated centres are earmarked for Dublin — yet, as we all know, half of our population does not live there.

The Government’s approach has been to ignore the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the population of the west and north-west, refusing to engage in any meaningful discourse on the issue.

There have already been massive gatherings at legitimate protests against the strategy. They have been given support from right across the political spectrum.

Fine Gael opposes the Government’s plan. Labour opposes it. Sinn Féin opposes it. The local Green Party representative opposes it.

And the only reason that local Fianna Fáil representatives gave it any support was that they were put under pressure from the higher ranks of the party to do so.

With regard to the PDs, the fact that they have no representation in this part of the country may be a clue as to where some of this pressure is coming from.

Mary Harney’s attitude towards the Dáil members who set out their case against the Government’s plans was bad mannered, at best. Anyone with any inside knowledge of the workings of a hospital will tell you that the plan is a disaster.

The Government can decide that this groundswell of public opinion is unfair pressure being put on them, but as long as they refuse to listen to those who elected them, people will look for other ways to get their attention and voting down a second referendum proposal, should the opportunity arise, is a way that many will regard as valid.

And that’s without even starting to analyse the effect on a general election result. The Government needs to act on this now. Europe will be watching.

Seamie O’Dowd

The Campaign for Cancer

Services in Sligo

Strandhill

Co Sligo