Lobby Brian Cowen and the Dail for a decent public health service

Campaign for a Decent Public Health Service

Lobby by trade unionists, patients’, hospital and health groups

Wednesday 7th May 2008, 1 –2 p.m,

Dáil Eireann, Dublin

Supported by:

Dublin Council of Trade Unions
Youth Committee ICTU
Patients Together

Des Derwin, President, Dublin Council of Trade Unions: 087 6229686 or dctuhealth@gmail.com

SAVE ST LUKES CANCER HOSPITAL PROTEST JUNE 7TH

Visit www.savestlukes.net to download the leaflet & to sign the petition

Campaign For a Decent Public Health Service Conference

Report by Rory Hearne (People Before Profit Alliance & Save St Luke’s Hospital Campaign Dublin)

The Campaign for a Decent Public Health Service held a meeting recently where it was agreed that the campaign would continue to campaign against the cutbacks in the health staff, staff employment embargos and against privatisation of our public health services.

It was raised that the private co-located hospitals will be at least three years before they start building so we have time to oppose them, particularly through planning and appeals to An Bord Pleanala.

It was agreed to have a regional day of mobilisation of local campaigns on the health service on the last Saturday before the Dail closes in June and a national demonstration to be organised in Dublin before the budget.

There were representatives of SIPTU, ICTU Youth Committee, IMPACT, the Dublin Council of Trade Unions, the Waterford Campaign for Radiotherapy, People Before Profit Alliance, Sinn Fein, Labour Youth, Unite, Drogheda campaign against cuts, the Save St Lukes Dublin Campaign, Patients Together and others.

It was noted that the Patients Together website is a forum for discussion.

It was also agreed to protest on May 7th at 1pm at the Dail on the appointment of Brian Cowen to keep health up as a vital issue.

Overall it is vitally important that this campaign continues to grow as the drive to privatise and run down our public health system is moving forward.

While Public Hospitals see cutbacks, Big business eyes up healthcare

Not a week after a massive private healthcare conference in Dublin www.privatehealth.ie, and a series of cutbacks in Sligo, Mayo, Connolly Hospital and Cherry Orchard Hospital, the Sunday Business Post will host their annual Healthcare Summit.

Health Summit: Big Business & Healthcare

The conference sponsored by noted healthcare bodies such as computer giant IBM, A&L Goodbody and Eircom. It is then no surprise that the conference speakers are a litany of Private Healthcare CEOs, Pharmaceutical Corporation personnel with a trade union bureaucrat from ICTU thrown in for good measure.

Talks include a session “Competition Law meets Healthcare: Do we want Healthy Competition or Competitive Health?” given by Dr Vincent Power, Partner, A&L Goodbody.

If people were ever in doubt about the intentions of this government and their big business backers with regard to healthcare the events of the past month will have made things clear.

The Lisbon Treaty will speed up this process of privatisation and competition in the healthcare ‘market’. This is why it is vital that we reject this Treaty.

Raytheon Nine Trial- Support the 9- Put Raytheon on Trial

On Wednesday 9 August 2006, nine anti-war protestors, including the civil rights activist and campaigning journalist Eamonn McCann, occupied and closed down the offices of Raytheon at Springtown in Derry, during a protest organised by the Derry Anti-War Coalition.

The action was part of a wider protest on the day at the presence of Raytheon, the fifth biggest arms manufacturer in the world, and their complicity in the murderous Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and the on-going wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was, for instance, a Raytheon Guided Bomb Unit which was used in the atrocity in Qana.

The nine were arrested and now stand trial for their actions.

The Raytheon 9 Trial starts Monday May19th, Laganside, Belfast.

For more on the issue please visit:

http://www.raytheon9.org/

Supporters of Lisbon cover up the truth

Campaign Against EU Constitution – Vote No to Lisbon- Press statement

As the debate on the Lisbon Treaty heats up and polls show a surge in the No vote, government and Opposition supporters of the Treaty are using more spin to drum up support. Bertie Ahern himself has got into the act, scaremongering that a rejection of Lisbon would be “a disaster for Ireland”. He gave no evidence to support his claim, nor mentioned the fact that no ‘disaster’ happened in France or the Netherlands after the rejection of the EU Constitution. Investment in France actually went up. And Labour have recently claimed the Treaty would protect public services.

For full statement please visit:

www.caeuc.org

The CAEUC is an independent progressive alliance of 13 organisations, including the People Before Profit Alliance and many individuals calling for a NO vote in the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.