More than 1,500 People have Died in Nursing Homes and Minister Health is Worried About Twitter Mentions!

Aontú Leader & Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín has heavily criticised Health Minister Stephen Donnelly for Twitter Vanity at a time of enormous National Crisis.

An Teachta Tóibín:

“It really is astounding how out of touch this government is with the needs of the people. Over 1,500 people have died in our nursing homes from Covid-19 – with a refusal to investigate the decisions that were made. Nursing Homes were meant to be vaccinated by the end of January yet at the start of this month 5,000 people in Nursing Homes were not fully vaccinated.

We missed our Quarter 1 Vaccination target by over 384,000 doses. We have 197 plus days of workplace closures and the harshest public health restrictions in Europe. Cancer, heart disease, stroke and Mental health Diagnosis and treatment are not fully opened which will lead to increase mortality and morbidity. 880,000 people are on hospital waiting lists. Just under 500,000 people are on the PUP and hundreds of thousands of people are being pushed into poverty. Yet the Health Minister is spending his time checking out his Department of Health Twitter mentions and asking the Secretary General of the Department to see to it that they his name is mentioned more.

When I raised the issue of Cancer Services with the Taoiseach, he told me to “get real” and “be bloody realistic.” Now we have the news that the Health Minister is concerned that his own Department is not crediting him in tweets enough for the failings in our Health Service. Sadly, our political reality has gone beyond the point of satire. Stephen Donnelly is fiddling with twitter while the Health Service Burns.

The Irish political system is radically broken

In Ireland the vast majority of elected representatives put a finger in the air to check which way the political wind is blowing. They have one eye on their leaders – seeking brownie points – and another eye keeping their seat safe. If elected reps shut up and do as they’re told, they are promoted; if they stand up for what they believe in, they are demoted. No wonder we have the political class we have. No wonder one point one billion euro is being buried in a hole under the National Children’s Hospital and that Stormont is in stalemate.

Throughout Ireland, many people are now afraid to say what they feel, many are afraid to respectfully engage on a range of different topics. Many feel there is a new censorship and a new political correctness in Ireland, that opposition to the establishment is being deleted.

Respectful opposition is not the enemy. Respectful opposition is a critical element of a functional democracy. Aontú will have the backbone to stand up, without fear, for you.