Cuts to Acute Hospital will threaten Public Services in Enniskillen

The decision to cut the number of beds at the new acute hospital in Enniskillen to 269 rather than the original planned 315 which has been recently reported is a severe threat to the quality and nature of health provision in Enniskillen.

The loss of 43 beds will result in a further 50 nursing posts disappearing, impacting an economy already reeling from a collapse in private sector demand. The Western Health Trust is celebrating this “significant saving in nursing costs” and states that further savings will be made ‘by applying enhanced working efficiencies and the development of new roles’ – in plain language, that means nurses will be further pressurised and forced to cover for inadequate staffing levels.

The new hospital is being built through the expensive and wasteful private finance initiative or PFI; at dozens of other hospitals the use of PFI schemes has resulted directly in the loss of beds and nursing posts as the banks seek to maximise their profits. 

There is widespread concern that the new hospital will be more than suitable for outright privatisation in the future - its location along the border would make a large private hospital in Enniskillen highly lucrative for investors.

I believe that the hospital should be built with public money and be kept under full public control both now and in the future. 

The Assembly parties are implementing these Tory cuts instead of standing up for our communities and our public services. We need to build a campaign across all communities and stand with local nurses, doctors and other health service staff in defending public health provision.

Just as with the cuts to education, the home help service and special needs provision in this town, we need to build campaigns to force those in power to reverse course. That is the Socialist Party’s agenda in this election and will be my agenda as a member of Fermanagh District Council.

Donal O’Cofaigh to run for Socialist Party in Enniskillen

In September 2009, I resigned my council seat and left Sinn Féin to join the Socialist Party in protest at what I described as their ‘overseeing the long-term administration of senior civil servants and their right-wing agenda’.

At the time I said that:

“Change can only come about if working, unemployed and young people themselves organise to challenge the status quo. We have seen the power of effective local campaigns in fighting against health cutbacks and against the imposition of water charges. The sad truth is if we are waiting for change to come at the hands of any of the mainstream parties, then we will wait a long time indeed. Working people must organise themselves against cuts and to defend jobs.”

I remain convinced of that as much today as I did then. We must build cross-community campaigns to defeat the cuts and have no illusions about any of the parties. This council election is important in building an effective opposition to the cuts tsunami. History teaches us that the extent and depth of the cuts imposed will be determined by the strength of our campaigns against them.

Defending Public Services

All of the mainstream parties are keen that people do not find out the just how bad the cuts will be before the election so that they can implement them all the more effectively in the four years before the next elections - but people can see through that.

If I am elected I will be 100% committed to supporting grassroots campaigns and working with the local Trades Council, community and voluntary groups to fight the cuts affecting our communities, public sector workers; to reverse the cuts to benefits, the imposition of stealth taxes such as water rates; and demanding a much-needed public works programme for the county that would create jobs for the unemployed and yield improvements to our social, economic and environmental infrastructure.

Fighting the ConDem Cuts!

The ConDem government’s comprehensive spending review represented a clear attack on working people of all colours and creeds. On the back of a collapse caused by the greed of bankers, speculators and financial spivs, working people are the only ones being forced to take the pain. Our services, our wages and our jobs are under threat. The impact in Fermanagh where small businesses are already balancing on a knife-edge is likely to be severe. These cuts could push the local economy past a critical point and wreak structural damage that may never be reversed.

At the very least, these cuts will devastate working people pushing many onto lengthening dole queues as the job losses mount where they will be faced with slashed benefits. In a world where we are told education is critical to building a ‘knowledge-based’ economy, young people from working class backgrounds have effectively been shut out of universities through moves to increase fees and the interest they pay on student loans.

At the same time, the Government is supportive of moves to start the printing presses rolling to ensure the profits of the banks and super-rich continue to grow. The consequence of such monetary policy will be imported inflation on household essentials at a time when workers’ wages are being pushed down.

From every conceivable angle workers (those who through their labour create all the wealth in society) are being squeezed ever harder to safeguard the profits of big business. There is a global race to the bottom which will continue until collective action puts a stop to it.

Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our local politicians who even before the economic crisis implemented harsh 3% year-on-year cuts for the last three years. As they implement the new wave of cuts despite their choreographed words of ‘anger’ no doubt their slick PR machines will ensure that they are photographed by the local press at the front row of all the protests.

Instead, what’s needed is to build a grassroots opposition to the current wave of cuts and those that will inevitably follow them. Any politician from the mainstream parties who is genuine about opposing the cuts should resign their party membership and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the communities against them; that is the only honourable position. Building a cross-community opposition involving workers, communities and the youth is the only appropriate answer to the cuts.

Local Politicians: The Self Preservation Society

This blog is taken from a letter I've just submitted to the local papers. The video is a bit of fun.

The ConDem government’s comprehensive spending review represented a clear attack on working people of all colours and creeds. On the back of a collapse caused by the bankers, speculators and spivs of the city financial centres, working people are the only ones being forced to take the pain. Our services, our wages and our jobs are under threat. The impact on Fermanagh where the private sector is already balancing on a knife-edge is likely to be severe. These cuts could push the local economy past a critical point and wreak structural damage which will not be rebuilt easily.

At the very least, these cuts will devastate working people many of whom will have no option but to join the lengthening dole queues as the job losses mount and their benefits are slashed. In a world where we are told education is critical to building a ‘knowledge-based’ economy, young people from working class backgrounds have effectively been shut out of universities through moves to increase fees and the interest they pay on student loans.

At the same time, the Government is supportive of moves to start the printing presses rolling to ensure the profits of the banks and super-rich continue to grow. The consequence of such monetary policy will be inflation on imported foodstuffs at a time when workers’ wages are being pushed down.

From every conceivable angle working people (those who create all the wealth in society) are being squeezed to safeguard the profits of big business. There is a global race to the bottom which will continue until we put a stop to it.

Unfortunately, we cannot rely on our local politicians who even before the economic crisis implemented neo-Thatcherite 3% cuts year-on-year for the last three years - threatening care services for elderly in the county and forcing a moratorium on the recruitment of new nurses and hospital staff. They will implement the cuts despite their choreographed words of ‘anger’ but no doubt their slick PR machines will ensure that they are photographed by the local press at the front row of all the protests.

Instead, what’s needed is to build a grassroots opposition to the current wave of cuts and those will inevitably follow it. Any politician from the mainstream parties who is genuine about opposing the cuts should resign their party membership and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the communities against them; that is the only honourable position. Building a cross-community opposition involving workers, communities and the youth is the only appropriate answer to the cuts.

Fermanagh Trades Council Meeting Against the Cuts Tonight!

I hope to see some of the readers of this blog at tonight's meeting on the Cuts in Enniskillen Library at 7pm; hopefully a chance to discuss these issues and build a campaign against the Tory cuts and those who will administrate them from Stormont.