What a surprise. Just like the threats to medical cards previously. Now the smoke screen clears to reveal the far more “humane” cuts. We are fools led by gombeens.

Wonder where the axe will really fall and how long before we find out?

Looks a bit stage managed to me. Like they’re thinking, instead of just telling them what we’re going to do, let’s fly something much worse and then when we really do what we were going to do all along the public won’t think it’s so bad.

This little ruse has been trotted out to great success around budget time over the last three years or so.

row row backrow your boat gently down the stream.

Good news I think, just means someone else somewhere else will feel the pain……..

Fair play to those who are protesting still

Using people like Pawns in their sick, twisted game. And Yes, the axe is going to fall somewhere just as vicious so hold onto your hats because it certainly won’t be among the high earners.

In 2012 We have sick people out all night protesting for what they are entitled to. My God what is going on. Doctor O Reilly you ought to be ashamed of yourself.

The sight of those people forced to protest out side the dail should put us able bodied people to shame as protesters.
There will be far worse to come make no mistake !!!

This was a con job, they were never going to cut here, it’s classic strategy of telling them we will cut 100%. But then after a a little skirmish they row back on a little, BUT continue with the other areas….Paul Daniels used to do it too…it’s called the hand being faster than the eye…..ps no offence intended to anyone but the slim in power.

Russian roulette it’s your turn next!

power to the people

“The Minister will receive regular reports”? Yes like Mary Harney did. I remember occasions when she requested reports from the HSE only to have them arrive late or not at all. Though I do like the sound of cutting management and travel costs – if it ever happens!

Does this include home care hours?

Brian Hayes on TV 3 saying they made a mistake and he holds his hands up..
People were not going to take it lying down and that’s the mistake they made thinking that they would.
Future leader of FG my arse..a party that won’t be in government next Year..
Cut your own expenses you get paid just for showing up to work for starters.

Does he actually know what he’s doing?

Great news, however it should not be news at all.
JR made a HUGE mistake as I did voting for the clowns

this lot are as useless as the last government.

Now for the property tax and when we refuse to pay that we’ll be swiftly reminded about this u-turn.

They need rid of the monster that has become the HSE. All chiefs and no indians. And money is being wasted constantly and no one is accountable.

this is a sick twisted govt…..enda coming out saying silly season over…god sake they the govt are only lining their own nests…..prop will retired like the lst bunch, greed to the highest level. hope the lst retired bunch are happy n their homes with their lump sums and pensions, while the rest of us scrap by.sick sick sick

They are testing the waters. Time for us all to stand up and be counted. And to those that paid the household charge, fools. Wheres Hogan now, in his bunker hiding. Noonan and Reilly need to join him. Its time Enda stopped blaming the previous governments for the mess, they are doing a good job of making the mess bigger.

it may be a victory for those people and I am so glad for them but it has been made clear that the money is still being cut from the disability budget and some thing else has to go. My daughter left school in June and although she has been told there is a place for her in a day service we are told there is no money. Unfortunately my daughter can barely communicate her needs let alone understand the concepts of political pressure and protesting outside the dail. Can anyone advise me? Is this our next move? camp outside the dail? I am at the end of my tether with this country.

I’m asking if its really worth staying in the Eurozone and EU if future cuts like this happen. Merkel’s fourth Reich will make Ireland into a 3rd world country while rats look to take over the manner.

by the way, the hippocratic oath does not apply anymore, i dont think they even sign or say it. they used to but not anymore, i am open to correction on this one!

We should Not Ractify The Federal Convention Constitution or It Will Effect The Funerable and the lower income tax Payers, not the Rich mind ya, they are protected fully under this Scheme Regime And FG and LB are traitors and Liars

What has been allowed happen to our country is shameful.
Sep 5th 2012
We live in a seriously politically bankrupt society when some of our most vulnerable citizens have to take to the streets to protest at cuts that will affect the quality of their daily lives, while the banking class has those very same resources poured into their fat bloated bellies. Imagine if the criminal banking class had to take to the streets to plead for funds! Now that would be justice!
You see Ireland, if you stand up as the elderly did (their medical cards) and the disabled have yesterday, YOU CAN FORCE change. Now there’s a domino effect in place. Banging kettles and holding hands is silly to look at, it is. But there’s more to it than that. It’s about banding together and showing everybody that watching that you’re a patriot, a real human being and you will not be dictated to by the people who you yourself have elected into power. The State has no rights over you. Remind them of this and we will have our country back.
Disabled people are travelling to protest outside Government Buildings on Tuesday 4th September -coinciding with a meeting of the Cabinet to launch a campaign to bring an end to the appalling cuts to Personal Assistance and Home Help Services.

On Tuesday 4th September from 12:00 pm – People with disabilities, their PAs, Home Helps and families will protest against the disgraceful, retrograde and inhumane cuts to these frontline services for as long as it takes to abandon this decision.

Disabled people involved in this campaign have said:
”These cuts are illogical, and counter to Government policy. These Cuts make no economic sense and will increase costs to the exchequer and will deny people basic fundamental rights to live with dignity and choice.”

This protest is organised by people with disabilities who require Personal Assistance and other supports to live independently in their communities as is consistent with Government policy. Supports that ensure people can receive education, obtain employment, travel to/from work, contribute and participate in many other ways within their communities. Supports which ensure that many isolated people in rural and urban settings have vital links to their communities and live lives with choice and dignity, and are not forced to access expensive hospital beds or nursing homes.

Key issues to be addressed by Government

the Government decision will mean PA and Home Help Services will be reduced or withdrawn from people throughout the country with immediate effect and will:
- Prevent disabled and older people from living independently in their own homes;
- Reduce the jobs of front-line PAs and Home Help workers.

Government Must Abandon these Cuts and
1. Immediately assess the needs of all disabled and older people on waiting lists for personal assistance and other community based services who are currently held captive in costly acute hospital beds and nursing homes.
2. Commit to the non-dilution of emancipative Personal Assistance Services with restrictive Home Help Services.
3. Apply Government policy of supporting older and disabled people to live in their homes and participate in the community in order to remove pressure on costly institutions and acute hospital beds, but NOT to institutionalise them in their own homes through inadequate provision of Home Help and PA services.
4. The Government must provide PA and Home Help employees equal status with directly employed HSE staff protected by the Croke Park Agreement.
5. The Government must commit to ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by January 2013.
6. The Government must provide Independent Living the status it deserves and agree to transfer the social supports (i.e. PA and Home Help Services) currently provided by the Department of Health to the Department of Social Protection by January 2014.
7. PA and Home Help Services must be available on the basis of need.

The protest against the PA cuts will begin this Tuesday morning and continue with an escalated campaign for as long as it takes for us as citizens to be given back our independence. We recognise the economic realities we face as a country. Government does have choices to reform that do not involve targeting groups already experiencing barriers to participate in Irish Society.

We are a non-aligned group of people with disabilities who use Personal Assistance services who have formed a Leaders Alliance and members are available for interview.

Join us on Tuesday 4th outside Government Buildings, Merrion Street from 12.00 PM.

Nothing about Us without Us!
Home Help & Home Care workers from across Dublin will be mobilising to protest at Government Buildings on Merrion Street this evening at 6pm.
At a meeting in Dublin last evening of Home Help and Home Care workers in North Dublin, the anger at Fine Gael & Labour’s despicable cuts to home help services and home care packages was such that it was decided a protest highlighting the savage cuts being inflicted upon the caring services across Ireland was needed.
“That Fine Gael and the Labour Party thought it fine to target the vital home care services that many thousands of our most vulnerable of citizen’s depend upon shows where their interests lie,” said Tina McVeigh, a member of the Home Care Community Action Group in Dublin’s Rialto/Liberties area. “They will bail out bankers and speculators, pay off bondholders – another billion euro will be paid to bondholders on 1st October – and continue to impose the disgraceful austerity demanded by the IMF/EU/ECB troika rather than stand up and defend the people who elected them. The impact of all this on peoples’ living standards and the public services they depend upon has been devastating over the past five years and people can take no more.”
Home Help workers and their clients have already suffered a 500,000 hour reduction this year and the announcement last week by the HSE that a further 600,000 hours will be slashed from the home help services will inevitably lead to a major deterioration in the lives of many of the elderly people, those with disabilities and children with life-limiting illnesses. In response to such shameful attacks on the caring services meetings of Home Help workers have taken place across Dublin and further afield over the past weeks with the express aim of mounting a campaign to fight back.
Protest at Dail today against cuts to home helps and Independent living supports mass protest needed to halt the despicable attacks on elderly and disabled.
The Government have announced cuts of €750 million to HSE funding and cuts of 4.5% to Home Help hours. This means that those who don’t receive adequate support at home will be forced to stay in hospitals that are already over-crowded or in residential institutions at a much greater cost to the state.
While these cuts make no economic sense they also affect the human rights and dignity of people with disabilities.
The protest today was organised by people with disabilities along with their families, home helps and PAs.
These cuts to home help and home care services are absolutely despicable. Nothing can justify attacking vital supports for the elderly and the disabled- our most vulnerable citizens”.
“The Labour Party in particular should be utterly ashamed of themselves and of course there is worse to come as well as the 130 million in cuts that have led to these disgraceful measures, the government is committed to another 700 million in health cuts in the forthcoming budget. These brutal cuts simply can’t be allowed to continue. We need people power now on the streets to stop this cruel austerity.”
” I want to commend the group that organised today’s protest and urge members of the public concerned about human dignity and common decency to come out on the streets and force this government to back off on these outrageous cuts”.

This Government have every intensions of a planned Privatisation of Health Reform, Shameful, selling us out to make a profit with the Devil of Europe, shame on them all! it is a sad Day when they lower themselves to target the Disable and The Elderly who are Vunerable, and Children. Shame, kick the lot out!

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