You could tell she was slightly awestruck by his presence but not intimidated, she spoke up, said what was on her mind, declined his leaflet and continued on with her shopping. I heard her say the names 'Scanlon, Devins' and the word 'disgrace' and the source of her anger became immiediatley obvious. The sight of Sligo's favourite son immaculate in navy blazer and cream trousers handing out 'Yes to Lisbon' flyers didnt surprise her as much it did me. Here was a man used to warm welcomes, hearty handshakes and generous compliments, a former minister for finance and EU commisioner, a man not prepared for the quiet anger of a middle aged woman in the centre of
his town.
I know that this man has lost someone dear to him but I wondered who it was she had lost.
Within seconds her place was taken by an elderly couple, again leaflets were offered, this time one was accepted. The husband enjoyed his chance to shake hands with this elder statesman, the wife refused to acknowledge him and as impatience got the better of her, she quickly walked off, leaving behind her husband and his awkward attempts at small talk.
We spoke with this statesman, he berated us for implying that this was a political issue, how the recent Dail motion did more damage then good and that a lifetime in politics told him as much.
I asked if this was so true, why he hadn't spoken out before? why wait until a week after the motion? The answers were short and impatient, 'the government has to vote against the opposition', 'Castlebar and Letterkenny should never have been included'. I asked why loyalty to a party was more important then loyalty to the people who elected them? his face flushed and he turned his back on us.
'People are going to die Ray' and he turned to face us again but this time his attentions focused on the woman to my right. Although not given to raising her voice and small in stature, she has a commanding presence. Her soft voice hides a quiet determination and dignity that only suffering brings and thus makes it all the more impossible to ignore. It dawned on me then, that it would be women that would solve this problem, I didnt have time to wonder why this was but whatever the reason, Im certain it's so.
We left with his angry promise 'I will bring them to Drumm and Keane myself' referring to the medical reports the HSE has chosen to ignore, the ones that the government wishes didnt exist, the ones that expose the lies and also the liars.
No more than two hundred yards away we ran into a Fianna Fail TD and senator, the TD ignored us, the senator looked on anxiously, we let them know we wished to speak and waited. To pass the time we joked about what we would say and how we would say it, I looked for familiar faces in the crowds but saw none. As the senator finally approached us, she nervously appraised us. We had tried and failed to meet with her on a number of occasions and I sensed this was partly the reason she seemed apprehensive. We discussed the closing of Sligo's cancer services, the conditions the men and women have to endure every day on their journey to and from Galway. We discussed how the region will be left without any diagnostics as Breastcheck has no schedule for the Northwest, we discussed how Mary Harney and the HSE were allowed to use figures and statistics that we all know to be out of date and incorrect but yet go unchallenged, we discussed.
Its a conversation we've all had many times now but its one that we've grown weary of, we all agree whats happening is wrong, yet can agree on nothing else. Still I was glad to have met this senator, having only previously spoken to her over the phone, I knew little of her and was less than impressed by how little she knew on that occasion. In person there was a different side to her, I think she felt genuinely ashamed by what was happening and wanted to be of help. Yet despite this, her party allegiance reared its head when I blamed their policies, I'm still surprised by this misplaced loyalty and its blindness, have they lost the ability to doubt or to think for themselves?
The myopia of these people, these 'leaders' and their stubborn reluctance to question what they know to be untrue is staggering, I dont know how to describe it because I cant understand it. I dont doubt she wanted to help, I only doubt if she could.
Later I thought of another woman, it was the agreed meeting with her this very morning that had first brought us into Sligo centre. In her office she described how she would try to help us, she was careful not to give us false hope but she did however, give us hope. It wasnt hard to imagine her in her former career, teaching honours maths to nervous students. As she detailed the positives and negatives of our proposal, an analytical and intelligent mind revealed itself. I pictured her in Europe, an Independent, an Irish woman and MEP, free from the party ties that seem to strangle our local representatives. I tried to imagine how hard she must have had to work to get that far, it made it very easy to admire her.
She didnt need to make any promises to us, we instinctively knew she would do as she said and left her to it.
Its the promise that was made later on that saturday afternoon that worries me. Those reports have already been presented, those reports have already been ignored.
Did this man mean what he said? was it another false promise to get rid of an increasing annoyance? Was this another lie designed to cloud the real issue at hand? Theres no way to be sure and thats what concerns me.
One certainty though, is that we will keep you to that promise Ray. But if you break that promise, its not the men of the Northwest you need to be wary of.
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