In an impassioned speech, Donal set out his agenda in the council:
“There is already a threat hanging over services at the new hospital which hasn’t even been built yet; we lost obstetrics and gynaecology services for more than a month last year because they couldn’t find doctors to provide cover; half of our schools are under threat of closure and that was before the 15% cut to running costs and the 30% cut to capital budgets; classroom assistants are facing the axe leaving special needs children abandoned; 32,500 hours of home help has been slashed in Fermanagh this year alone; unemployment in Enniskillen has doubled in the last three years; our young people are having to emigrate, universities are becoming the preserve of the rich and we are threatened with even more public sector job losses. And all the mainstream political parties can do is focus on the need to reduce corporation at a cost of further job losses and public sector cuts!
“Our politicians are agreed on implementing the most severe cuts to public services since 1924; worse than anything Thatcher did. The parties are playing the same old divisive games ahead of these elections but once they are elected they will be joined at the hip implementing these cuts. Instead of implementing cuts, we need to build campaigns alongside the trade unions and communities to fight the cuts!
Following approaches from friends and family of Mr Brendan Lillis, a prisoner in Maghaberry prison, who is close to death, Socialist Party MEP for Dublin, Paul Murphy, is appealing to Northern Ireland Justice Minister, Mr David Ford, to intervene with a view to allowing Mr Lillis to spend his last weeks at home on humanitarian grounds.