Pensioners jeer minister at 15,000-strong protest rally
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AN estimated 15,000 pensioners protested outside Leinster House yesterday, venting their anger over the withdrawal of their universal medical cards, in the largest protest of its kind in years.
Two elderly people fainted in the crush of people keen to hear the speakers standing on an articulated lorry outside Leinster House, but recovered after medical treatment.
Pensioners from all over the country booed and heckled junior minister Maire Hoctor, who was barely able to make herself heard.
"As minister for older people, I am sorry you were compelled to come here today," she said, to shouts of "get off".
Ms Hoctor told the crowd that the Government had made major changes to the original medical card Budget decision and had increased the income thresholds that automatically exclude the over-70s from qualifying for the card.
The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, which organised the protest, appealed to the pensioners to let speakers be heard. But there were still boos when Green Party TD Ciaran Cuffe took over the microphone.
"I am here to apologise. I am here to listen. The Green Party has learnt from this. We won't take you for granted," he said.
During the hour-long protest, former Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins drew one of the loudest cheers with his accusation that the Government had bailed out the banks at the expense of the pensioners.
"The bankers escaped in a limousine being paid for by you and me with the Minister for Finance at the wheel, and the Taoiseach directing traffic," he shouted.
Cheered
"And in their haste to escape, when they saw the pensioners, instead of throwing some of the billions of loot out the window, they drove right through them and snatched their medical cards as they went," he said.
There were cries of "Where's Enda" as Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny made a delayed appearance on the platform. But he was cheered by the crowd when he said the €30m the Government was trying to save on the medical card scheme was only "half the amount spent on those bloody electronic voting machines".
"We are opposed to their decision, we will speak for you tonight and we will vote for you tonight," he added.
Mr Kenny also dropped a hint that he wants to revive last year's electoral alliance, saying that his party would be campaigning for universal medical cards for all over-70s "backed by the Labour Party".
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore warned that more Government cuts to free services were in the pipeline.
"When they are finished with the pensioners, they will move on to the children. And when they are finished with them, they will move on to other universal services such as water," he said.
The speakers also included Sinn Fein Dail leader Caoimhghin O Caolain and Ross Connolly, the grandson of the trade unionist and executed 1916 leader James Connolly. He told the huge crowd of pensioners that there had been a breakdown in respect for older people.
"Not only are they attacking the most vulnerable in our society, they are now going to attack their grandchildren. It's totally unacceptable," he said.
- Michael Brennan Political Correspondent
