From top: Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly; Chief Medical officer Dr Tony Holohan
This morning
Claims that Dr Tony Holohan, the Chief Medical Officer said he spoke to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly both before and after NPHET met on Sunday, need to be addressed, say opposition TDs.
Dr Holohan said Minister Donnelly had been “clear about the level of concern that I would have, and had”.
Tanaiste leo Varadkar among others expressed surprise when NPHET’s Level 5 recommendation was leaked.
Meanwhile…
Via Newstalk:
Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson claimed that the Health Minister “allowed the impression to be formed that NPHET went on a solo run”.
Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall said: “I am calling on the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly TD, to make a full statement of what he was told on Sunday morning and evening and what he did with that information.
“The country was distracted by an unseemly row between the Government and NPHET at precisely the moment when all attention should.”
Labour leader Alan Kelly (above) reiterated the calls for a Dáil statement from the minister, saying Minister Donnelly “must clear up this latest controversy”.
Donnelly Urged To Give ‘Full Explanation’ (Newstalk)
Last night: Disposable Heroes
And to think, I actually used to like Stephen Donnelly.
Now he just reminds me of an egg
It seems the post is constantly ridiculed by the Irish public for the appearance of its minister. This is so dangerously wrong. Is there an optimum dream Minister for Health which sits perched in people’s minds? Address the performance.
A fiddly and frequently disappointing affair, despite its straightforward appearance. Salt is a must.
Am I describing an egg or Donnelly? For me it could be either.
But yes, you are right.
https://gbdeclaration.org/
7000 doctors. This should be the end of the discussion right here!
Instead of playing politics and point scoring maybe they should all get the heads down and try to get stuff done to prepare for winter + Covid + abysmal health service = carnage?
isn’t it mad that this kind of common sense sounds like science fiction ?
+ + + Never a truer word was written
I don’t like any of the players in this act but the attention should lie squarely on Varadkar. He sought fit to sprint to the Claire Byrne EVERYBODY PANIC NOW!!! programme that whipped the whole poo-sponge into an unedifying crap-cake. Half baked imho.
+1
Yes.
Also
The PDF scanned copy letter that Nphet sent to Donnelly’s Private secretary (link kindly provided by Cian a day or two ago https://assets.gov.ie/89950/7a01b63b-8fff-483c-b967-298ffdadbda8.pdf ) on Sunday was created 18:26 hours on Sunday.
It doesn’t mention anything like ‘Further to our discussion this morning’ or anything like that. It stated ‘I would be happy to discuss further, if you wish’ and signed by Holohan.
1. All these letters (I randomly opened 3) finish with ‘I would be happy to discuss further, if you wish’
2. There are official letters from NPHET, so “Further to our discussion this morning” isn’t appropriate – the phone calls are “further to the NPHET meeting”.
3. Holohan was on the radio this morning saying that it was normal for the CMO to talk to the Minister both before and after each NPHET meeting.So it Sunday wasn’t unusual.
Lame.
He’d already discussed it in the morning he says.
‘I would be happy to discuss further’ is not a recognized official ending of an official letter, if you’re trying to give the impression that it is, and trying to normalize it. Maybe ‘Mise le meas’ eh?
Why isn’t ‘further to our discussion’ appropriate Cian? Like to the contents of the letter itself (discussion and correspondence that Holohan relies on from some members of Nphet), the conversation is a link in the correspondence between Holohan and the Minister, and an official record of it should be made. (We’ve had enough of ‘There were no minutes taken’ excuses at this stage)
So Holohan was on the radio eh? Saying what was ‘normal’ for the CMO. And that’s some sort of proof of anything? Quick question – how normal was it for a CMO to suggest to a Health Minister to cover up the Cervical Smear scandal.
If Tony Holahan isn’t telling the truth then Stephen Donnelly is free to clarify that. Not only that Stephen Donnelly can relieve him of his position if he is lying. I’m pretty sure he is telling the truth.
‘I would be happy to discuss further’ is not a recognized official ending of an official letter, if you’re trying to give the impression that it is, and trying to normalize it.
Here is a list of all the letters from the CMO to the Minister
:
https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/ba4aa0-letters-from-the-cmo-to-the-minister-for-health/
They all (well all the ones I bothered to open) sign off with “I would be happy to discuss further, should you wish”.
This may not be to your taste, but the sign-off in Sunday’s letter was no different to the rest.
Why isn’t ‘further to our discussion’ appropriate Cian?
The letter is information from the NPHET meeting to the Minister. It is about the NPHET meeting **not** a phone call that happened earlier. Anything from that phone call should be dealt with separately – and the separate email could use “further to our discussion earlier”.
So Holohan was on the radio eh? Saying what was ‘normal’ for the CMO. And that’s some sort of proof of anything? Quick question – how normal was it for a CMO to suggest to a Health Minister to cover up the Cervical Smear scandal.
I was saying that Sunday was no different to other NPHET days – the (A)CMO phones the Minister before and after. Sunday wasn’t any different.
You’re slandering at the CMO again I see.
I don’t see how this is in any way relevant to anything. Throwing stones without reason
Many people were misled about what NPHET did and they have been hugely criticised as a result. They will continue to issue advice but have now been damaged by the way things have been allegedly misrepresented. Not a trivial issue.
McKinsey corporate dirty tricks and shenanigans v old school FFFG skull muckery
Who’d have thunk it
⊙.☉
It wasn’t self important Leo’s story to tell .