Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

I welcome the opportunity to put on record my support for the elderly and for their just demand to retain the entitlement to a medical card for the over 70s in the face of this Government's shameful attempt to renege on that entitlement. In recent days, the elderly have demonstrated to all vulnerable sections the real meaning of people power and how to respond to injustice. I sincerely hope other vulnerable sections will learn from the pensioners' example of how to mobilise and fight back.

We all know there is a financial crisis, but who created that crisis? It was certainly not the over 70s who built this country. It was the bankers, the developers and their political friends who caused the crisis. What does the Government do? It bails out the bankers and victimises the elderly and other vulnerable sections. Of course, there is always €70 million to be found for the horse and greyhound racing fund. The Government thought it had some easy, soft targets, but the elderly have put paid to that illusion. Pensioners have achieved in six days what the cosy partnership led by the ICTU constantly fails to achieve — a real defence of the disadvantaged in society.

Last week's Budget Statement was an exercise in hypocrisy, with its constant references to protecting the vulnerable when it did nothing of the sort. The elderly have changed all that by forcing this Government into a humiliating U-turn with a very clear message that the people do not want a two-tier health service. They want equality of treatment for all, based on medical need. That is the essence of automatic entitlement to the medical card for the elderly and that is why I support them.

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