Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As if we did not need another example of the betrayal by this Government of the citizens in this country, this morning I listened on local radio to people who are trying to restore mammography services to Sligo General Hospital. The radio show played a clip of the former Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, when two years ago he stated that mammography services would be re-established within 12 months, or quicker if he could manage it. That was a promise. We are two years down the road but the campaign group was informed yesterday that mammography services will never be reinstated at Sligo. That is another example of this Government's betrayal of the people. There may be an economic recovery in some parts of the country - perhaps on the east coast - but it is certainly not happening in the north west. That arises from this Government's betrayal of the people.

The Government lied its way into power and turned its back on citizens and the promises made to them.

It picked up the programme brought in by Fianna Fáil, ran with it and kowtowed to its masters in Europe at every opportunity. The Taoiseach went to Davos and said we all partied and it was all our own fault. That is where the betrayal of the Irish people started and that is the betrayal that the Government has carried on and it can never recover from that.

The people have moved on. They have gone beyond the politics of this House. The people have no confidence in this Government and no matter what it does, it cannot restore it. The only thing it can do is to go to the country, have an election and let the people elect a Government that will respect them, respect their rights, respect their vote and act on their behalf and not on the behalf of its master in Europe to betray the people. That is what it has failed to do and that is why the citizens have lost confidence in it and why we say it must go now.

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