FORMER MINISTER of state Jimmy Devins admitted yesterday that he felt a certain amount of anger following his demotion this week.
The Sligo/north Leitrim TD said he had not got an explanation from the Taoiseach as to why he was dropped but he said he would be asking Brian Cowen for a reason “because I do believe I have done a good job”.
Mr Devins sparked a furious reaction from cancer campaigners in the northwest yesterday when he suggested he was being punished for supporting the retention of the local breast cancer unit at Sligo General Hospital.
The former minister of state for science, technology and innovation said the Taoiseach had telephoned him on Wednesday morning to tell him that he would not be reappointed.
Mr Devins said he was interested to find out why he was one of those junior ministers losing out. “But unfortunately I did not get an answer to that,” he told Ocean FM radio in Sligo.
Pressed on whether he was angry, the Fianna Fáil TD said: “I am not a person who does anger,” but he added that it was only fair to say that there was a “certain amount of anger because I do believe I have done a good job”.
He said he would continue to press for an answer. “Whether I will get it or not is another question”.
Mr Devins said he had been lobbying for the retention of the breast cancer services in Sligo and “I have paid a heavy price”.
His remarks were branded as “hyprocritical” by a spokesman for the Save Sligo Cancer Services support group Killian McLaughlin.
He said Mr Devins had repeatedly in face-to-face meetings with the group argued that Minister for Health Mary Harney was doing the right thing. “He betrayed the people of Sligo and now Fianna Fáil has betrayed him,” said Mr McLaughlin.
Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore said yesterday that it was “increasingly doubtful” that the Government could serve out its full term because the people were “fed up”. Reviewing the events of “an exceptionally bad week” for the Government, he said the Coalition had lost support in the Dáil, received a negative assessment from the IMF, finally acknowledged that its electronic voting plan was a disaster and was now trying to get out of holding the Dublin byelections on June 5th.
“It is clear that people are fed up with this Government. It’s no wonder: this has been an exceptionally bad week for Brian Cowen and his Government, and it is now increasingly doubtful as to whether it can serve out its full term of office,” said Mr Gilmore, during a constituency visit to Kildare.
He pointed out that two Independent TDs, Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy-Rae, had absented themselves from the vote on the Labour Party private members’ motion on the cancellation of the extra Christmas payment for those on social welfare.