19th February 2005

In an article on your site you allege that Dr Kieran Deeny has formed a political party. I wish you could get your facts right as nothing could be further from the truth. Another fallacy is that a protest was led by Dr Deeny to demand the reopening of Stormont. Again wrong, the protest your correspondent is alluding to is to stop the closure of hospital service in Tyrone. How do I know these things, I am one of Dr Deeny’s staunchest supporters and know he did not or has not set up a political party. The Tyrone Health Coalition is exactly that a coalition between voters healthcare professionals, Dr Deeny and his electorate. Perhaps Mr McAnulty should get his facts right.

Mr Kevin Taylor 
Deeny supporter 
 

Dear Kevin Taylor

I must point out that my article “Land of the living dead” of 28th October 2004 was not an article about Dr Deeny or about his campaign against hospital closure. I merely used some elements of his campaign to illustrate what I believe to be a widespread belief across many political organisations that a local assembly would in some way defend the interests of working people. In using Dr. Deeny as an example I merely drew on local news sources. These reported, as you say, a campaign at the gates of Stormont to stop the closure of hospital services, but went on to report a call from Dr. Deeny for Stormont to be reconvened so that it could come to the defence of the hospital. Similar reports from local media alleged that Dr Deeny intended to set up a political party.

The most recent report of 13 February, 2004 on the BBC website quotes Dr. Deeny as follows:

“If I simply am seen as a protest vote, I will get nowhere. We are trying to achieve an objective and do it politically. Already we are a party, a coalition, working towards a just objective. There is a danger in being single issue, being limited and excluded. If becoming a political party is what it takes to be recognised and to be respected and to have some weight in an assembly, then we will do that.”

If this report is in any way inaccurate we will gladly correct it.

Fraternally

John McAnulty