The World Of Death's Head Harney

This column seems to have to do this far too often but it is something that we can't ignore. When we begin to take such things for granted we are finished as a species.

I wish to extend my deepest sympathies on behalf of the Irish Examiner to the family of County Mayo man Robert McKibben, who died at the hands of the Taliban in Afghanistan on Wednesday November 12.

Marine Joseph McKibben was on patrol with a colleague (unnamed as I write this*) when a roadside bomb hit their Jackal armoured car. The seven-ton vehicle is designed to be mine- resistant, but the sides are open and the driver and gunner are unprotected by armour.

Tragically, Marine McKibben was due to join his family in the town of Westport, Mayo for Christmas leave. His commanding officer Major Chris Haw said: "... McKibben was a large, friendly and robust Irishman who always had a smile on his face. He proved time and time again that he was a strong field soldier under the most demanding of conditions."

The local Labour councillor Keith Martin added: "He was in school with me and was a very outgoing kind of person. The town of Westport is in total shock."

There's nothing more to say, is there? I'll just once more give our most sincere sympathies to his parents Tony and Gráinne; and to his brother and sisters, Raymond, Carmel and Rachel.

In the ongoing row over the cancellation of the vaccine that would prevent 26,000 young girls possibly going on to develop cervical cancer - and which I wrote about last week - there has been a vote to determine if the decision can be reversed.

After all, the savings by cancelling it will be a measly €10 million. When you look at the nonsense that we have blown our money on in the last fifteen years it is a pittance.

I wish I could say that our leaders did the right thing, but this is our craven bunch we're talking about so of course the FF ministers saw the challenge off with no difficulty at all.

We are stuck with a heartless decision from Mary Harney and crew that will see unnecessary funerals in a few years' time.

She's collecting quite an impressive number of sobriquets, is our Minister for Health: 'Typhoid Mary', 'Mary Morticia' and 'Death's Head Harney'. Take your pick. She must be so proud. Why she is even clinging on since her party, the useless sell-outs of the Progressive Democrats, were dissolved this week is anyone's guess. They do just hate to lose power, don't they?

Even more sickening for such an important vote were the creeps who stayed away, frightened at the thought that they might have to make a moral decision. That would be 11 Labour, Fine Gael and Sinn Fein deputies. This lot certainly were hiding in the back when spines were being handed out, and that's for sure.

During the angry debate, which defeated a Fine Gail motion, one deputy didn't go along with his government and was immediately booted out for thinking for himself. Hey, that's democracy, Fianna Fail style. This was Donegal North East T.D. Dr. Jim McDaid, who abstained from voting.

Saying that the move to withdraw a life-saving vaccine was insupportable to one who had taken the Hippocratic Oath, Dr. McDaid added: "We will pass a death sentence on a certain percentage of the 12-year-old girls whose parents cannot afford the cost of it.

"Is there anyone in the House who would not give the vaccine to their daughters today?

"Fifty years from now, it will not be important what the size of my bank account was, what type of car I drove or what size of house I live in. It does matter to me that during my stay in this House I may have been, just may have been, important in the life of a child. Accordingly, I cannot vote for the Government's motion this evening."

Rebecca O'Malley, a victim of breast cancer misdiagnosis, added: "This is the most shameful episode in our country's history and women will pay the price in years to come for that stubbornness."

One thing that puzzles me is why Dr. McDaid abstained rather than cast his vote. It makes no sense as he knew he was going to be booted out in any case.

Just in case you still doubt the sheer heartlessness of this government, as personified by 'Death's Head Harney', here's an extract from a radio interview (Today FM) with Ray D'Arcy on November 11:

Mary Harney (MH): The reason we suggest introducing it at age 12 [is because that] is before girls get sexually active. The vast majority of cervical cancers are contracted between 25 and 60. We had hoped to roll it out in primary schools next autumn - it's not possible to do that. Hopefully we can roll it out very soon thereafter in the secondary schools and pick up the girls that we would have picked up in primary school. And I know a lot of people have said there are eight other European countries that haven't introduced this vaccine. [Ed: Actually, there are, to my knowledge, two: Ireland and Finland.]
Ray D'Arcy (RD): That's disingenuous. Why should we follow them; why shouldn't we be more pro-active?
MH: Of course we should be pro-active, Ray, but surely you would agree that the women who have precancerous cells that smear-testing can pick up...
RD: This is disingenuous. This is just about the money. The figure we're talking about is one-thousandth of your budget. Let's just look at somebody dealing with their weekly shopping. If you have €300 to spend in the supermarket, we're talking about finding an extra 30 cents. That's what people are asking you for to save lives.
MH: In relation to saving lives, all of the women that would get the vaccine... would have been screened. The vaccine deals with 70% of the HPV [Human papillomavirus] cancers... Secondly, when you say the money is small, yes I could take the money away from speech therapy.
RD: The World Health Organisation has described this vaccination as 'the single biggest thing any government can do for the health of its population'. How can you argue with that?
MH: We have agreed the vaccine is a good thing. The issue is whether we introduce it in 2009 or subsequently. The fact is, I can't do everything together. The impression you're trying to create is it's never going to happen.
RD: To think that €10 million is going to result in people dying. It doesn't make sense to me; I can't understand what is going on in your head.
MH: The emotive way you put that Ray...
RD: Death is emotional. People lose mothers, people lose daughters, people lose sisters. It's an emotional thing. To divorce yourself from that emotion - I don't know how you do it. I admire you for that.

I trust that Ray's parting shot to the 'Death's Head' was ironical.

Little freedoms of speech are being quietly and not so quietly chipped away from us. This week the Press Complaints Commission upheld and partially upheld two complaints against Irish Independent journalists. As it happens, two of their best.

A complaint was upheld against Ian O'Doherty, an extremely funny writer who uses his humour to make the reader think. He had done a satirical piece on homosexuality that I didn't think anyone could find offensive. I forget that there are sad, pathetic dingbats who just scour the papers in order to find things to be outraged by.

That's all that these thick planks of wood have in their miserable lives: to crouch in their lonely bedsits, surrounded by their Socialist Workers Party posters, laboriously writing out all the things that offend their narrow, parochial minds.

Of course, the Offended One was given the right to remain anonymous. That seems to be par for the course with these cowardly little runts.

Partially upheld was the complaint against Kevin Myers, who had been questioning our wisdom in continuing to throw money at Africa. Mr. Myers's case was more serious as he was threatened with two years in jail-and, as I wrote here some weeks back, more stomach-churning as so few of his fellow journalists backed him. Some tough hacks, all right.

I guess that Kevin forgot, or more likely couldn't have cared less, that in talking of Africa he was talking about one of the Sacred Cows of our age.

You simply don't knock the Dark Continent under any circumstances, even if you DO believe that the money isn't reaching the people that it should be.

For myself, I'm rather averse to further swelling the coffers of dictators who sneer at us in the West for being so soft.

I'm delighted to say that, with the obvious backing of the Independent Ian O'Doherty and Kevin Myers have simply continued with business as usual.

And talking of money for Africa...

Say it ain't so, Bob.

Even though I find him the most irritating man after Tom 'Bono' Thumb himself, I hope that the recent allegations about Saint Bob Geldof can be explained.

At the Diversity@Work business awards in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday last Geldof is reported to have given a talk on-yes, of course - poverty, for which a stunned insider has claimed that he charged €51,000 - this including first-class air fares, luxury hotel rooms and his personal minder.

Refusing to confirm the fee paid, Mark Heaysman the company CEO said: "The awards bring attention to the issue of providing better opportunities for people with disabilities.

"It is important to have high- profile supporters of the awards, and it would be a shame if this issue was overshadowed."

The Great Man has refused to comment.

*Robert McKibben's companion-who also died instantly - has been named as Marine Neil Dunstan, 32.