Paul Hopkins

The Fact OfThe Matter

PAUL HOPKINS PAUL HOPKINS Under the stairs is no longer my safe haven

When I was but a boy my brother and I would often hide under the stairs in our modest terraced house, setting up a make-shift camp and pretending we were Robinson Crusoe and his Man Friday stowed away on some far- ung island. Much to the alarm of my mother for our bolthole housed the gas meter – into which daily my mother fed endless coins – and she feared we would be rendered unconscious by inhaling any escaping fumes.

My hideaway island often had a faint whi of gas but it was not unpleasant, serving only as a reminder of our annual holidays with my mother’s sister in Liverpool, where she lived in a small council house by the gas yard wall. at childhood retreat, though, was to take on a more sinister role. For, as the Sixties rolled out, the leaders of the two most powerful nations, America’s John F Kennedy and the Soviet Union’s Nikita Khrushchev, found themselves at loggerheads at a speci c and scary point in history.

In 1959, a leftwing revolution in Cuba had ended with a government under Fidel Castro. e regime quickly severed formerly strong ties with the US by expropriating US economic assets and developing close links with the Soviet Union.

Given Cuba’s geographical proximity to the US, in March 1960 President Dwight D. Eisenhower directed the CIA to plan for the invasion of Cuba and overthrow the Castro regime. Following his election in November 1960, President Kennedy learned of the plan, concluded that Castro was a Soviet client posing a threat to Latin America and, after consultations with his advisors, gave his consent for the clandestine invasion to proceed.

After two days, US special forces were defeated by the Cubans at the Bay of Pigs.

Embarrassed, Kennedy decided to have another shot. US intelligence reports, however, indicated there were expanded arms shipments from the Soviet Union to Cuba. For some months there was growing concern the weapons included ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.

While the world held its breath, a lea et from the Department of Defence was popped into every Irish letterbox, informing us what to do in the event of a nuclear war. Crude drawings depicted what such a terrifying event could do to the human body: there were some tablets we must take, iodine I recall; we were to never go outside, ever, and we had to nd a safe room in the house and wait until the authorities gave the all-clear.

My father, in his wisdom, decided that under the stairs would be the safest place should the nuclear button be pushed. I just wondered how the heck two grown-ups and three children would t in there, not to mention our beloved family dog Mutt.

In the end, Kennedy pulled us back from the brink by abandoning his planned second invasion.

Now, a lifetime on, our old assumptions are rattled again by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. In addressing the West, he has warned that exceptional action by NATO allies would result in dire action by him.

His hand ever steady on the nuclear trigger, the Russian leader has warned the rest of the world that any attempt to interfere with his action will lead to “consequences they have never seen”.

Here’s the facts: Russia has the world’s largest arsenal of nuclear weapons with a 6,257-strong eet which include 527 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers. ICBMs can get up to a top speed of four miles a second in about 10 minutes after launch, meaning the weapons could potentially reach the rest of us mere mortals in almost no time.

e sudden mania for speaking of nuclear warfare, among men with unrestricted power, is the closest – North Korea aside – humankind has come to the kind of scenario that had that lea et popping into the home of my boyhood. e view of some is that the West has squandered the glad con dent morning of its victory back in 1989-91, what with NATO’S continuous encroachment.

At time of writing, Ukraine seems a foregone conclusion, sadly. Will Putin stop there or advance further? Will sanctions work? And then there is the oligarchy’s cyber warfare, if the nukes do not nish us o in the meantime.

Alas, I’m no longer holding my breath. I’m too darn old for that. And, besides, I know enough now to know that hiding under the stairs would no longer provide a safe bolthole.

For any of us, if Putin loses his grip...

Consent for the clandestine invasion to proceed...”

Government must do more to tackle hospital waiting lists

BY: DEPUTY KATHLEEN

FUNCHION

SINN FEIN TD FOR KILKENNY CARLOW

SINN Féin TD for Carlow Kilkenny Kathleen Funchion has criticised the Minister for Health’s Waiting List Action Plan as a wish list of repackaged measures that will not address the fundamental problems that are causing long hospital waiting lists, which is particularly affecting many in Carlow and Kilkenny.

She said that every Minister for Health has promised to cut wait times, but have never brought forward the fundamental reforms needed to make these targets realistic, deliverable, and permanent.

Teachta Funchion said that while all additional funding and measures to tackle waiting lists and cut wait times are welcome, we need a step change in investment and workforce planning to meet the capacity needs of the public health service.

She called on the Government to back up the waiting list plan with a proactive, joined up workforce development strategy to train, recruit, and retain more doctors, nurses, and allied health and social care professionals.

The Sinn Féin spokesperson for Children was particularly critical of the Government’s record on the outrageous wait lists for children.

Teachta Funchion said:

“The Minister for Health’s Waiting List Action Plan will not fix our broken health service. It does not address the fundamental problems which are causing hospital waiting lists for people across Carlow and Kilkenny.

“I am particularly concerned that not enough emphasis is placed on children’s health care, we have all seen children in extreme pain expected to wait interminable periods of time for life changing surgery.

“We have had promises before from every Minister for Health to cut wait times, but the Government have never brought forward the fundamental reforms to make these targets realistic and deliverable.

“The Action Plan is a wish list of repackaged measures. Permanently cutting wait times need a serious workforce plan to train, recruit, and retain more doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals.

“There is no new funding, particularly capital funding, to increase capacity in the public system – not terms of more beds and expanding wards, additional theatres, diagnostic equipment, or eHealth and ICT modernisation.

“There is no workforce plan. We cannot recruit and retain the staff we need and retain the staff we need – we need to train more – we need to train more healthcare professionals healthcare professionals and there needs to be a and there needs to be a joined up plan across Gov-joined up plan across Government, training bodies, ernment, training bodies, and universities to meet and universities to meet health service staffing need. health service staffing need.

“The Department of “The Department of Health and the HSE are Health and the HSE are working in a silo, and there working in a silo, and there is not a joined up approach is not a joined up approach across Government to train across Government to train and attract the necessary and attract the necessary workers to safely and prop workers to safely and properly staff the Health Service. erly staff the Health Service.

“And there has been slow “And there has been slow progress of Regional Health progress of Regional Health Areas, which should be the Areas, which should be the drivers of reform and ac drivers of reform and accountable for cutting wait countable for cutting wait times and delivering major times and delivering major projects.

“Without a step change in “Without a step change in investment, reform, and investment, reform, and workforce planning, the workforce planning, the fundamentals for cutting fundamentals for cutting wait times are not there. wait times are not there.

“This Government does not have the appetite or vision to fix our broken health service.”

Paul Hennessy’s Cheltenham winner Heaven Help Us

Hot on the heels of our record-breaking our record-breaking success at Red Mills success at Red Mills Day, we’re gearing Day, we’re gearing up for the most up for the most anticipated National Hunt Racing Festival of the year. of the year.

Paul Hennessey

Cheltenham Preview

We hope you can join us for our upcoming Cheltenham Preview, on March 10th from 4-6pm! Everyone is welcome to this free of charge event taking place at our Cillín Hill Store, and no need to book a ticket – simply turn up and enjoy. When it comes to a Cheltenham Preview, we’re old hands at making sure we have a diverse o ering of expert advice from the best in the business, as well as plenty of tips and tricks in the style stakes.

With Cheltenham taking place from March 15th – 18th, we’re just in time to get you prepared for the big event. ere’s a total of 28 races set to take place over the four days, and we’re hoping to get the inside track from the people in the know!

We’re delighted to be playing host to an excellent panel, primed and ready to share their advice and tips for the days ahead. Jane Mangan, RTE and Racing TV pundit will be joining us to share her wisdom, along with Goresbridge native Paul Hennessy, fresh from his win as a Cheltenham Festival winning trainer in 2021 when the Richie Condonridden Heaven Help Us won the Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle by all of nine lengths.

Former grade 1 winning jockey David Mullins will also be joining our panel of experts on the day.

Feel free to take notes and come armed with your questions – we’re looking forward to sharing our knowledge on the day. Our panel of experts will also be joined by the team from KCLR, with Matt O’Keefe and Sue Nunn joining us in store and coming to you live over the airwaves to share a little bit of the in-store magic.

Our friendly team will be on hand to welcome you to our Red Mills Store, located in Cillín Hill, with a fresh look on display and some seriously essential pieces t for your racing wardrobe. We’ve got a wide range of race day favourites, including Fairfax and Favor, Welligogs, Schoe el, Dubarry, and much more besides, as well as products to suit your equine and pet needs all available in store for a little retail therapy on the evening.

Our recently revamped café will be open to serve you a variety of food and drinks to keep you sustained throughout. Our café expansion means more space to sit and unwind, and we’re proud to present a brand-new menu featuring delicious o erings from La Rivista Market. Find delicious sandwiches, salads, wraps, and much more with avours to suit everyone’s tastes.

We’re so looking forward to seeing you on the night.