Basil McCrea sells Lisburn at Milwaukee Irish Fest
Basil McCrea at his Milwaukee Irish Fest Banner featuring the Linen Museum and Alexander Turney Stewart
Speaking at Milwaukee Irish Fest, Basil McCrea championed Lisburn to the people of the USA: “Lisburn is a beautiful, historical city with much to offer the American market. Not only do we have a strong cultural history, but we are modern with an excellent retail industry.”
Milwaukee Irish Fest has been running for 31 years and it is estimated 120,000 people will have visited the festival this year. In the past the Linen Museum has been represented also.
“There is an excellent market for tourism for us to tap into at this festival. There is a huge opportunity for investment, and this investment will benefit our local businesses, hotels and ultimately the people of Lisburn.”
He also spoke of the cultural ties Lisburn shares with America, which included the linen industry and historical figure Alexander Turney Stewart, both of which were key parts of Mr McCrea’s display and banner.
“Lisburn has numerous cultural ties with the United States that many don’t know about. We were a key area for worldwide linen production and Lisburn is also the birthplace of Alexander Turney Stewart, once the third richest man in America and inventor of the department store.”
Basil McCrea hits out at Minister’s decision to reduce hours of Lagan Valley Hospital.
Basil McCrea challenges decision of Health Minister Edwin Poots
Basil McCrea has challenged the Health Minister Edwin Poots to give a commitment that partial closure of the A&E at Lagan Valley Hospital is only temporary: “The Minister must give us assurances that this is only a temporary measure. He must also, as a matter of urgency, investigate the recruitment of junior doctors and ensure there is a way to solve this problem. Above all else, he must give the public his full commitment that the A&E at Lagan Valley Hospital will be returned to full cover or explain the reasons why not.”
“It is absolutely unacceptable for the Minister to hide behind the decisions of officials. He makes the final decisions, not the Trust. The people of Lagan valley suspect that this announcement is a sleight of hand which will eventually result in the closure of the A&E unit. If this is the mind of the Minister, he should explain to the people of Lagan Valley that this is the case, and what measures he will put in place to provide alternatives.”
“Given the huge amount of public concern in reducing the A&E’s opening hours, the Minister must give his commitment to proper public consultation.”
“In 2009/2010, we had 1845 students studying medicine or dentistry at NI Higher Education Institutions. Around 252 enroll in the NI Medical and Dental Training Agency each year. This is the agency responsible for training postgraduate medical students in Northern Ireland and is accountable to the DHSSPS. It is staggering to think that four junior doctors cannot be found given the amount of training available here in Northern Ireland.”
“It appears that junior doctors prefer general practice, which is oversubscribed, rather than emergency service which is undersubscribed. This is a policy issue which the Minister must deal with.”
