10/07 Saturday’s papers

The front pages

It’s not often we’re singing the praises of Mary Harney, but that might be about to change today if reports on the front of this morning’s papers are to be believed.

‘Subsidised GP visits for everyone proposed in report’ reads the headline in this morning’s Irish Times, who report that the Minister for Health has commissioned a report recommending that existing medical schemes be scrapped in favour of primary care cards for all.

The primary care cards, which would be divided into categories depending on income levels and those most in need of medical care, would replace existing schemes such as the medical card, GP visit cards, drug refunds and long-term illness, and tax reliefs on healthcare spending.

The same story is covered in the Irish Independent, below the obligatory photograph of Oxegen revellers which adorns the front of most of today’s papers.

‘€40 cap on GP fees’ is the headline in the Indo which goes a little further to reveal that GP fees will be capped at €40 as part of the reforms in an attempt to make health care more affordable for people on low incomes, who can scarcely afford the currently prohibitive prices, which can be as high as €60 for a single visit to a GP.

More health related issues on the front of today’s Irish Examiner, who tell of a shocking cover-up by a doctor in Ballincollig, co. Cork which has left a Cork Garda with only months to live.

‘My family is facing down the barrel of a gun’ headlines the report into the devious acts of Dr. Patrick Joseph Lee, who failed to pass on test results to a patient of his, Superintendent Martin Dorney, who now has six to nine months to live as a result of Dr Lee’s negligence.

Dorney went to see Lee on his return from holidays in 2003, after he was concerned about a mole that developed on his knee. Although the mole was not malignant, it displayed characteristics that may be a pre-cursor to cancer. The recommendation for surgery was made but not acted upon as Dr Lee was on holidays when the report came back.

It was only in March of last year when Dorney returned to Lee with a diagnosis of metastatic malignant melanoma that Lee realised his error and attempted to modify the report to suggest that the recommendation for further surgery had never been made.

Mr Lee expressed profound regret for his actions saying, “I have lived with the embarrassment and the shame I have caused my own family from a place I never envisaged myself being.”

Tales from the tabs

The World Cup and the GAA championship are occupying most of the sporting attention at the moment, but for those who like their sport a bit more dangerous and adrenaline-fuelled, there’s always the running of the bulls in Pamplona, which is in full swing at the moment.

A hardy soul in the JOE office is one of the thousands of slightly mad revellers at the annual festival in the Basque region of Spain and the bulls have been as raucous as ever, as is evident from a quite graphic photograph in today’s Daily Star.

Nobody has yet been fatally injured at this year’s festival, but according to an accompanying report in the paper, there have been three serious injuries, including one to a 43 year old Irishman, who was admitted to hospital on Thursday with a serious gash from a bull’s horn.

Now this next story is just taking the piss. Frankly, we’ve got a bit sick of Paul the Octopus, the psychic squid who has correctly predicted about five games in the World Cup. Even though we want Spain to win tomorrow’s World Cup final, we wouldn’t begrudge the Dutch a victory simply to stop this farce once and for all. But it ain’t that easy. It seems we’re going to be hearing about the punditry powers of a flippin’ parakeet if Holland come out on top tomorrow night.

According to today’s Irish Sun, psychic parakeet Mani, a massive celebrity in his native Singapore who has also correctly predicted five World Cup matches in a row, has gone for Holland ahead of tomorrow’s final.

According to his owner, M Muniyappan, the bird predicts results by selecting with his beak one of two cards which bear the flags of competing nations.

“He’s a special bird”, Muniyappan told the paper. “People usually want Mani’s help for picking the lottery numbers or deciding when to get married. But then gamblers started asking about the World Cup, so I put him to work on that too.

He has only done five matches for me, but he’s always right. He told me the winners of all the quarter-finals and also tipped Spain in their semi.”

We never thought we’d hear ourselves say this, but we’ll nearly be glad the World Cup is over just to get a break from this sort of crap for a while.

The Sports pages

It’s all about the build up to the showpiece of World football in today’s papers, as Spain and Holland prepare for the biggest game of their lives tomorrow night.

The Irish Sun and the Daily Mirror feature pictures of big premiership stars eager for a piece of the action in Soccer City tomorrow evening.

‘The World Kop’ shouts the back page of the Daily Mirror, who report that Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has begged coach Vincente del Bosque to start him tomorrow evening, with the out-of form striker fearing that he will miss out on the biggest match of his career.

With David Villa something of a doubt for the big game, Torres may well get his opportunity and it might also open the door for Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas, who, according to today’s Irish Sun, is praying that he will get his chance against the Dutch.

The Arsenal star, whose future is very much in doubt said, “I am desperate to play.”

“I can’t deny it has hurt not to be in the starting line-ups, but just being in this team is an honour. If I’m lucky enough to start, I will give everything I have. But if I have to start on the bench, then so be it. All I can pray for is that I get to play some part of this unbelievable game.”

Elsewhere in sport this weekend, it’s a pretty big weekend in GAA circles with Louth entering into their first Leinster final in 50 years and Cork and Waterford meeting in the Munster hurling final.

Louth, as firm underdogs, will have the support of most neutrals but that isn’t likely to bother Meath, who, as Martin Breheny points out in today’s Irish Independent, have had to wait a fairly long time by their high standards to get their hands on a Leinster title.

In an article entitled, ‘Taking the Final Step’, Breheny writes, “After all, it’s eight years since Meath supporters last saw a captain (Trevor Giles) being presented with a trophy in Croke Park.”

It could be well be cracking game at Croke Park and we’ll be following all the action live on our dedicated tracker, along with the Munster hurling final and the small matter of the World Cup final from tomorrow afternoon. Keep an eye on our Football, GAA and Sports sections for news, build up and live updates throughout the day.