Irish Red Cross Acting Secretary General Limerick speech raises eyebrows and serious questions

In the course of a speech during the recent Irish Red Cross National First Aid Competitions held in Limerick the Acting Secretary General of the Irish Red Cross, Declan O'Sullivan, allegedly suddenly veered off script and launched into a tirade against this Blog, its authors and bemoaned at length the problems he had to deal with at headquarters such as staffing, pensions, falling income etc. A rather stunned audience reportedly did not know where to look. Reports from Limerick suggest the Acting Secretary General was told to stop by the Vice Chairman (temporarily acting as Chairman), much to the embarrassment of all in attendance.

According to the many present who witnessed the 'speech' the Blog authors were called cowards. Apparently writing the Blog is worse than keeping a secret bank account for four years with over €150,000 collected for Tsunami victims and failing to declare or release the money until an internal audit discovered it. Apparently writing the Blog is worse than intimidating, harassing, bullying and threatening staff and members. Apparently writing the Blog is worse than scandalously wasting over €300,000 in two years on one consultant alone. Apparently writing the Blog is worse than catastrophic mismanagement over the last two and a half years and gross misgovernance over the last twenty years. Perhaps, in the view of some, writing the Blog is worse than all of the above but the Blog authors do not agree.

After the 'speech' it is reported that tension was intense between the Vice Chairman, Tony Lawlor, and the Acting Secretary General, Declan O'Sullivan. As one member told this Blog 'If anybody didnt previously know about the Blog's existence the Acting Secretary General's speech made sure they all know now. As you can imagine the Vice Chairman was furious because now everybody will be able to read in detail all about his disgraceful behaviour in keeping a secret undeclared bank account for four years. All the talk after the 'speech' was about whether the Acting Secretary General had purposely raised the Blog in such a public forum in order to 'discreetly' ensure everybody knows about the secret bank account and so put further pressure on the Vice Chairman to resign. But this would be a high risk strategy because as everyone in the Irish Red Cross knows when you upset or cross the Vice Chairman your days are numbered.... Just ask the last six Secretary Generals. Some people were of the view it was just very bad judgement on the part of the Acting Secretary General and reflective of his general inexperience. Regardless of the intentions it is reported that most people who were in Limerick, however, thought the speech was ill thought and very inappropriate'.

This Blog would like to issue a big Thank You to the Acting Secretary General for highlighting the Blog to the wider membership. We commend him for this uncharacteristic burst of transparency and we encourage him to continue in this vein. The more people within the Irish Red Cross and outside who know about it, thereby knowing the truth, the greater the likelihood that regime change will happen sooner rather than later and the rebuilding of the Irish Red Cross can finally commence.