Prominent Save Sligo's Cancer Services campaigner, Ann McGowan said that two options remain open to the campaign group - to campaign actively against politicians (de facto Fianna Fail) who have opposed them in their bid to save services at Sligo or to run a candidate or candidates in the June '09 local elections. She added that as such, neither of these two options has been discussed among members but the options remain open to them.
She told the Donegal Democrat: "We are not happy at all with any of the politicians and as a matter of fact they voted against us in the Dail. We have been fighting this issue for three years."
She added that one of the options left open to them was to run their own candidate in the upcoming elections.
She said: "This is one of the only options that may be open to us. No decision has been made yet. One of the options may be to actively canvass against the government in the next elections."
She did agree that the cancer campaign was apolitical and that they would only become political if they were pushed to it.
She said: "We don't support any politicians. There is no politician on our steering group. The only way we will turn to politics is if we are pushed to it."
At present the 'Save Sligo's Cancer Services' campaign plan to stage a protest at the upcoming Fianna Fáil annual conference in Galway next month. The move comes as campaigners also gear up for a visit to Brussels to lobby MEPs on the issue.
A leading oncologist and breast surgeon at Sligo General hospital are expected to deliver report on why cancer services should remain at Sligo General Hospital and campaigners intend to cycle from Sligo to Dublin to deliver the report.