Dr Marcus de Brun : MORE THAN A PAWN IN THEIR GAME

The emotional highlights of Day 1 of his IMC fitness to practice hearing.

I travelled to Dublin on Tuesday morning by train to attend Day 1 of the long awaited Irish Medical Council (IMC) ‘fitness to practice’ hearing against GP Marcus de Brun, where he was ‘on trial’ for undermining and not promoting Government Covid 19 policies during the ‘Pandemic’.

The venue was the above hall in Kings Inns, Dublin.

It’s plush and grand magnificence a stark contrast to the sad state of our surrounding capital city.

The walls were adorned with portraits of our bewigged betters and rulers from over the last few hundred years.

It all seemed designed to intimidate Dr de Brun and his friend Dr. Billy Ralph as they faced up to the IMC committee at the top table and the ‘prosecutors’ to the right of the hall.

The acoustics were atrocious and the sound system for the most part of the day, was on a par with empty tin cans linked together with a piece of string that a dog had spent half a day gnawing on.

If you are looking for a summary of the case and the day’s evidence please go elsewhere; if you want word for word the emotional highlights of the day, please read on.

Marcus de Brun has been waiting 5 years for this moment and my God, he did not disappoint.

The day had 3 magical moments which even now still make the hair stand on the back of my neck when I think of them.

Here they are in ascending order:

At No. 3:

In the morning, the ‘prosecutor’ for the IMC, Neasa Bird BL, spent over 90 minutes reading out the Tweets which the IMC claim Dr de Brun was using to undermine Government policy during 2020/21.

On her ceasing the litany of truth paraded as evidence of guilt, Marcus de Brun was giving a right of reply.

His first chance to speak.

Over 5 minutes he spoke eloquently and forcefully in his own defence and of the elderly that died in his nursing home in April 2020.

When he stopped the silent crowd of 30-40 erupted in spontaneous applause.

It seemed to go on forever.

It echoed around this ancient hall and I swear a few of the wigs in the portraits fluttered in the heightened emotions.

None of us wanted to be the one to stop applauding.

When the ovation finally stopped, the ‘top table’ asked us to desist from further interruptions, to ‘respect the process’ and tried to explain that it didn’t do Dr. de Brun any good.

Yeah, right.

At No.2:

As further evidence of Dr. de Brun undermining Government policy, the prosecutor decided to play in full, a recording of a speech he gave to a massive crowd outside the Customs House in August 2020 where he lambasts the Government and all connected to them for what was happening in our country.

For the only time during the day the sound system worked perfectly.

The acoustic Gods conspired to fill the Kings Inns hall with the truth from Marcus de Brun’s mouth and the cheers of thousands of Irish people on the streets of Dublin backing him up from over 5 years ago.

When the recording stopped, those of us still in the hall stood up and applauded as if we had been transported back in time to that Summer’s day by the banks of the Liffey.

Marcus hadn’t said a word in the present but truth transcends time.

The past was the present.

And once again ‘Official Ireland’ at the top table warned us as to our behaviour.

No. 1:

If this happened in a movie you wouldn’t believe it but it happened in front of our very eyes and ears on Tuesday afternoon in Kings Inns, Dublin.

Marcus de Brun was conducting what was a narky and touchy cross examination about Tweets with Dr Rita Doyle, who was President of the IMC in 2020 and 2021 when she was in the forefront of those trying to silence him and other GP’s during the pandemic.

The sound system was kicking up and Dr Doyle, like her voice, was rising to the challenge when the following exchange took place about Dr. de Brun’s assertion as to the content of her Tweets in the past.

When it happened, I couldn’t believe it.

Everyone that I retold it to said they would have loved to have been there.

I have not read of the exchange in any report of the proceedings.

A moment in time.

Here it is.

Dr. de Brun: “Our health service is in crisis. It is only surviving with the goodwill and overworking of all healthcare professionals, doctors and nurses etc. When will Government wake up? The public are increasingly aware”.

Is that your Tweet Dr. Doyle ?

Dr. Doyle: Yes.

Dr. de Brun: Thank you. “I draw your attention to page 105 and the following Tweet. “How can An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar blindly blame everyone except himself and Fine Gael for our healthcare chaos. He has failed to prioritise the sick over the healthy. No bed for a child needing chemo. Millionaires getting free GP care. Very poor judgement.”

Is that your Tweet Dr Doyle?

Dr. Doyle: Yes.

Dr. de Brun: Thank you…… Finally, a Tweet on 12/8/19, “Genuinely appalled at the access for public patients to out patient….. My patient has lost more than a stone waiting for an urgent appointment. My fifth letter is gone today. I do not blame medics. It is our Government that do not prioritise the healthcare. Shame”. That’s directed to Minister Simon Harris.

Is that your Tweet Dr Doyle?

Dr. Doyle: Yes.

Dr. de Brun: So, Dr Doyle, just to restate what you stated in your witness statement. “Dr de Brun stated that he checked my social media accounts and my own writings undermine politicians and guidelines.”

Would you agree that your Tweets represent your undermining of both politicians and public health guidelines ?

Dr. Doyle: No I wouldn’t. I am telling you that I was doing it as an advocating professional to draw their attention to it.

Dr. de Brun: Dr. Doyle, there does seem to be a little bit of a double standard being applied here in that your own criticism of NPHET, your own criticism of politicians is done and you describe that as patient advocacy whereas I’m facing a fitness to practice hearing for indulging in the same activity that you were indulging in.

Dr. Doyle: You’re entitled to your opinion.

After what was the longest half second of the day Dr. de Brun replied with the timing of Broadway actor and the calmness of a chess master checkmating a novice:

“If only that were true Dr Doyle, I wouldn’t be here.”

The crowd erupted….

Touché, Marcus.