Diver steps back from defective blocks campaign saying ‘it’s in good hands’ 

Defective concrete blocks campaigner Paddy Diver has said he is stepping back from the frontline of the campaign for 100% redress as he is happy that it is now “in good hands”.

The Gleneely man, who has been a leading figure in the campaign for an improved redress scheme for the thousands of families in Donegal affected by defective concrete blocks, says the election of Charles Ward as a TD  for the 100% Redress Party  TD in last month’s general election, along with the election of four 100% Redress Party county councillors last June, means the “campaign has come a long way”.

“The dream of an end-to-end scheme - that is over,” Mr Diver said.

He said there will not be an end-to-end scheme under a Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-led government.

 “They have not treated the crisis as it deserves to be and it is breaking hearts.”

The scheme has turned into the “survival of the fittest for whoever can try to navigate their way through the scheme”.

“There is no money upfront. You have to get the money out before you get the money back again,” he said.

“With the same parties - Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael - with the same people in again, I could not face another four years of trying to change their minds again and fight with them for another four years.

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Mr Diver said he is stepping back from the campaign, because “it is in good hands and has come a long way” while adding he “will always be on the end of the phone to help out”.

“I will always be part of the campaign - if anyone needs any help, if anyone needs a phone call,  I’ll be there,” he said. “Ordinary homeowners are calling all the time. If there is a protest in Dublin,  I’ll be on the bus.

“I just hope there will be better times ahead for homeowners. We have gone through enough years of torture. We need to get the banks and the Government to sit around the table to make sure the houses are mortgageable, sellable and insurable. And hopefully councillors and TDs can help get   emergency works done for dangerous houses and we don’t have to live through a tragedy.”

Mr Diver said he will not be putting as much time and energy into the campaign. 

“We used to do it all voluntarily, but there are paid people in there now from 100% Redress and it is done now on a different level.

“This gives me more time to move on and look after my own health.”

He said he will be focusing on getting his health back as he has been suffering from ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory arthritis that causes inflammation in the spine and other joints, since before his involvement in the defective blocks campaign.

The treatment for the condition has involved injections and tablets “to stay fit and be mobile”.

Over the years he has tried home-made natural drinks made from ingredients such as turmeric, ginger, black pepper, organic honey, beetroot and garlic.

“I felt myself rid of all my inflammations and all my aches and pains and it was brilliant for me,” he said.

The demands of campaigning and working away from home meant he had less time to make the drinks but it is something he has returned to in recent months.

He has been sharing the drinks among family friends and neighbours with very positive feedback.

“They are full of antioxidants and we have done trials and tests,” he said. “We have made them very drinkable and are just full of goodness. There are a range of benefits - it encourages weight-loss, it boosts energy, helps lower cholesterol and is an anti-inflammatory. It takes away swellings and aches and pains. I would have bought it if someone had made it, but I just started making it myself.”

He has been making the drinks for around six years on and off but “never to the scale I am at now”.

He says the benefits of the drinks mean he does not have to take injections or tablets for his condition.

The drink, which he calls Paddy’s Powerful Immune Booster, is on sale at farm shops in Inishowen and Letterkenny after being available at Christmas craft markets.

Anyone interested in trying Paddy’s Powerful Immune Booster can contact Paddy Diver by WhatsApp on 083 899 8957 and on TikTok at paddy.diver.