Ireland - Iva Pocock pays tribute to her late father Robert

THE WRETCHED F WORD

The campaign against fluoridation has been going for longer than many people realise. In a moving personal testimony, Iva Pocock pays tribute to her late father Robert – and prepares to appear before the Petitions Committee of the European Parliament...

Iva Pocock, 26 Jun 2013

Over 13 years ago, in February 2000, RTÉ television’s Primetime broadcast a report about fluoridation for which I was interviewed. My dad, Robert Pocock, was there when I was being filmed.

I was representing the environmental organisation, Voice Of Irish Concern For The Environment, and discussed the impact of decades of fluoridation on our waters – our streams, rivers and lakes – and on our health.

I subsequently moved on from my job as an environmental campaigner and from the issue of fluoridation. In contrast, my dad became obsessed with it, to the point that my mum, Kerry, could no longer countenance mention of the word: fluoridation was referred to only as “the wretched F word”.

Dad passed away, very unexpectedly, and prematurely, at a mere 70 years of age, on April 21 this year. His departure leaves a huge hole in my life, and in that of my family – but also amongst the ranks of those who are working to end the hidden medication of citizens with fluoride via the public water supply.

Dad had built up a wealth of knowledge about the issue and had taken every opportunity to bring the truth about fluoridation to the public, not just in Ireland but also around the world. Although I only talked sporadically to him about his work, I know that he was really excited about Hot Press’ decision to break the resounding, almost total media silence concerning 50 years of mandatory fluoridation in Ireland. I know his website irelandagainstfluoridation.org and his conversations provided plenty of data which helped Adrienne Murphy in her series of exposés.

I have reluctantly decided to rejoin the, thankfully, now growing ranks of Irish citizens who are saying ‘no’ to their enforced medication via the public water supply. I say reluctantly because, in a way, I resent having to put my unpaid time into doing something that legions of civil servants and medical professionals should be doing, if they had a bit of backbone and weren’t so concerned with protecting the status quo, and the reputations that they have built up over 50 years of State fluoridation.......