# TD's Pensions



## rustbucket (24 Apr 2010)

Absolue disgrace! and the refusal of Maire Geoghan Quinn to comment on why she wont give hers back makes me sick.


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## RMCF (25 Apr 2010)

The rich get rich (or stay rich) the poor get a lot poorer.


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## Purple (25 Apr 2010)

RMCF said:


> The rich get rich (or stay rich) the poor get a lot poorer.



Why do you say that?


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## Purple (27 Apr 2010)

Right, after Ms. Quinn was  shamed into gifting her pension to the state for 5 years a few ministers have followed suit. When will the TD's who have teaching posts held open for them do the right thing?


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## z104 (27 Apr 2010)

Shur don't they need the security of having a job to fall back on if the whole TD punt doesn't work out. They need to have a safety net to fall back on.. 

And there was me thinking that if they were any good at their job they would be re-elected.


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## Sunny (27 Apr 2010)

I heard Ivan Yates talk about it this morning on Newstalk. He basically said he didn't cause the mess and was legally entitled to his pension. The head of BOI was legally entitled to his pension. He then said that it would have been the same if he had worked for any multinational company in the private sector. Well actually Ivan it's not. If I resign tomorrow, my very generous company don't allow me to start drawing down on my pension while I go off and set up my own business. 

I


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## MrMan (27 Apr 2010)

I know everyone is outraged, but if any of us were entitled to such sums, how many of us would willingly hand it back even though it was rightfully ours?


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## pinkyBear (27 Apr 2010)

I do think TD's and those who have served in the Dail deserve a pension. But I think it should only be given at 65 years of age. I am beginning to get annoyed with Ivan on Newstalk (we have now switched stations ) as he too is in reciept of a pension and is working (albeit in the private sector), and yet he somehow differentiates himself from serving ministers....


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## boris (27 Apr 2010)

Heard one politician claimed his pension, if he gave it up, is only in the region of €50 to €60 and therefore would not be of much difference.

Huge comfort to all the clerical officers in the ps I am sure who had a forced pay cut.


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## TarfHead (27 Apr 2010)

boris said:


> Heard one politician claimed his pension, if he gave it up, is only in the region of €50 to €60 and therefore would not be of much difference.


 
What Emmet Stagg said was that his annual pension was about €2500 per annum so would not make much difference to the national finances.


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## Purple (27 Apr 2010)

Sunny said:


> I heard Ivan Yates talk about it this morning on Newstalk. He basically said he didn't cause the mess and was legally entitled to his pension. The head of BOI was legally entitled to his pension. He then said that it would have been the same if he had worked for any multinational company in the private sector. Well actually Ivan it's not. If I resign tomorrow, my very generous company don't allow me to start drawing down on my pension while I go off and set up my own business.
> 
> I



I have a problem with the size of the pensions and the fact that they can be drawn by people who are still in state employment. I don't have a problem with people getting them before they are 65.
Ivan Yates is not a state employee so I don't have a problem with him getting his pension, I do have a problem with how much he gets. 

Politics is a hard job, if we want good people to get involved then we have to offer good pay and some sort of a safety net. The problem is they just get paid too much.


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## DB74 (27 Apr 2010)

Purple said:


> Politics is a hard job, if we want good people to get involved then we have to offer good pay and some sort of a safety net. The problem is they just get paid too much.


 
So the fact that we have had crap politicians to-date would suggest that we need to increase the benefits so as to get better TDs!


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## Purple (27 Apr 2010)

DB74 said:


> So the fact that we have had crap politicians to-date would suggest that we need to increase the benefits so as to get better TDs!



I don't think they are all bad, I think as long as we have our stupid electoral system Irish politics will be determined by the lowest common denominator but that's for another thread.


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## Sunny (27 Apr 2010)

Purple said:


> Politics is a hard job, if we want good people to get involved then we have to offer good pay and some sort of a safety net. The problem is they just get paid too much.


 
Lots of people have tough jobs. Look at all those people on contracts who don't get any pension entitlement
They get six figure salaries and expenses to compensate for the tough nature of their work and the risks they take in entering public life. They are among the highest paid politicians in the world. They should be like everyone else and be entitled to a pension when they reach retirement age. 

Nobody whether they be a banker or politician should earn a six figure pension unless they funded it themselves.


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## Purple (27 Apr 2010)

Sunny said:


> Lots of people have tough jobs. Look at all those people on contracts who don't get any pension entitlement
> They get six figure salaries and expenses to compensate for the tough nature of their work and the risks they take in entering public life. They are among the highest paid politicians in the world. They should be like everyone else and be entitled to a pension when they reach retirement age.
> 
> Nobody whether they be a banker or politician should earn a six figure pension unless they funded it themselves.



I agree. Like I said, it's the size of the pensions that I have a problem with.


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## Complainer (27 Apr 2010)

pinkyBear said:


> But I think it should only be given at 65 years of age.


Absolutely - they should have the same terms and conditions as any other public servant. Their pension should be payable at retirement age (soon to be 68?) and should be proportional to their years of service. None of this '3 year threshold' nonsense that inspires the Greens chair-shuffling antics. If you serve 1 year, you get 1/40th of a full pension etc etc.

It is crazy to be paying pensions to anyone before retirement age.


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## Purple (27 Apr 2010)

Complainer said:


> Absolutely - they should have the same terms and conditions as any other public servant. Their pension should be payable at retirement age (soon to be 68?) and should be proportional to their years of service. None of this '3 year threshold' nonsense that inspires the Greens chair-shuffling antics. If you serve 1 year, you get 1/40th of a full pension etc etc.
> 
> It is crazy to be paying pensions to anyone before retirement age.



As if we don't have enough teachers and publicans in the Dail as it is...


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## dave28 (27 Apr 2010)

Politics is a hard job, if we want good people to get involved then we have to offer good pay and some sort of a safety net. .[/QUOTE]

Lets just try it and see .... reduce TD's salaries & perks and see who runs in the next general election - we won't know until we try it
They said the same about senior bankers, ie peanuts & monkeys ......


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## AgathaC (27 Apr 2010)

sunny said:


> lots of people have tough jobs. Look at all those people on contracts who don't get any pension entitlement
> they get six figure salaries and expenses to compensate for the tough nature of their work and the risks they take in entering public life. They are among the highest paid politicians in the world. They should be like everyone else and be entitled to a pension when they reach retirement age.
> 
> Nobody whether they be a banker or politician should earn a six figure pension unless they funded it themselves.


+1.


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## Complainer (28 Apr 2010)

And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse - From [broken link removed]


> a “transition allowance” he receives from the commission for three  years after his retirement. This allowance is about €11,150 per month,  or 55 per cent of his commissioner’s salary.Mr McCreevy also  receives an annual ministerial pension of €74,746 and a €52,213 pension  in respect of the 27 years he spent as a TD.



They're just laughing at us, folks.


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## Purple (29 Apr 2010)

Complainer said:


> And just when you thought it couldn't get any worse - From [broken link removed]
> 
> 
> They're just laughing at us, folks.



That's €260'759 plus whatever he gets for speeches, and the impending membership of the Ryanair board.

Madness.


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## TarfHead (29 Apr 2010)

Have a heart !

The guy bought a €1.5m property with a €1.6m mortgage, courtesy of Irish _Fingers_Wide. His negative equiuty can only have deteriorated  !


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## Firefly (29 Apr 2010)

TarfHead said:


> Have a heart !
> 
> The guy bought a €1.5m property with a €1.6m mortgage, courtesy of Irish _Fingers_Wide. His negative equiuty can only have deteriorated  !


 
Maybe we should have a _Dig-out _for him


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## ninsaga (30 Apr 2010)

Agreed - they are laughing at us - watch Jim McDaid still get elected in the future despite his sheer arrogance


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## DeeFox (1 May 2010)

Heard a bit of Joe Duffy show yesterday and a caller was saying that by using the word "gift" it back to the State instead of "give" it back to the State the recipients can save themselves a lot of tax - I didn't really understand it, perhaps someone here could explain this?


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## Lex Foutish (1 May 2010)

I think, Dee, that it's viewed as a charitable donation, but I'm not completely sure.


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## rustbucket (1 May 2010)

Need to bring in legislation to stop this rot. But then again, unlikely that any of the current lot will do it.

As above, sitting politicians are currently paid far too much in Ireland. The Taoiseach earns more than The President of the USA!

There is absolutely no need for the exorborant pensions system that they have at the moment. They are entitled to a public pension, but should only be entitled to one. Any others should be funded themselves out of their own money.

Public pension should works the same as any other. A percentage of your salary that you pay, followed by a percentage matched by your employer (capped so that the state is not contributing more than the public servant and capped to a maximum contribution of x amount per year!

The combination of some of their anual pension payments are more than what the majority of the country was earning in the boom time!


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