# Luke Flanagan (MING),salary



## thedaras (3 Mar 2011)

I just heard him say that he will not take the full 92k salary offered,and will in fact just take 50% of it.
Will other socialist/communist/people before profit follow suit?


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## Slash (3 Mar 2011)

There was an article in one of the papers a few days ago in which the Socialist Party, SF, and PbP (I think) said they would only take the average industrial wage, €33K, and give the rest to the party or to local sporting and voluntary organisations. Joe Higgins has always done that. Can't remember which paper it was in.


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## Shawady (3 Mar 2011)

Just heard him on the radio. He come accross well.
He said the 46K is more than he ever earned in his life and is happy to take it. He is putting the remainder into recreational facilities in his locality.


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## thedaras (3 Mar 2011)

Have to hand it too him for having the courage of his convictions along with Joe Higgins.
Wonder if others will follow..


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## Staples (3 Mar 2011)

I read the other day that the Shinners take just the average industrial wage.  The rest goes into party funds so there's no saving to the State.


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## Boyd (3 Mar 2011)

thedaras said:


> Wonder if others will follow..


I doubt it, why would they? If I was offered a 92K job there isnt a hope in hell i'd only take 50% of it. Its up to the employer to set the salary appropriately, not the individual to be feel pressured into only taking half of it due to people's "moral outrage" that is now so fashionable.


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## Staples (3 Mar 2011)

Shawady said:


> Just heard him on the radio. He come accross well.


 
Did he mention his five joint plan?


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## thedaras (3 Mar 2011)

I mean the socialist type ones who are all Caring and Sharing..


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## Shawady (3 Mar 2011)

Staples said:


> Did he mention his five joint plan?


 
Someone text in and asked him about his 2 joint plan. 

At one stage JM mentioned that Bertie was socialist and Ming replied "Ah sure Berite was a socialist on a Monday, and a facist on a Friday"


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## DerKaiser (3 Mar 2011)

Shawady said:


> He said the 46K is more than he ever earned in his life and is happy to take it.


 
So long as he puts in the effort based on a €92k salary he's free to do whatever he wants. 

At the end of the day, the job of a TD should involve more hard work and ability than the average job. The pay is higher because of this. 

It hasn't always worked out that we got good calibre people, but paying the average wage would certainly be a turn off in terms of putting in the degree of effort that should be required.


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## huskerdu (3 Mar 2011)

username123 said:


> I doubt it, why would they? If I was offered a 92K job there isnt a hope in hell i'd only take 50% of it. Its up to the employer to set the salary appropriately, not the individual to be feel pressured into only taking half of it due to people's "moral outrage" that is now so fashionable.



Joe Higgins, Luke Flanagan refuse the full salary out of principle. 

They were elected on a platform that they want to politicians in DE who care about the poor in our society and taking a very high salary, which is funded by the tax payers goes against what they believe in. 

Fair dues to them.


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## horusd (3 Mar 2011)

I heard Ming on the radio yesterday. Very articulate and festy. I knew nothing about the guy before the election, but I now think he will be a real addition to DE. Oireachtas Report in the 33 (?) is going to be interesting for once! They'll have to move it to a prime spot.


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## Boyd (3 Mar 2011)

But do you think 45K is an adequate salary for the job?


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## Caveat (3 Mar 2011)

horusd said:


> I heard Ming on the radio yesterday. Very articulate and festy.


 
He seems to be - didn't hear him yesterday but have heard him before. 

But legalise spamspamspam aside, is he not just another local issues/burn the bondholders guy? Plenty of them around.

Maybe I'm being unfair and I admit that haven't heard a lot of him, but does he have any other platform or anything different to say?


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## Pique318 (3 Mar 2011)

Going on past performances of the shower that were in the last Dail, it's about right.

To be honest, I reckon no TD should be paid more than 80k. 10k extra for ministers and 20k on top for the Taoiseach.
Considering all the valid expenses they can claim for (vouched), then that's a perfectly ample salary.

Politics should never be about making money, but rather doing it out of a sense of patriotism to do something good for your country/people.
Ming has shown his colours on this score (as he has done before) and is to be lauded for it.

I wish FG went with Independents just to get this guy a seat in Govt !


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## Pique318 (3 Mar 2011)

Here ya go Caveat,
[broken link removed]


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## Shawady (3 Mar 2011)

Ming said he will be part of a technical group in the Dail to get speaking rights.
One thing is certain, the dail is going to more lively with Ming, Mick Wallace, Joe Higgins, Shane Ross in it.
Joe higgins used to get under Bertie's skin like no one else.


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## Mpsox (3 Mar 2011)

Shawady said:


> Just heard him on the radio. He come accross well.
> He said the 46K is more than he ever earned in his life and is happy to take it. He is putting the remainder into recreational facilities in his locality.


 
So he's going to keep whereever he lives in Roscommon, rent or buy a place to stay in Dublin and do all that on €46k a year (before tax and USC), full marks to him if he can afford to do that.

Or is he going to drive up and down every day and claim lots of mileage?


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## Firefly (3 Mar 2011)

Staples said:


> I read the other day that the Shinners take just the average industrial wage. *The rest goes into party funds* so there's no saving to the State.


 
And flush funds they must be too


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## Liamos (3 Mar 2011)

Mpsox said:


> So he's going to keep whereever he lives in Roscommon, rent or buy a place to stay in Dublin and do all that on €46k a year (before tax and USC), full marks to him if he can afford to do that.
> 
> Or is he going to drive up and down every day and claim lots of mileage?


 
He can't win. If he takes the full salary, people will say he's getting paid too much. Now he decides to take half his salary and you're still critising him!


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## Purple (3 Mar 2011)

That's politics for ye


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## becky (3 Mar 2011)

Mpsox said:


> So he's going to keep whereever he lives in Roscommon, rent or buy a place to stay in Dublin and do all that on €46k a year (before tax and USC), full marks to him if he can afford to do that.
> 
> Or is he going to drive up and down every day and claim lots of mileage?


 
I doubt he'll stay up there, Roscommon is less than 2 hours from Dublin and he has a young family. He'll claim his travel alright.


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## Yorrick (3 Mar 2011)

€46,000 a year to put up with the whinging from the Irish people about their medical cards, turf cutting allocation, council houses etc. He's welcome to it.


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## TarfHead (3 Mar 2011)

Mpsox said:


> So he's going to keep whereever he lives in Roscommon, rent or buy a place to stay in Dublin and do all that on €46k a year (before tax and USC), full marks to him if he can afford to do that.


 
+1

If Pee Flynn found it hard to maintain 3 households on IEP 100K a year ..  !


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## gilh (3 Mar 2011)

Quite impressed with Ming. Honest, Reasonable and talks a lot of sense.not your usual independent -not a Healy R.


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## RonanC (3 Mar 2011)

gilh said:


> Quite impressed with Ming. talks a lot of sense.



Burning the bogs is really talking a lot of sense?? 

He is a complete fool


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## Mpsox (4 Mar 2011)

gilh said:


> Quite impressed with Ming. Honest, Reasonable and talks a lot of sense.not your usual independent -not a Healy R.


 
true, I don't recall Healy R going live on national radio almost begging Bertie or Brian C to give him a call to do a deal, like Ming was doing earlier in the week.


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## shnaek (4 Mar 2011)

If one gives away half ones income to charity, does one still pay tax on the entire amount? Or are there different rules for our politicians (*genuflects*)?


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## Slash (4 Mar 2011)

Staples said:


> I read the other day that the Shinners take just the average industrial wage.  The rest goes into party funds so there's no saving to the State.



I don't think thay can do that, as there is a limit on the amount that an individual can donate to a political party in a 12 month period, think it's €6K.


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## Marion (4 Mar 2011)

> I just heard him say that he will not take the full 92k salary offered,and will in fact just take 50% of it.


It is my understanding that he will take the salary and use half of it to fund local projects.

Essentially, he is taking the full salary - to which he is entitled. It's his money and he can do whatever he wishes with it.

But, why do we need to know what he does with it? Why does he think we might be interested in his charitable donations?

I'm more interested in what he can do to resolve our economic mess.


Marion


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## TarfHead (4 Mar 2011)

Marion said:


> I'm more interested in what he can do to resolve our economic mess.


 
A protest vote Independent on the Opposition benches ?

Don't hold your breath


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## Marion (4 Mar 2011)

I won't be holding my breath. But, he might turn out to have unforseen talents. I won't judge him too harshly - at the moment. I really don't know much about him.

Marion


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## Caveat (4 Mar 2011)

He mightn't last too long the way he is going.

[broken link removed]

I guess technically, he could be arrested now - couldn't he?


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## TarfHead (4 Mar 2011)

If he, or any TD, were to be convicted of a criminal offence, would they have to resign their seat ?


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## Staples (4 Mar 2011)

Caveat said:


> He mightn't last too long the way he is going.
> 
> [broken link removed]
> 
> I guess technically, he could be arrested now - couldn't he?


 
Might work in his favour.  He'd probably top the poll in any future election in protest at how the Dublin-based establishment is raggin on "one-of-our own".  Worked for Lowry.


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## levelpar (4 Mar 2011)

I hope that Ho Chi Ming does not pass around his joints in the Dail . Otherwise , they might be a love -in and Joan B. might lose the run of herself


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## Mouldy (4 Mar 2011)

If Ming, Joe Higgins or anyone else takes the full shilling but only "claims" half of it or whatever they say they are claiming, then they are still taking the full salary, end of. Anything they do after that is a lifestyle choice which I'm not all that intrested in to be honest. We all give charitable donations from out salaries to fund local projects and help out in our community. We don't all go to the newspaper to say we are taking only 90% of our salary and will give the rest to local causes.

M


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## Delboy (4 Mar 2011)

RonanC said:


> Burning the bogs is really talking a lot of sense??
> 
> He is a complete fool



BnaM digs up more turf in a week than the ordinary person who saves turf would use in the year. If the only turf being taken from our bogs was cut and saved by the same people who burned it, we'd not have any issue as the amounts would be tiny


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## potnoodler (4 Mar 2011)

username123 said:


> But do you think 45K is an adequate salary for the job?


 

I think a lot of much wealthier countries deem it is, well done Luke gonna rattle a few cages up there


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## thedaras (4 Mar 2011)

Mouldy said:


> If Ming, Joe Higgins or anyone else takes the full shilling but only "claims" half of it or whatever they say they are claiming, then they are still taking the full salary, end of. Anything they do after that is a lifestyle choice which I'm not all that intrested in to be honest. We all give charitable donations from out salaries to fund local projects and help out in our community. We don't all go to the newspaper to say we are taking only 90% of our salary and will give the rest to local causes.
> 
> M


Thats a really good point..


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## horusd (4 Mar 2011)

Caveat said:


> He mightn't last too long the way he is going.
> 
> [broken link removed]
> 
> I guess technically, he could be arrested now - couldn't he?


 
The Gardai will have to smoke him out Caveat


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## Mpsox (7 Mar 2011)

TarfHead said:


> +1
> 
> If Pee Flynn found it hard to maintain 3 households on IEP 100K a year ..  !


 
What I didn't realise until I heard it on the radio on Friday evening is that all the independent TDs are also entitled to a leaders allowance of €41k pa. Only 1 of them, (guy in Waterford) has said he isn't taking it, the rest were all uncontactable (Shane Ross being one of them), hadn't made their mind up (Ming was one of these) or were going to use the money for research.


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## csirl (7 Mar 2011)

Shawady said:


> Just heard him on the radio. He come accross well.
> He said the 46K is more than he ever earned in his life and is happy to take it. He is putting the remainder into recreational facilities in his locality.


 
Talk about parish pump politics. This guy is proud of the fact that he is going to invest half his salary in getting re-elected - isnt this just buying votes?


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## Yorrick (7 Mar 2011)

"  He is putting the remainder into recreational facilities in his locality. "

Mmmm I wonder what exactly these recreational facilities are ?
Do they involve a little bit of home gardening ?


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## duchalla (8 Mar 2011)

Did anyone see the Naked Election on RTE last night?  Great line by Ming after he heard the first count. "Tonight I'll be smokin a joint with the backing of the constituency...."   Class line!


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## Sunny (8 Mar 2011)

To be fair to the guy, I think it is easy to judge him as some sort of fool because of the way he looks and his views on drugs but I have to say, he actually comes across well in interviews. It's not his fault that the system is set up for parish pump politics.


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## Complainer (8 Mar 2011)

Mpsox said:


> What I didn't realise until I heard it on the radio on Friday evening is that all the independent TDs are also entitled to a leaders allowance of €41k pa. Only 1 of them, (guy in Waterford) has said he isn't taking it, the rest were all uncontactable (Shane Ross being one of them), hadn't made their mind up (Ming was one of these) or were going to use the money for research.


Isn't it great to have Shane in there to expose all that public sector waste he keeps writing about.


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## Purple (8 Mar 2011)

Complainer said:


> Isn't it great to have Shane in there to expose all that public sector waste he keeps writing about.



I'm glad to see that you are giving the guy a chance.


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