Budget conspiracy theory

Quote from the Independent.ie
'A generation ago it was the tax on children's shoes. This time it is taking medical cards off the elderly. It never ceases to amaze me how politicians, long experienced in tapping the public mood when they are looking for votes, can succeed in getting it so completely wrong.'
[broken link removed]

This is very, very true. How could they have got it so wrong? Or was there something even worse that the government had to hide and ensure it bypassed the attention of the media scrutiny that they decided to invoke this story and let it run for so long!

Ideas welcome!

Someone suggested to me last Friday that they reckon the Govt want to get out of office as fast as possible so that they can be replaced by a FG/Labour govt that will ultimately take the blame for the unfolding economic disaster.

The medical card issue initially took the attention largely off the income levy, which many thought to be the No. 1 issue. Now the income levy has entered the frame along with the medical cards as joint No. 1 in the public eye. So what are they really hiding from everyone. What big issue is there deep in the small print somewhere that we have missed.....?

I remember well the VAT on childrens shows issue, this is definitely the childrens shoes of the noughties.

Although undoubtedly made up of some intelligent people, collectively this FF government ( which is very similar in make up to the last few govs) are acting like brainless, directionless idiots. I don't agree that they want to be out of power, I think that most politicians will do almost anything to retain power, even those who you might think have more integrity ( witness the collapse of the PDs, the disintegration of the Greens into FF morphs etc).

Vanilla said:

Although undoubtedly made up of some intelligent people, collectively this FF government ( which is very similar in make up to the last few govs) are acting like brainless, directionless idiots.

Click to expand...

Puts the wisdom of the €600bn banking bailout into perspective doesn't it

If they had not announced the withdrawal of medical cards for some/many/all over-70s ..

.. I hope the outcry would be over the reductions in education spending. Increase in pupil teacher ratios, reduction of funding for resource teachers (e.g. special needs assistants).

The cynics will say that a lot of the over 70s who lost out will be either too infirmed to get to a polling booth or have passed away by the time of the next election, so the Government doesnt care about their views.

Could have been avoided by a fudge along the lines of:

"we need savings, we'll be talking to the IMO in this regard. The automatic right will go, we'll review the income limit, it will be substantially increased so that only those with high incomes will be affected"


While I'm not gone on the 'guilt trip the IMO using the pensioners as bait' strategy, maybe it needs to be thrown in, "in the national interest".

Having uttered the above relatively meangingless warning they could have taken the temperature of the nation and set a limit of, say, twice the means test for the pension with special provision for those with severe/chronic medical conditions. The could always cut it a bit tighter next budget if the money was needed and when everyone had their head around it.


As it is even the 1% levy is up for grabs since everyone smells the FF fear & weakness. Now I'd prefer if there was no levy too, but at some stage ends have to be made meet. I'd rather be carving up the civil service and cost overruns but, in the real world, you have to expect the taxpayer to be part of the solution.