Budget Tactics

Government to seek legal advice on long-service payments

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17/04/2009 - 08:34:16
The Taoiseach has reportedly said the Government will seek legal advice on how it might force sitting TDs and Senators to give up their long-service payments.

At present, 66 TDs get an additional €6,400 annually because they have been in the Dáil for more than 10 years.

Another six receive around €3,200 because they have seven years' service.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan announced in last week's Budget that Oireachtas members would no longer receive the bonus payments.

However, it emerged yesterday said the cutback would not affect politicians who already receive the money and would only be applied to TDs who become eligible in the future.

Reports this morning say Brian Cowen indicated last night that the Government would seek legal advice from the Attorney General on how to enact the cutback retrospectively.


-- anyone else think that Mr Cowen knew this wouldn't fly but threw it out there to soften the blow on budget day.

What is needed is for our leaders to take a step back, take a long hard look at the situation and worry about how they save all our necks and not focus so much on saving their own.

Some of the stuff they are trying is so transparent

Question do they get this every year

Yes they do, dodo, it's an increase to their salary.

These constant errors really worry me , how in the name of god can ya have any faith in the honesty or intelligence after these constant backdowns.
No wonder he didn't read the treaty or did he, Gilmore summed it up perfectly either Cowan's a liar or stupid but it doesnt matter which coz either makes him unfit for office.

Firefly said:

-- anyone else think that Mr Cowen knew this wouldn't fly but threw it out there to soften the blow on budget day.

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I think you are giving too much credance to Cowan's and Lenihan's intelligence. Look at the medical card fiasco, car park tax, 2nd home tax, TRS removal this week and TDs costs and payments. To me, they just seem to make things up as they go along wthout stopping to think if they can actually make them work

Mpsox said:

I think you are giving too much credance to Cowan's and Lenihan's intelligence. Look at the medical card fiasco, car park tax, 2nd home tax, TRS removal this week and TDs costs and payments. To me, they just seem to make things up as they go along wthout stopping to think if they can actually make them work

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I think you're right.

Mpsox said:

I think you are giving too much credance to Cowan's and Lenihan's intelligence. Look at the medical card fiasco, car park tax, 2nd home tax, TRS removal this week and TDs costs and payments. To me, they just seem to make things up as they go along wthout stopping to think if they can actually make them work

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Playing the devils advocate here, but isnt this going on in practically every other country stuck in the capitalist system.

We made the most and grew the most during the "boom" years so even the laws of physics would dictate that we had further to fall.

Stumbled on to Hype news, I mean sky news last night (which Im loath to watch) and saw Brown getting lambasted for similar politician pay fiasco over there.

As a smaller country we have less options and less room to manoevre ourselves back into a healthy state. Thats not stating that they havent gotten things wrong or been bumbling about implementing certain ideas. But with things changing as rapidly as they have been, with other countries struggling similarly with whats going on, is it not really the case that nobody really knows what lies down the road and nobody knows what to do to prevent any future bloodshed. We are all individually and collectively learning harsh lessons, but I dont think its fair to expect the government to have perfect answers to this crisis. They certainly are not infallible. I fear that the election so many people think will sort out this mess, could cause more problems. Allowing FG and Labour to enter into a "very dirty nappy storm" with little understanding of events that led there , is asking for trouble. "Sure wasnt it the banks and builders that got us here, labour and FG know exactly what happened", I hear you say, well theres so many more variables to consider that I wouldnt even know myself that would make their jobs even more difficult. They werent privy to certain things that shouldnt be underestimated.

The very fact that economists are split on issues like "to nationalise or not to nationalise" the banks in itself speaks for the differance of opinions. If the government nationalise the banks , then you will have a majority of people lambasting them for letting it come to this and saying they should of let them go to the wall. Ive said it before, this government has and continues to make many mistakes, but sometimes it doesnt really matter what they do, they will be knocked down by people all to happy to throw stones at whoever will listen . .

Ive insulted them myself in the past and will do as I see fit. Really just wanted to play my devils advocate role.