maybe he should put his money where his mouth is:
1. Abolish the 3 extra junior ministries
2. Abolish the Senate alotgether
3. Take up fgs proposal to give any public sector worker on >50k a pay freeze (before anyone starts, I am one of these people, and would have absolutely no problem with a pay freeze if it ensures decent health and education in this country- and no, Im not a blueshirt!)
4.Fire Mary Harney and Brendan Drumm and their various do-nothing acolytes.
daithi
I couldn't argue with this proposal. Its become very clear that simply throwing more money and extra layers onto the top of the organisation has done nothing for the clients of the HSE - those people who need access to health services, particularly in hospitals. All that has happened is that the Minister and DOHC officials are now out of the firing-line and can engage in more hand-wringing about their powerlessness....
4.Fire Mary Harney and Brendan Drumm and their various do-nothing acolytes ...
Anyway, the bit in his speech that interested me was the bit about it being the greatest economic crisis for 100 years. Really Mr. Cowen? Since 1908? You think the panic of 2008-???? is worse than the panic of 1929-33 and the ensuing depression?
Yeah, the panic of 1907. But that was more like 1987 - a crash in the stockmarket, but the real economy less affected. Note, there was also a depression in 1920-21 following the gearing down of war production.Actually he could be basing his comment on history. I remember reading lately about some form of a banking crisis occuring from 1907 to 1909. Still the Wall St. crash was far more serious than that crisis.
I think I am actually getting angrier and angier at the politicians as the days pass. These comments really annoyed me. I don't need Brian Cowan, Willie O Dea or any other politican to tell me how bad things are. Unlike the politicians and especially the ministers who seem to exist in some sort of surreal environment, I and the majority of the country work in the real world. I work for a small foreign owned investment bank that is been battered by the credit crisis. At this stage I just want to get through Christmas with a job. I have friends who worked in construction and now can't find a job so are leaving the country. My girlfriend has been made redundant twice in the last 16 months. I own an apartment that is dropping in value every day. I work 12 hour days with no overtime. I am one of the sensible people who tried to do the right thing and make high pension contributions from my mid 20's. Looking at my last pension statement, I wish I hadn't bothered. If I do have a job in January, I will not be getting a pay increase of any description (I got a 1.5% increase last year when inflation was over 4% so it will pretty much be a two year pay freeze) while at the same time facing increased taxes and cost of living expenses.
Thats the reality of what I and thousands of other people face. I don't mind paying my share and more in current climate to help us get over this crisis but I do mind that my Government is treating me like a fool. I wasn't angry about the fact that they wanted to remove the automatic right to a medical card for over 70's or increase class sizes by one pupil. I was angry because these were the first areas that they hit along with increasing taxes without looking elsewhere for savings. I reckon a junior cert ecnomics student could knock €2 billion off government spending without hitting frontline services. We have reverted back to the 1980's with that last budget. It was written by civil servants for the benefit of civil servants.
So now I call on Brian Cowan and the rest of their cronies to do their 'patriotic duty' and make the tough decisions that every economist, academic, commentator and member of the public is asking for. Give us value for money in our public sector and when you have done that and if we are still up to our necks in it, then you will have my support in looking at the really tough options that might have to be made.
I think I am actually getting angrier and angier at the politicians as the days pass. These comments really annoyed me. I don't need Brian Cowan, Willie O Dea or any other politican to tell me how bad things are. Unlike the politicians and especially the ministers who seem to exist in some sort of surreal environment, I and the majority of the country work in the real world. I work for a small foreign owned investment bank that is been battered by the credit crisis. At this stage I just want to get through Christmas with a job. I have friends who worked in construction and now can't find a job so are leaving the country. My girlfriend has been made redundant twice in the last 16 months. I own an apartment that is dropping in value every day. I work 12 hour days with no overtime. I am one of the sensible people who tried to do the right thing and make high pension contributions from my mid 20's. Looking at my last pension statement, I wish I hadn't bothered. If I do have a job in January, I will not be getting a pay increase of any description (I got a 1.5% increase last year when inflation was over 4% so it will pretty much be a two year pay freeze) while at the same time facing increased taxes and cost of living expenses.
Thats the reality of what I and thousands of other people face. I don't mind paying my share and more in current climate to help us get over this crisis but I do mind that my Government is treating me like a fool. I wasn't angry about the fact that they wanted to remove the automatic right to a medical card for over 70's or increase class sizes by one pupil. I was angry because these were the first areas that they hit along with increasing taxes without looking elsewhere for savings. I reckon a junior cert ecnomics student could knock €2 billion off government spending without hitting frontline services. We have reverted back to the 1980's with that last budget. It was written by civil servants for the benefit of civil servants.
So now I call on Brian Cowan and the rest of their cronies to do their 'patriotic duty' and make the tough decisions that every economist, academic, commentator and member of the public is asking for. Give us value for money in our public sector and when you have done that and if we are still up to our necks in it, then you will have my support in looking at the really tough options that might have to be made.
I don't wish to appear as if i've completly lost the plot but why don't we just vote YES to Lisbon 2 and let europe govern us seeing as we obviously cant govern ourselves?
"written by civil servants for the benefit of civil servants"?
They are not, ultimately, responsible for the decisions of Government, which may or may not be in line with their advice and recommendations. By this I mean that while most civil servants do take pride in their work and do feel a sense of ownership over the areas delegated to them, the policy decisions are ultimately made by the relevant Minister and may often also require Government approval. Ministers very rarely simply rubber-stamp a proposal made by their civil servants; depending on what the issue is, it may be the subject of multiple briefings and meetings where the Minister will usually give direction on how s/he wants to proceed.
.
Is there a better way to do things?
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