In 2016, we will borrow €2,765,000,000 or €600 per man woman and child

[MrEarl]

Public Servants are shareholders in the economy, but need to be on an equal footing with all other workers in our society, if they do not want to be singled out.

Things like job security, pension benefits, perks and the belief that civil servants don't work as hard as private sector employees all needs to change, before they will stop being singled out. They are either equal or they are not, at the moment in my view, they are not and yet want to be equal, when it suits them.

 

[ardmacha]

Things like job security, pension benefits, perks and the belief that civil servants don't work as hard as private sector employees all needs to change, before they will stop being singled out. They are either equal or they are not, at the moment in my view, they are not and yet want to be equal, when it suits them.

As long as venal politicians can play politics with the public service they cannot be in equal position with other workers who are by and large assessed on their individual work and not manipulated in a way which ignores the individuals work but only operates on stereotypes.

 

[Sophrosyne]

The problem is that, without borrowing, the indigenous Irish private sector is too small to support anything other than a primitive public service.

 

[odyssey06]

The problem is that, without borrowing, the indigenous Irish private sector is too small to support anything other than a primitive public service.

Could the causation not have swung the other way around? How can the Irish private sector thrive if it has to support that level of borrowing? And while there is a large amount of deadwood in the public sector, there are also many talented people who would be an asset to any private sector company. Maybe we need to tailor the size of the public service, and its benefits, to what can be sustainably supported.

 

[Sophrosyne]

Maybe we need to tailor the size of the public service, and its benefits, to what can be sustainably supported.

Perhaps, but would the much curtailed services that the State could afford to provide funded by general taxation be acceptable to the Irish public? The big budget items are Health, Welfare and Education.

 

[odyssey06]

Perhaps, but would the much curtailed services that the State could afford to provide funded by general taxation be acceptable to the Irish public? The big budget items are Health, Welfare and Education.

I think they would be acceptable to a silent majority of the populace, who have the general perception that:
(1) Health: We're over paying yet only getting a poorer system than most EU countries. To take one significant budgetary line item, the price of even generic drugs in this country is outrageous compared to say Spain or Portugal.
(2) Welfare: We have an over-generous welfare system which creates poverty traps and discourages work.
(3) Education: I think it would be possible to sell a student loan type system for third level (e.g. as most developed countries have) but something would have to be done to stop the colleges from using this as an ATM.

Now all of the above are worth threads in their own right and what can\should be done, but specifically in relation to what is politically possible: I don't think they would be acceptable to the Irish Times editorial staff, RTE and the organisations that dance to their tune... so politically it would need someone who can sell it over the heads of those in the media with loud voices and go directly to the people.