Politicians allegedly leading by example.. (sic)

[adamirer]

This year were have had pensions levies imposed, we have had levies and taxes rise, jobs lost across the board and pain everywhere. Brian Lenihan declared that politicians "must lead by example" during his emergency Budget speech.

But where is this leadership? Where is the reform and pain of their own house?

Take todays news story: "TAOISEACH Brian Cowen is set to cut lucrative ministerial pensions paid to sitting TDs by up to 25pc after they defied the Government's request for suggested savings".

Aside from FF TDs defying Cowen, a 25% cut in pensions to sitting politicians??? Why! Remove the whole damn pension - they haven't retired! Go beyond that and you have almost all of the budgets pain-sharing measures for politicians in difficulty. Seems to public suffer and the lads drag their feet. How come the public services rates can change over night, but not that of politician! where there is a will...

TDs getting long service payments are continuing to receive them.

The 10pc reduction in all politicians' expenses other than mileage rates needs new legislation to be introduced.

New legislation is also needed to halve the €20,000 annual payments to Oireachtas committee chairs and to abolish the €10,000 payment to vice-chairs (never seemsneeded to increase it!)

The Oireachtas Commission proposed cutting its number of committees from 20 to 15, but no action has yet been taken.

Education Minister Batt O'Keeffe has vowed to stop TDs and senators who are on paid leave of absence as teachers from keeping the difference between their teachers' salary and the cost of employing a replacement. However, he is continuing to receive a €12,000 public sector pension on top of his €200,000 ministerial salary.

I mean seriously.. wtf is going on lads, get it together.

[COMMIE]

Brian Cowen is paid more the the President of Americia. Maybe cutting thier wage to a more resonable level is were to start.

[Watcher1]

Re: the ministerial pension its all the feckers in the Dail taking it. That is the real disgrace. We get Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore TRYING to give it socks to the government on a whole range of issues, perks, wastage etc and them and most of their party colleagues creaming it, and living not off the fat of the land (that's well and truly wasted) but the muscle.

And they wonder why people are cynical about politics and politicians.

[stanley]

While they are at it they should take the merc + drivers off the little lying fupper from DNS, let him walk around the place amongst his beloved people explaining to them how he fell down the stairs plssed at their expense n broke his leg n inflamed his rich man's gout at the same time.

[stanley]

Re: the ministerial pension its all the feckers in the Dail taking it. That is the real disgrace. We get Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore TRYING to give it socks to the government on a whole range of issues, perks, wastage etc and them and most of their party colleagues creaming it, and living not off the fat of the land (that's well and truly wasted) but the muscle.

And they wonder why people are cynical about politics and politicians.

Quinn's position is admirable he does not really need this sitting pension but does not also believe in this spin material particularly about giving up 10% or 25% of what exactly, if there is clear and precise legislation it will affect all these elders equally and no FF'r will be out the back spoofing.

[reknaw]

Leading by example? Hah!

Next thing we'll be hearing Lardarse Horney telling us we'll all have to tighten our belts.

[Hewson]

Pensions and unvouched expenses for sitting TDs have been an outrageous abuse of power and privilege for years. Vincent Browne was at this very topic 20 years ago in Magill but, apart from a few voices in the wilderness, there was no public outrage. And there should have been. Now that times are difficult and unemployment is so high the subject is back into the arena.

But there is ONE thing that people in Ireland need to understand: politicians will do NOTHING of any significance to rock their own boat without tens of thousands of raised voices at the gates of Leinster House. Thye'll scoff at the righteous indignation of editorials in the press, hide behind AG legalities when interviewed on radio and TV and pass the ball to someopne else when they come to your door looking for your vote.

What other career do you know of, anywhere in the world, in any profession, where a pension is paid to somebody while they still work, on top of their salary? It is what it should be called: corruption. It has no justification whatsoever and amounts to nothing more than a gross abuse of the privileges invested in them by the public, their employers.

The Government's 25% reduction in this illegitimate payment is an insult to the four hundred thousand unemployed. It should be scrapped in its entirety and if one of the pension recipients wishes to test the case in a court of law then let him or her do so in the full glare of public scrutiny. Then we'll know who's worthy of office and who isn't.

Until people take a lead from the pensioners who crowded the streets of Dublin last year after the medical card fiasco, they will continue to be on the receiving end of this type of two-fingered salute from people who have no compunction in advising you to expect less from life while they steal your wallet.

[Dreaded_Estate]

Why was it illegal to cut the pensions by 100% but cutting them by 25% came up against no legal difficulties?
Could they have gone 30%, 50% or 99.9%

[DCon]

Why was it illegal to cut the pensions by 100% but cutting them by 25% came up against no legal difficulties?
Could they have gone 30%, 50% or 99.9%

25% allegedly came from the AG.

Smells like a political decision to me though. The lads (and lasses?) do not want to give 100%, we announced there would be cuts so lets knock the pensions 25% and let them claim some more expenses to make up the difference.

[stanley]

Why was it illegal to cut the pensions by 100% but cutting them by 25% came up against no legal difficulties?
Could they have gone 30%, 50% or 99.9%

The answer is you have to be the Attorney General to know, all Biffo/Lenny do is follow the advice they are given, meek and mild pass the book solicitors when they want to be.