How much to cut politicians pay?

[Harmonica]

How much would be a realistic cut in Minsiters & TDs salaries? By realistic I mean something possible inside Irish political culture.

If Cowen wants to make it look like he making an effort & cares it has to be at least 25% for Ministers excluding any existing levies. He has no hope of selling cuts to the masses without a big gesture.

[Sync]

We need politicians with practical experience of managing people and budgets. Cutting their pay drastically would dissuade talented people taking up politics, and leave us with what we have now.

[did those feet]

I'll settle for 20% - just as long as Bertie Scum's Taoiseach's pension undergoes the same reduction.

[birthday]

Would agree. It has to be significantly more than they will impose on the public service.
What are the bets that it will be a 25% cut not from current salary but will be a cut from the increased salaries put on hold last year.

[Squib]

We need politicians with practical experience of managing people and budgets. Cutting their pay drastically would dissuade talented people taking up politics, and leave us with what we have now.

Politics is a PUBLIC SERVICE and should be carried out by people who are successful in other areas of life (not professional\hereditary politicians). People who believe they can provide their experience for the benefit of society. Cutting the pay of politicians would remove the professional\hereditary grasping class of populist politician..

[Newsy]

Today Harney talked about the IMF being in our sights. If she wants the electorate to take her seriously I would suggest if they are really serious about cuts....I mean REALLY, REALLY serious, I would suggest nothing below 40% for a period of at least 18 months for Cowen and the Ministers in Gov., top civil servants. And then review the financial situation of the country. This is leadership, in a time of financial crisis.
Backbenchers 25% with the same conditions.

[nonpartyboy]

25% will just about roll back the buckley report pay rises that all senior civil servants got in the first place,that they should never have got.All the now civil servant pensioners that have ran out the door to preserve their pension rights should also be subject to cuts.
Even if senior people in government take serious cuts it will only bring them back to where we all we a no. of years ago.But to be fair at least lenihen is making an effort,you can be guaranteed ahern will try to hold on to everything.And what about the judges,are they going to be subject to cuts this time ?

[Newsy]

And what about the judges,are they going to be subject to cuts this time ?

I would certainly hope so.

[theghost]

We need politicians with practical experience of managing people and budgets. Cutting their pay drastically would dissuade talented people taking up politics, and leave us with what we have now.

Paying them exorbitant salaries hasn't attracted many talented people into politics, has it? We didn't pay peanuts but we still got monkeys. Actually, I think we would have been better with monkeys than with the shower we have.

I'd like to see their salaries cut by 50%, plus an abolition of the post of Junior Minister and a reduction of the number of TD's to at least 100

[nonpartyboy]

Politics is a PUBLIC SERVICE and should be carried out by people who are successful in other areas of life (not professional\hereditary politicians). People who believe they can provide their experience for the benefit of society. Cutting the pay of politicians would remove the professional\hereditary grasping class of populist politician..

I read somewhere the other day that the head of the NHS is on roughly a 1/4 of a million pounds a year.This is an organisation that employees 1.4 million staff.Compare that to Brendan Drumm our senior public servants of all organisations are living in a ******************************g dream world !.