Rome Burnt, Nero Fiddled: "Private chefs, luxury hotels, limos and gifts..."

[sondagefaux]

A CHEF was hired to cook breakfast at a cost of €300 for ministers for a weekly cabinet meeting in late November 2010, only two days after then taoiseach Brian Cowen announced that Ireland would seek an international bailout package.

The Department of the Taoiseach spent between €250 to €300 each week during 2010 for food and chef hire for the weekly cabinet breakfast meeting.

The practice continued until the end of the year notwithstanding the intervention of the EU and IMF to shore up Ireland’s finances. The figures show that on November 23rd, two days after the announcement, €276 was paid for an agency chef, and for the ingredients to cook breakfast for the Cabinet.

The details are included in records released to Gavin Sheridan of thestory.ie.

...

The records show a pattern of very generous spending in the department during 2010 at a time the State was going through the biggest financial crisis since its foundation.

...

Departmental spending on taxis totalled €37,600 for the year, while limousine hire for the taoiseach’s foreign visits amounted to €28,844.

The biggest individual bill for limousine hire was for €5,772 during Mr Cowen’s trip to New York in July 2010.

Private chefs, luxury hotels, limos and gifts - bills for Cowen's department in bailout year - The Irish Times - Wed, Feb 08, 2012

Detailed information: https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...ml#document/p2

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

I am sick to the teeth of this sh!t.

[Mitsui2]

It should be mindboggling.

It really should.

But it's not even surprising.

I hadn't actually realised that my expectations of their behaviour had grown that low.

[Odyessus]

Private chefs, luxury hotels, limos and gifts - bills for Cowen's department in bailout year - The Irish Times - Wed, Feb 08, 2012

Detailed information: https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...ml#document/p2

The Department of the Taoiseach spent between €250 to €300 each week during 2010 for food and chef hire for the weekly cabinet breakfast meeting.

€300 per week for breakfast for the entire cabinet, and the chef's wages? The government should be congratulated on their frugality.

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

€300 per week for breakfast for the entire cabinet, and the chef's wages? The government should be congratulated on their frugality.

Frugality? For between €17 and €20 per breakfast per Cabinet Minister per week?

[Mushroom]

Frugality? For between €17 and €20 per breakfast per Cabinet Minister per week?

Presumably you've already forgotten about Mary "ten breakfasts" Harney.

Between a couple of roast suckling pigs for her, ten pints and a bucket of oysters for Biffo and very expensive designer tofu breakfasts for Gormley and Ryan, the taxpayer got away quite cheaply at only €20 per head.

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

Presumably you've already forgotten about Mary "ten breakfasts" Harney.

Between a couple of roast suckling pigs for her, ten pints and a bucket of oysters for Biffo and very expensive designer tofu breakfasts for Gormley and Ryan, the taxpayer got away quite cheaply at only €20 per head.

Yes but certainly not "frugal"!

[sondagefaux]

€300 per week for breakfast for the entire cabinet, and the chef's wages? The government should be congratulated on their frugality.

Frugality would have been buying their own breakfasts out of their already very generous salaries.

[MrFunkyBoogaloo]

Frugality would have been buying their own breakfasts out of their already very generous salaries.

Thank You!!

[eoghanacht]

What happend to a boiled egg, slice of toast and or a bowl of cereal?