Adams and the "average industrial wage"

[DeputyEdo]

Actually there are two specific points here:

1. Any SF public representative that has more than one income is not acting as a full time public representative. Now there is nothing wrong with this, most other TD's do it all the time. However, I believe, if SF claim to be representing working class people, the onus is on SF TD's to declare this prior to standing for election.

2. It is now clear that SF TD's keep ALL the expenses received from the Dail without outlining how this money is spent (or even if it all is). This actually indicates that SF TD's 'draw' the AIW from the party and also have access to substantial other income as a result of their expenses as well.

1) So working class people shouldn't have two jobs? If you look at the SF website it tells you what the members do i.e. Pearse Doherty is an engineer, John brady is a carpenter. If they can make money from these without it impacting on their performances, then let them do it.

2) You clearly have no idea how expenses work. It's not like it's extra money they get, they're getting back money they have spent out of their own pocket. There is no gain for anyone.
Here's an example: Gerry drives to Dublin and has to put €20 of petrol into his car. He then claims this back. So that works out as: Spent €20, recieved back in expenses €20. How much did Gerry make from that transaction?????

[SeamusNapoleon]

2) You clearly have no idea how expenses work. It's not like it's extra money they get, they're getting back money they have spent out of their own pocket. There is no gain for anyone.

So Callely needed to drive from Cork to Dublin everyday

I would say you know how expenses work in theory, but take absolutely zero account of the greed of people who are offered a chance to reclaim money they 'had' to spend...

[ocoonassa]

I have books of blank receipts for sale if anybody is interested.

[DeputyEdo]

So Callely needed to drive from Cork to Dublin everyday

I would say you know how expenses work in theory, but take absolutely zero account of the greed of people who are offered a chance to reclaim money they 'had' to spend...

So everyone should be tarred with the same brush? Just because Callely is a lying toad, all TDs are...or is it all people from Cork are??
That's why the gravy train of getting expense without receipts has to stop.

[Molly Maguire]

I have books of blank receipts for sale if anybody is interested.

[laidback]

1)

2) You clearly have no idea how expenses work. It's not like it's extra money they get, they're getting back money they have spent out of their own pocket. There is no gain for anyone.
Here's an example: Gerry drives to Dublin and has to put €20 of petrol into his car. He then claims this back. So that works out as: Spent €20, recieved back in expenses €20. How much did Gerry make from that transaction?????

You dont understand how the Dail expenses system works. You are giving an example of how you think the travel expenses work but its quite different.

depending on where they live TDs are paid a round figure sum monthly that bears no relation to what they actually spend and they don't have to claim this money! Its €12000 pa for Dublin based deputies and almost €38,000 pa for Donegal, Kerry etc. A base in balbriggan or naas etc would get you €28,106 pa.

So TDs make a lot of tax free money from this system which they introduced last march. before that they put in claims based on civil service mileage rates for actual journeys and/or claimed a daily rate whichever suited them better.

It would be great if Gerry refused to accept this waste of taxpayers money and put in a monthly bill based on his actual petrol expenses. would shame the lot of them - correction very few of them as i think all parties have hard necks.

[NewGoldDream]

If you look at the SF website it tells you what the members do i.e. Pearse Doherty is an engineer...

Is he?

Me too.

Well for clarifcation I watched a documentary about bulding those ice truck roads on Discovery the other night...

[ocoonassa]

If they can make money from these without it impacting on their performances, then let them do it.

As the last few Governments have proven conclusively, they can't, so let's not.

If somebody takes the job of TD they shouldn't be moonlighting elsewhere and should give the job of public servant their undivided attention.

[Ramzi Nohra]

Then they simply wouldn't be able to get people to do the job.

Spectacularly low paid vacancies don't get filled, that's how the labour market works. However there's no end of people to take the job of Spanish PM.

Therefore Gerry Adams suggesting that all our 166 TD's deserve to be paid more than him is plain wrong.

1) They either dont get filled or get filled, but by people who arent that good. The higher you pay in the labour market the better the quality you get

2) The point I was inarticulately trying to make was that with PMs there are other things they get which are not counted in with basic salary - the house and promise of further earnigns being the clearest ones, kudos of leading an entire nation etc which may not count for TDs

3) The Labour market for Spain is quite different from Ireland, so the Spanish PM marker is of limited value.

Basically, you're not comparing like for like here.

Which isnt to say they shouldnt get a pay cut, but I would question the real value of such a move. I would also think that being a TD is more complex and responsible than "the average industrial job". I am not saying the latter sort of job is easy etc, just saying that doesnt really compare to being a TD, if done properly.