The government has finally realised that TDs are over paid:


Is this a direct affront to Bertie Ahern's policies ?

How will it go down with the public ?

cYp

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"Yawn , am I alive yet ?"

This was announced in the budget - the fact that it's front page of the Sunday Times is quite shocking - the story is 5 days old!

At budget I'd only heard review ...

What caught my attention here was the admission that we were being pegged to the wrong countries ... this implies that the pay was wrong by design ... which seems more serious (and a lot less fudgy than I'm used to from politicians)

cYp

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"Yawn , am I alive yet ?"

I wonder will Cowen finally apologise for the squandermania he practiced as Minister for Finance?

Perhaps the word has gotten back to FFHQ that there will be a massacre at the Local Elections. The government want to be seen to be doing everything it can. Though this is probably as unlikely as politicians "sharing the pain". FF is going to get it in the neck at the LEs, the Euros and the next election. They'll be lucky to outpoll the PDs in some areas.

Regards...jmcc

Ah yes , a review.

Dont cut the salaries but announce that it just may happen sometime in the future.

Not now because not everyone knows that our politicians are the most overpaid in the world.

Lets take decisive action and have a review.

What a joke.

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I believe that children are the future

Unless we stop them now.

Mmm thinks Cowen, are we getting overpaid.. Mayyybee. Should we take a pay cut? Hum, hum, hum, I know, how about a review. And when that comes out another review and if it means a drop of living then no pay cut, sure they'll never know.

The fact that this tossers weren't ordered to take a mandatory pay cut on Tuesday is a ******************************g scandal in itself. Pardon me when I say ********************s any time I hear that ********************er lecturing others about sharing the pain when the greedy ********************s still get paid ridicolous salaries

What all this benchmarking?These other small countries have viable economies.You get paid what your employers can afford to pay you and since Ireland is bankrupt perhaps a much bigger cut is warranted.

To an extent true ... but as I've said the benchmarking is the news here

Previously a 10% "sacrifice" was been spoken of, now they are saying we should peg the pay with "similar-sized European countries."

This is admitting that the pay was wrong all along, even in the boom years

cYp

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"Yawn , am I alive yet ?"

Definitely an affront to purple-faced Ahern. They are now slowly retracting his spendthrift policies. Too slow to implement though. 20%-33% paycut for senior PS and CS workers sounds about right