What planet are these politicians living in. ? Carers are one step away from utter depression dealing with a life that resembles a prison sentence except you can serve it in your own ( the revenues) home. What an uncaring country and the condesending words of ministers like posh boys coveney/ shatter e.t.c and co who never had a poor day in their lives. Shame on you nasty \goverment. Tim

Correct me if I am wrong.
Unemployment benefit is €188 Per Week
Carers is €205 per week
Does this mean for a Staggering €17 extra per week you can Provide 24/7 Care for a Person in need.
Wait Carers could be entitled to Free Household Benefits that’s an extra €62 per Month. Oh they are reducing that as well.
At least I get a Free Television Licence to subsidise the Underpaid Presenters in RTE.
Nearly forgetting the free bus Pass. Can’t beat standing at a Bus stop in the cold and Rain with a Wheelchair. Damn the Bus is full again. You would think I could afford a Car on this big income. Better Go to the Chemist for your Medicines. What it’s gone up 300%.
The annual Respite Care Grant will reduce from €1,700 to €1,375. Would that cover 2 weeks in a Nursing Home so I could have a Break? Nah I need to catch up on some bills before we are left in the Cold and Dark.

If the Government can do it at these prices am I doing something wrong?

There is only one way to make our Governors cop on. Mass mortgage default. We are constantly asking the Government to default on the Banks, so if they won’t why don’t we? It’s very simple and everyone can do it ….. together. They should be putting the money into the real needs of Ireland.

As soon as I heard about such a ridiculous and senseless cut I thought to myself this is just a smokescreen .
If the people are up in arms over this they won’t be talking about the property tax and children’s allowance cut. The government no doubt will do a u turn on this but will wait till the storm is over . They will make a big deal about how they listen to the people and the people have made a decision or some crap like that. The government is using this allowance and the people affected as pawns in there manipulation games .
Looking forward to seeing Fine Gael or labour out looking for votes in the future as they deserve a lashing

What’s “wrong” and “sickening” is that no TD, govt or opposition, proposed cutting politicians pay or scrapping the Croke park agreement.

I read today that head of bord failte is on 160k+ and “is entitled to retire at 55″.

This is what ALL TDs are protecting. Shame on all of them

This woman is behaving like Pee Flynn. She needs hundreds of thousands while the rest of us must go hungry.

If there is a “carers association” out there, they should join together and use the tough love stance and leave their loved ones ,one and all, at the gates of Leinster house indefinitely until them morons running what’s left of this banana republic see sense and return full grants back to them. It would cost the state immeasurable amount of money to care for these people themselves. Another example of how this state really cares for its citizens….by punishing the young and old and the most defenceless. I’m totally ashamed of the lot of them supposed to be representing us but instead just give us lip service and line their own pockets.

While we are paying the former chief FG party hack almost €170k/year to organise a piss-up, we will continue to be the laughing stock of the world. Time to declare the second Republic and any party espousing such a move gets my vote.

What is wrong with this country, in three years time will we be in a position that FF/FG will form a goverment. How long will we allow these “public servants” to speak down to us. Your can count on one hand the number of politicians that have any right to hold any sort of office. Everything now is debated in the media, while in dail eireann very few even bother to turn up other then to sign in. Every issue brought forward by the opposition and debated is rejected by every goverment normally sighting that they are going to publish a better bit of legislation which never happens. This lack of direction is infecting the whole civil service who can’t move forward until Parliament makes decisions. Yes this budget is tough on everyone but we bailout banks who are bust but are still paying themselves half a million a year for failing. we bailout the church. CIE will need taxpayer money to run a service which is competing against private company’s who can make a profit. why are we paying carbon taxes on fossil fuel causing family’s and elderly people to turning off heating while the biggest offenders USA and china won’t even sign up to modest targets. Until everyone in this country unites and demands reform, accountability and open goverment. We will never move forward.

This was so predictable; wait until the Labour TD’s have defended the Budget and said it was fair and then have the FG’ers come in and say the cuts are unpalatable. One nill FG. Fidelma is a bit of a drain on the tax payers herself though, I thought she’d be keeping a lower profile.

That’s the trouble you see, they’re still very much playing politics instead of fixing the country.

AHHH phuukkkinn jaysis…

Tomorrows headline.

Fine Gael moves to the left of Labour.

Truly bread-run, the end beist nigh.

I have just learnt, that The Revenue will have the power to enter a persons home. To inspect it and asess a proper valuation, is this the sign of things to come in Europe? Can the Journal.ie, check this out?

She is a token and nothing more, Just like Harney was, Kenny & Gilmore choose Her to do all the dirty work as it won’t look so bad coming from a woman! How can she sleep at night?? What is up with these women?? She is another Harney and allowing herself to be used as a woman to try and sweeten the blow…

Talk of sacrifice is over used these days, but does apply to people who care at home, many giving up jobs and friends to do so , for gods sake reverse this stupid decision

This has to be another Stunt by those Stunts. If we keep the Idiots talking about this one measure they will forget about the rest of the Budget. Labor will claim a Victory when it is reversed. It is emotional Blackmail on the Carers, they know they will not bring their Loved one’s to the Nearest Hospital with a Letter of Resignation and just walk away leaving the State with a Hell of a problem.

If the Snakes in Government do not willingly roll back on respite grant cut then they will be forced too simple as that.

What sickens me is Joan burton when in opposition was always on about the children since she took over in her department no one is safe from her cuts especially children with special needs her department is doing everything in their power to stop people getting what they are entitled too

A long barrelled rifle hmmmm

Well those to FG people have a choice if the cut is wrong then they will have to vote against it next week if they vote for it well then I guess we will know the value of their principles.

But that cut money is needed by Joan and the rest of them.
http://theirishbull.com/2012/12/08/politicians-cut-deal-for-e3million-a-year-oireachtas-increase-weeks-after-slipping-themselves-a-e14m-bailout/

The Ivory Towers are about to crumble when the Blueshirts must teach Laboured left-wing politics :p

Someone made a comment here a while back that they would roll back on this, as part of a political posture. The powers that be have listened to you and grant you this etc.

he/she might have been on to something.

Assad turned his army on his own people. Our Govt. is turning the Revenue with draconian powers on their own people. And thats O.K.

a right wing politician calling for a left wing politician to roll back on a social welfare cut, bizarre and really sick in a way

It looks that as if the politicians are facing the wrath of their Voters this weekend in their Clinics.If they decide to roll back on this decision who will they go for because they will take it elsewhere.

When pieces of paper (fiat currency) are more important than peoples lives then it’s time to change the system. We are witnessing the end of the world’s banking and monetary system as we know it.

Don’t see her barking on the box anymore. Saint Enda must have a tight leash on her..

What gets me is how this budget was designed by ‘a gang of four’ with not even their own TD’s having whiff of it until the last minute. This is NOT democracy. We vote our TD’s to represent us in Parliment, how can they if they have no say in the budget making. secondly please do not make out that carer’s are stressed by the relatives they care for…that blames the sick, elderly or disabled person they care for, they are STRESSED by the very little acknowledgement, help, benefits, remuneration they get for the care work they do. This is the fault of our Gov not their loved ones. If all these ‘carer’s’ were EMPLOYED by the state (because they save the state huge amounts in keeping institutional/hospital beds free) their work would be safeguarded by Unions, employment law and such like. Because they are not the Gov can virtually do anything to them. it’s the whole framework of the ‘carer’s’ role that is wrong! I hate the word ‘carer’ anyway. as a disabled person myself, why should my sister, nieve or other become my ‘carer’ they are my sisters my niece and the roles are different. Please God I’ll never need a relative to ‘care’ for me. I’d HATE it!

she’s like angela merkel’s ‘evil twin’.a bull-dog in a skirt!

As low as this breed of politicians go I must say dear old Joan is a particularly repulsive one. Carving her name with pride everywhere she goes and in everything she does.

At least FF were just ordinary decent criminals ……

Take to the streets and get this gang of wasters out. We need the unions to help with our protests. Unions please set a date for a massive protest march on Dail Eireann.

The people of Ireland are being treated like Al Capone ,we will get them by sending in the taxman ,now the taxman will be hated for doing his job .This government is turning it,s people against each other

I am disgusted by the cuts to carers hours and respite allowance. I am no huge fan of burton. But this pair of fg twits nauseates me even further. Fg rejected a proposal to increase USC on high earners and now we have this pair moaning about the effect of cuts on critical services. This is irresponsible politicking at its worst.

How come there is always some legal or constitutional reason why the government cannot take money from the rich and privileged but when it come to taking money from poor and underprivileged there are no barriers whatsoever. Seems all our laws are rigged to protect the rich !

A Fine Gael TD has urged the minister? How about she urged her own party to consider a third tax band of 48 percent on earnings over €100,000 as Labour suggested? She was “sickened by it [the decision]“. Well I am sickened by such outrageous hypocracy! Her own party forces those brutal cuts by being totally stubborn: No financial transaction tax, not even the slightest increase in corporation tax, no further tax bands, nothing. Can’t get over such cheap, sickening populism. As if we are all stupid!

What kills me is the total lack of invention in everything they do! example: a 1 cent tax on text messages would raise about 120 million! Theres your carers cuts sorted!

How much money do you earn scrap croke park? How much tax do you pay?