yeah, yeah yeah

unless its mega-billions for white-collar split-derivative bundled sub-prime slurry pushers.

Most of the people, most of the time is ALL it takes.

can ye not smell a red-rotten herring when its waved in your face?

Or are ye all on the FG payroll?

Frank 2521
I do think that there should be checks on cash going to other countries as charity , but We are not broke . Not when the current government can give billions of euros a year away to ”white-collar split-derivative bundled sub-prime slurry pushers.” (great description Damien)

Ta, Eileen..
..somebody up there doesn’t agree by the look of the reds.

11 + Million.

The Irish examiner said the other that that next year our TDS, senators etc etc will get approx €497,500 EACH a year.

This is a disgrace as it will be the tax payer forking out for this, it’s the tax payer forking out for this “aid”, its the tax payer forking out for the IMF, banks etc etc the list goes on and on and yet they are the ones telling us we need to tighten our belts.

This government and previous governments are shameful to the Irish people as they have done nothing but screwed them over for their own benefit and I am sick to death of it!

http://www.change.org/petitions/supporting-the-irish-nation-step-down-from-government

@ Cathrine

Aye, here is the news link: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/dail-a-joke-as-112m-spend-passed-212032.html

The antics of them is unreal.
Take for example Ciaran Cannon, of ex-Progressive Democrats (PD’s).The former PD now in the ranks of Fine Gael (FG) has alone reportedly racked up €27,000 since taking office in March last year.
His role as a JUNIOR minister with a wage of €130,000 a year, hasn’t stopped him from claiming expenses where he could along the way. For example he reportedly pocketed:

Last year, €16,323.76 from tax payers in personal mileage claims – this year for the first eight months he’s clocked up €12,314.15 for same, so far. In total since his election, more than €26,000 (and thats not including his actual drivers own subsistence! They got more than €7,500 off the state (again you and everyone else) last year and so far this year €8,500.)
What has he also claimed as “expenses” ?

Cuff-links from Clery’s – €149.01

Clock from Kilkenny shop – €256.41

Clock from Clery’s – €363.34

One lunch alone from Leinster House – €108.75

Personal Compliment slips €311.45

Letterheads for his paper – €341.22

Tea and sandwiches, personal office – €59.02

Persona business refreshment! – €29.50

Biscuits & coffee, Leinster House – €59.00.

His personal air fares cost the public €4,477.52 last year even though he was only elected since March, while the deputy has beaten this figure already this year – running up a bill for €5,362 already in the first eight months. (His China visit by the way, an ‘education mission’ happened to occur during the public holiday of St Patricks day.) A number of his international trips, called or described just as ‘informal’ meetings. One of these trips to Malaysia cost the state last September €3,698 alone – and thats excluding flights.

Official figures show that his claimed personal subsistence while going abroad have more than doubled this year in comparison to last year. It appears even the ferrying of him around where ever he want to go is costing the state a bucket-load too… Further data released under the Freedom of Information Act shows that Cannon cost the public €487.00 in foreign car hire alone for this June while in the following July for example too, he cost the state (*cough – you*) €754.00.

Besides the €2,130 needed to pay for his office phone costs in March alone, he also gets his Galway home phone bill paid by the state as well as his mobile phone costs. O’ and the state usually pays for the phone itself too!

All the above are just some of the perks of a single JUNIOR minister. Recession? What recession!

My post: http://bigginsblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/27/irish-tds-award-themselves-more-money/

Biggins31 – those figures are galling.

@ Éamonn Mac Eochaidh

…And he is just one JUNIOR minister.
The big boys get more!

Biggins31
It is amazing to think that these people can justify these figures in their own minds . It is this play down of the facts that have the rest of us feeling inadequate and that we are just being petty. Thank you for those figures . That kind of money is scandalous no matter who you are while there are country men women and children below the poverty line.

Thats nothing… Here is more shocking numbers: http://politico.ie/irish-politics/8784-county-manager-salary-unchanged-for-two-years.html

Thanks .Biggins .

Richie
The problem with your comment is that the Irish people who had full knowledge of the Public Service and thus TD’s salaries and Pensions elected Bertie and Co not once or twice but three times before they destroyed our Sovereignty. I think the public have to accept some co-responsibility.

@ mick o neill – Are you suggesting the following : Poor taxpayers in a rich country (Gemany) should be forced to provide foreign aid to a poorer country (Ireland) so it can give it to it’s rich people (Rich Gamblers) so as to get the consent of even poorer taxpayers (Irish) to allow their tax money to be given to rich people (corrupt officials) in even poorer countries?

@ mick o neil – I agree with you. I would go further. No state foreign aid at anytime. It nearly always ends up in the hands of the rich not the poor it is intended for.

How much of our aid is funding excessive salaries and benefits in the Charity sector where oversight has been absent for far too long.

Irish Aid is crazy at this point in time. Our own are hungry, lacking special education and health. We cannot afford to borrow more money to send it abroad to do what we cannot do here.