He’s one durty particle.

3 Replies:

The rules are vague (to a lay person anyway). The government never anticipated that they would be used in this fashio and so they are examining if it is permissible. Why? A lot of public anger at public representatives abusing the expense system.

The Socialist party interpreted it to mean that they could claim expenses for any travel they undertook as a result of their socialist platform.

2. It is entirely irrelevant where Higgins worked previously.

3. Not worth replying to – brainwashed nonsense.

Hear hear. Fake ‘controversy’

Abusing the expenses system. Thats what the kerfuffle is about.

He’ll probably apply for free legal aid.

tight kerrry ********

Gary his duties relate to his activities in Dail Eireann not elsewhere. A big fuss has been made of this because he puts himself our there as a know all and as a major critic of everything around him.nAr the end of the day himself and the wan from Swords and the other inner city one have been caught with their hand in the cookie Jar…………..Gotcha!nAnd all this is going on while he is encouraging people to break the law! What a cod piece!

It says “as a member” therefore it suggests it is for general political use. The majority of argument on here seem to be disagreeing with him due to his message. But do people really want an opposition argument against the government lost? The argument is constantly being made let his ‘small’ party pay for these things themselves. Obviously that isn’t possible due to the nature of the party (support by mostly working/middle class and not big business/millionaires). To me it seems they have used money given to them and used it according to the rules given to them. All this malarkey being created by the press is just an attack on the party to reduce their ability to hold people the right people to account for this mess.

Oh yea all 900 euro living it up on train tickets and bb’s. For god sake you would think he was doing what all the rest of the Dublin td’s are doing claiming the full 12000 unvouched and putting it in their own pocket both clAre daly and joe have receipts for everything and used the allowance for representing the people not for lining their own pockets as Clare daly said lets have full vouched expenses then lets see what legitimate expenses the government td’s really have

I posted this on the Clare Daly segment earlier… but i am repasting back here …
I am no fan of Clare Daly per se, but i respect her views 100%. We had FF/Labour and an independent academic from DCU on the Vincent Browne show last night. The show itself was a frace, because Sam Smith was so far up labours rear end, brown-nosing (so i am guessing the little git is looking for s Seanad Pension nomination, watch this space) so much to Pat Rabbit was night, it was a mockery. But even Nora Owens (former FF minister, Pat Rabbit, current serving minister, and the DCU Government expert, all said that they would have assumed that the expenses that Claire Daly put in, would have been legitimate. Every expense she put in to reimbusement, was receipted.
You are going on about not turning this into anything other than an attack on Clare Daly, because you bully boys like attacking the left, but, come on, fair is fair. Neither she, or Joe Higgins (who i find onnoxious to listen to) are trying to scam the public. They are giving their time over to highlight and represent what is wrong with this country. I understand that in total, Clare Daly expenses 15,000 Euro for the entire year (and that includes her day to day Dail expenses, and her campaigning on the HHC outside her constituency).
Can you guys not see how hypocritical it is for you to attack Clare Daly and Joe Higgins for these relatively minor expenses, when you have the likes of FFg’s Phil Hogan over partuing it up in 340 euro per night Hotels in Rio de Janeiro? He spent a week partying, and then took a more expensive flight back , just to see a football game in his own county?
You guys really can’t see the moral difference between the two?
We have Pat Rabbit last night claiming success for having turned around the unemployment crises, and saying that he and every member of the Government deserve the wages they are on, and increased expense allowances, because in his words, they have improved things so much.
Really guys, are you going to try and defend your corrupt Governments record, by attacking the socialist Party or SF?
If there was a single moral bone in any member of the cabinets body, they would immediately call for all the ministers in teh cabinet to reduce their wages and total compensation packages to less than 50k per year until the crises is over. That would save the country 8 million euro per year between now and the end of their term in Government. At least that way, when they bring in charges like the HHC and PRSI increases, water charges, Electronic device charges, increased VAT rates, university fees, Petrol duties and so on, they will fully understand what impact they are having on the AVERAGE person in the country. Instead, they are attempting to deflect attention away from these issues by attacking the socialist and SF.
They are doing through their mouth-piece the Independent Newspaper Group, owned by Denis O’Brien. This is the same Denis O’Brien who magically appeared on stage beside Bertie Aherane (sorry, Enda Kenny) at the New York Stock Exchange this year. This is the same Denis O’Brien who bought ESAT from the FFG/Labour Government 15 years ago for 19 million euro and then sold it on for a 2,000 million euro profit (yes 2 billion profit) 1 year later.
The same newspaper group ran the story last week against Pearse Doherty, the day before SF tabled the bill to repeal the household charge.
Like come on, is this a democratic republic or a banana republic that controls the media and stifles any opposition voices. We saw the same thing last week, when the Independent ran the columns from Brian Hayes (FFG minister) telling the people not to watch Martin McGuinness shaking hands with the Queen. If that wasn’t bad enough, they then ran 6 different Irish hater columns backing up their FFG minister.
You guys are detsroying any semblance of democracy left in this country, along with freedom of speech. If it wasn’t for the Journal.ie, they would have the entire market sown up.
People are leaving this country at the rate of 70,000 people per year. We had a BBC program on BBC 3 last night highlighting all the worngs that this government are perpetrating on its citizens. It was shameful to watch, and yet i think it should be mandatory viewing in every school in Ireland immediately.
FFG/Labour are not only continuing the policies of FF before them, they are perfecting the corruption and efforts to silence the opposition. Romantic Ireland really is dead and gone!

I am not a socialist party member, and i do lean towards SF, but am in no way a member (and never have been). I support Calre Dalys endeavor, based on the fact that she spent 15,000 euro in total in the last 12 months on expenses. This is vastly less than any SF/FFG/FF/Labour average. She has expensed with receipts, every penny. She hasn’t tried to hide a penny of her spending.
Compare that to Hogan, who in one week alone, ran up a 20,000 euro bill, while holidaying in Rio. If any member of SF did that, i would condemn them. This is pure pigs at the rough politics. Daly is not in that category.
I hope you see the distinction. And Hogan is not the only one at it. We heard today that all teh advisors hired by FFg/Labour that break the salary cap law, will be paid by the tax-payer, even though they break the law. On top of that, the advisors are getting public servant PA’s, and those public servant PAs are getting an extra 7k per year to work for those special advisors.
Like come on…. You dont need to be a genius to work out, which TDs are milking it, giving their mates jobs, using public servants as secretaries for their mates, and then paying those public servants 7,000 extra keep quiet money. FFG/Labour are making FF look like Angels… and trust me FF were the worst thing to ever happen our country.

Jesus Cal, any chance of a tl;dr? Its like another 50 shades novel.

@Cal1
A comment is meant to be a comment,a ”snippet” to express your thought on a given subject.. You sound like u overly want ur voice to be heard try somewhere else mate, we’r accustomed to concise well made points here, NOT rants of ur nature..
Cuddles ;)

Lads, I’m sure thejournal has the facility to limit the amount of text that can be contained in a post. At the end of the day it is up to them, not you, what that amount should be.

@too truleft
The clue is in the prompt, ie POST COMMENT, never saw a link for posting an over-inflated-to-the-point-of-nauseousness/unconsciousness comment

And you’re the arbiter around here on what length this said comment should be?

I’m quite happy to say he should return the money. His expenses for being a TD are for representing his own constituency. If he had duties for Fine Gael that brought him around the country then Fine Gael should have paid them.

Mr Lawlor I was not aware that Joe Higgins was a Senior Minister in the Irish Government and thus can be compared to Mr Gilmore and the latters use of a State car!nHiggins has been a freeloader for years and his sanctimonious expression coupled with his contrived diction makes me want to reach for the white chins telephone!nMy hard earned money is being used by this windbag to foment dissent and incite people to break the law! What part of that unethical and appalling behaviour for a democrat do you misunderstand?

Absolutely ! Mr Higgins can not be compared to Gilmore ! Joe Higgins is in a league of his own , honest as the day is long . However Mr Gilmore is in league with big money corporations and failed banks oh and the Bundestagg, sure hasn’t he and his party turned their backs on ordinary decent people , who he lied to , to get into power. Labour /FG = turncoats.
But sure you all know this already .

Hear hear Eileen.

Stop talking sense,people don’t like it.
Unfortunately, the pigs with their snouts in the trough have zero intention of closing off a system that has put 10,000′s of euros into their bank accounts every year for the last decade. Similar to the hoo-haa last week involving SF, you can be damn sure that FFg/Labour/FF will find a way to ensure that this gets put to bed. There isn’t any money in it for them to change the status-quo :(

LET SOMEONE ELSE PAY is their motto

Isn’t it awful when those nasty Reds rob the Blue’s motto David? BooHoo.

They will, Davey Boy D. People are finally seeing through them. Sick of them, too. Negativity, negativity, negativity.

Funny sort of mouthpiece that goes to prison fighting for the working class, eh Davie boy??

Nice try mucker boy! Go wash the patatatatoes

Is this David Higgins in disguise?

To me every one of them in the Dail reminds me of a ‘cult’. Screwing with people’s lives, loved ones (sadly who have taken their own lives since 2007), their money. No better than any religion being shoved down our necks for years. Thieving, lying, selfish, self centred, narcissistic arseholes!

These TDs, Ministers, past, present and probably future, if this is let go on …. is like a unique country within a country! They have safeguards like, ‘diplomatic immunity’. Time to use the truck load of demostos in that place.

Yeah, I’d actually have a lot of sympathy for that viewpoint. Certainly, if Higgins had put his hands up and said “Sorry, I honestly misunderstood the rules” and started paying the money back, I’d actually be defending his original mistake.

It’s more his response to this that’s getting people’s backs up. He seems to be trying to get out of paying the money back, insisting he didn’t do anything wrong (when plainly he did, whether intentionally or unintentionally) and engaging in such epic whataboutery you could put a beard on him and call him “Gerry”,

To be honest, if the ruling ultimately goes against him, he can always use the portion of his salary above the average industrial wage to cover his travel expenses. Total non-issue manufactured to divert our attention away from the billions of our cash being handed over to bondholders.

Exactly. Finally a bit of sense. :)

That’s right patriot. Save the electricity and blast it when Meehole is on.

I’m flipping exhausted from carrying the Labour party. Why don’t ye just join Fine Gael? Ye know ye want to…

Yep he will probably expense the legal advice as well.

pretty sure legal advice would be provided free to all TD’s as part of their job too guys!
If its not it should be, no use having politicians making laws who dont know the law as it is or who havn’t got access to legal advice on matters when their making new laws is there?

Absolutely disagree.

It it totally irrelevant how much it costs. Public representatives should NOT bel allowed to use the expenses system as some sort of private fund to pay for whatever flights of fancy they wish to indulge in.

If Higgins et al want to pursue this campaign then let them. But they can pay for it themselves.

Its the principal of the thing and its something that too many people are happy to overlook.

Well said fella :)

Toorkeel go back to Scotland……

Exaggerate much toorkeel?

And joe public …… Don’t forget about joe public most of whom rip off the state in one way or another ….. It’s up to government to legislate and make it impossible to rip off the state so the book should stop with them,but just blaming political party’s is wrong everyone is at it if they can get away with it

Eh, Doherty was found t be compliant to the rules.

Make libelous, defamatory statements much toorkeel??

@toorkeel OF THE STATE time to come clean who u really r and where u really r from very sad man

Truth hurts gentlemen. Your shining lights of Socialism showing they are no different to the rest having scant regard for the taxpayer. The taxpayer who keeps this country from falling on its knees. @GreenMonkey, I’m not Scottish. TTL@ Not exaggerating at all, you don’t want to admit the Left is as rotten. @Richard. God Save The Queen.

Pearse Doherty was cleared by the people who count of any wrongdoing. If you have evidence that Doherty has defrauded the state, lets see it, otherwise you are using the facility offered here to knowingly commit libel.

…@TTL. He used 8K of taxpayers money to pay for an “employee”. You might have seen it in the news

I did. but unlike you I don’t only remember the news that suits my agenda:

http://www.thejournal.ie/pearse-doherty-expenses-no-breach-leinster-house-travel-503075-Jun2012/

“LEINSTER HOUSE OFFICIALS have confirmed that Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty is not in breach of any rules regarding the use of his parliamentary allowances – because his travel costs were high enough to merit the full costs……The confirmation that his travel and accommodation costs outstripped the actual amounts Doherty received means that the money he uses to hire extra staff is considered to be part of his Oireachtas salary – which Doherty is entitled to use however he sees fit”

That’s it! The government falsified Wallace’s VAT returns, addled Ming’s brain with too much turf smoke and forced the others on to trains at gunpoint. Cunning “adgenda”.

Not normally one for conspiracy theories but there does appear to be an organised effort to smear selected politicians in recent weeks. Well in one “news”paper in particular.
Funnily enough it seems to coincide with a change in ownership at said paper.
People should remember that the information in relation to Higgins, Daly and Pearse Doherty has always been in the public domain.
Also Doherty was found to have done no wrong and as of yet neither have Higgins and Daly.

If it’s not the “blueshirt” tag, it’s the media’s fault. Ah, well -

Declan constructive arguments would help your cause.

The same can be said with those who throw out that ol’ “blueshirt” line, Gary. Look – some ULAs were found out. Deal with it, ULAs. Some ULAs & left minded supporters are great for dishing it out but can’t take it back in return. At this stage the whole friggin’ thing is annoying, tbh. Deal with it & S.U.M.O. ( shut up, move on ). Throwing the “blueshirt” line is peevish at best. Politics in this country stinks as do some politicians, Gary. As a nation, we have been extremely badly served. It’s not rocket science to put in place proper rules & regulations. Just do it, Dail Eireann.

You see, I can see both sides of the story. I can see that the Irish press leans right and therefore there probably IS a vested editorial interest in digging up what dirt they can find on the ULAs.

But I can also see, plain as day, that doesn’t make whatever dirt they DO find magically okay. And, in any event, the Independents have made themselves hostage to fortune, anyway, with their whole Holier Than Thou rhetoric ANYWAY. If you’re going to claim to be Whiter Than White then you’d better BE Whiter Than White and there’s no point blaming the media if you get found out.

Can you post the relevant law please…..

Wheres this infamous pub Richard where the customers pay you to abuse them?

Richard what pub do you work in because i don’t want to ever go into such a place with such naive, ignorant fools, Who can’t think for themselves and do and think what the media tell them to do and think.

Still waiting for that law Richard…….

Irish socialists want gamblers to pay their own debts.

Good point on the ties! I know they need to dish out goodies for these things, like favours at a wedding, maybe some chocolates instead?? But why should we pay for that muppet to prance around spouting his tripe, telling people to break the law? He is entitled to speak but let his little party cough up the money!

I expect him to fund his campaign himself. I dont support his idiotic crusade and I strongly object to having my tax money used to fund his ridiculous partisan campaign.

Like the rest of the world he can either stay at home (or travel to Leinster House) or he can spread his message – but if he does the latter his party can pick up the tab.

If his supporters want him to continue – let them donate to his party. Lets see if the almighty man-of-the-people would be willing to fund the whole thing out of his own pocket. I daresay the little trips around the country would dry up rather quickly if the man had to pay for it himself.

To answer your question Donal – I expect to pay for it himself. Not charge it to the people.

Felix you expect his party to pay his expenses meanwhile you’re happy to fund the silk ties happy in the knowledge that big business will fund whatever harebrained scheme your party comes up with to screw the working class.

Well said Donal.

@ Radar

This is so typical. Its the same argument from you people again and again and again. This has nothing to do with any other party or politican. Nothing whatsoever.

For the record – I dont support any political party. I think they are all, to one extent or another, useless. So when you refer to “My party” youre making completely incorrect assumptions.

This is so typical of Higgins supporters – its absolutely preposterous. His actions are NOT justified simply because someone else, allegedly, has abused the expenses system also. ANYONE who abuses the expenses system, irrespective of their party or whether or not they are in government, should be investogated and reprimanded for doing so. We must have an end to unvouched expenses. Its that simple.

In this particular case Higgins is just one more politician fleecing the public purse. Pursuing his own partisan agenda at the cost of the taxpayer. Its a disgrace.

Radar there is simply no justification for it – particularly not your nonsense about “silk ties”.

Sorry but less of the martyr joe nonsense. Don’t fudge the issue. Dil expenses are explicitly intended for travel to and from the constituency to the dail.

Everything else should be paid by the td or their party from their own funds. It its as clear as that.

10,000 silk ties. What the hell is all that about?

Whether you were invited or otherwise is entirely irrelevant. It doesnt matter whether you chose to go, you were invited or you were kidnapped and brought there against your will. It doesnt matter in the least. The taxpayer should be paying for it.

The rules dont specify what exactly is meant by “performing their duties”. Personally I would not see advocating a partisan political platform to break the law all over the country as part of their duties but irrespective of my opinion the tax payer shouldnt be footing the bill for – its really that simple.

Also it is totally irrelevant how YOU interpret the rules. If we could do that people everywhere could interpret laws and regulations in whatever bizarre what they saw fit so that they might benefit from said interpretation.

You are to be castigated for charging the taxpaying public for the expenses of furthering your own agenda.

Where Joe worked previously is totally irllevant to the issue at hand – is he or is he not entitled to claim these expenses? That is the ony issue.

On point 3 – once again, what the government should or shouldnt be doing is completely irrelevant to whether or not Higgins is entitled to claim these expenses. I have many problems wityh the behaviour of the current government. None of my grievances have ANY bearing whatsoever on this issue though. How the government has behaved is entirely irrelevant to this issue.

I repeat – the issue is a very straightforward and simple one. Is Higgins entitled to claim these expenses under the regulations? If not he must refund the tax payer. If he is entitled to then I will be very annoyed about it – I dont think the tax payer should have to pay for it. But there will be nothing I can do about it – thats the way the rules work.

Its a very straightforward issue – all of his supporters asimply try and muddy the waters in order to justify the behaviour by referring to entirely irrelevant matters such as his character, his agenda, his previous employment or the governments failures – none of which have any bearign whatspever on the issue.

Typo – in the first paragraph – the tax payer should NOT be paying for it.

I’d prefer to tax Enda’s use of “Ireland Inc”. We’d have the bondholders paid off in no time.

Did Ivor Callelly @ €500,000 ?

I don’t recall him stating that the expenses cover ono work related journeys. Making stuff up again?

Typo – should be ‘non-work related’

The man made fraudulent claims, and I quote “The Houses of the Oireachtas Service said that it had “never envisaged” that TDs would use the travel and accommodation allowance to travel outside of their constituencies, except for journeys to and from Leinster House.” Honourable or Dishonourable……….. hmmmmmm,

Bernadette seriously?? He was using our money to travel around and preach to his “people” that they should break the law! He is a moaner nothing more. They should pay back the money and if they want to go on a little crusade around Ireland pay for it themselves. So its time Chairman Higgins hands back the money! Claire and Joan too!

Since when does Higgins and co. represent hard working people. I thought quite the opposite myself. In it for his own pocket like the rest of them i’d say.

Those who speak from the high moral ground should no better, joe knows it all but guess who is screwing the taxpayer. This guy was an mep remember.

Bernadette God Bless you for your unguarded and Holy Rosary support for Father Joe……he fell and you picked him up…he sinned and you forgave him…….mind your wallet…oops too late!

Bernadette .
Well said . Ignore the detractors .

Detractors Eileen? You’re too kind! Keep lapping up the BS that Independent Newspapers feeds ye lads. They’ll feed ye the odd crumbs re Fine Gael but big chunks of BS re the opposition. Some of us don’t acquire the taste for it.

Ya, Ya, Ya. Divide and conquer and all that. Amazing how one sentence can be so stupid!

There’s the “blueshirt” line again. When have nowt else to contribute, just throw in the “blueshirt” word. Megga yaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnn at this stage.

Did you put your blueshirt in the black wash Declan?

Ah, sh*t !! That’s what happened, UnderTheRadar. Damn !! Look – to hell with them all. U & I & others will still have to skrimp & scrape to get by. Actually – f*ck them all more like it. All of them. ( Sorry journo.ie for da language ).

Martin….try again!

He wouldn’t have been on them if he had to pay himself!

Spoken like somebody who can easily afford the charge, or else is not liable for it.

If you want to throw even more money at rich bondholders, be my guest. I will not.

When all households that avail of state provided services pay so will I.BTW i have a life quite a good one in fact thanks for the suggestion though.