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Updated 14:56
OPPOSITION TD MICK Wallace has asked the government to move the Dáil summer break next year so that TDs can fully enjoy the European Championships.
The Wexford TD raised the issue in the Dáil this morning but was shot down by Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore.
Wallace suggested that as there will “probably” be a six week break for TDs next summer it could be moved to coincide with the football tournament.
“It (Euro 2012) will be a great break for the people who are suffering from the austerity measures”, he told the Dáil. “Given that there will probably be a six week recess at some stage next summer, would the Tánaiste consider arranging two weeks of it to coincide with the first two weeks of the soccer?”
His request was met with bemusement from Gilmore, who told the Dáil: “It shows how much times have changed around here”.
The Tánaiste noted that it was unusual to have a TD ask to move the summer break:
“There used to be a time when opposition Deputies were complaining about the length of the summer recess”, he said. ” This is certainly a first in that we have got a request not only to extend it but to have it in June. Unwittingly, Deputy Wallace might have stumbled on an issue which will find considerable support on the Government side.
“The Government will make a considerable effort to keep its nose to the grindstone and deal with the issues of the people. We will have to watch the games on the television”.
Wallace emphasised that he was asking for the time off to be “reorganised” rather than extended. He also took to Twitter to explain this:
Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett ended the discussion, telling the Dáil chamber, “Deputy Wallace had his run,” before moving on to other business.
Speaking on Liveline on RTE Radio 1 this afternoon, Wallace said that productivity would be down if the Dáil were to sit during the European Championships
“If you try to tell me that productivity will be as high as normal (in the Dáil) during the football, that will not be the case,” he said. ”People will be very much focused on the football anyway”.
He proposed that the Dáil instead take a four week break in August and a two week break in June for the football.
The Dáil broke for recess this year on 21 July and resumed on 14 September. The European Championships will run from 8 June until 1 July 2012.
Watch the video here:
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Perhaps somebody could detail exactly what mick has contributed to political life in ireland since he was elected?
He’s really shaking up the old order! Anyway the way things are going for him he’ll be bankrupt and won’t have to worry about the Dail by next summer, gombeen.
His PINK Tee-Shirt
Disgusting, that’s his concern before a horrific budget next month! Boot him out!
Don’t worry, when he eventually hits bankruptcy, he’ll be gone.
Priorities for Mick Wallace… Only the crazy folk from Wexico could have elected him
I’m from Wexford however I did not vote for Mick Wallace, but I’ll tell you there’s nothing wrong with Wexford voters. The election of Wallace represented the protest vote in the county not much more, the arguments went at the time how much worse could he do than that other lot!
Which is a fair point. For all his faults, he’s probably doing better than some of the gougers sitting on the back benches, saying nothing, voting with the party and lining their pockets.
This is absolutely shocking though. Mick, what were you thinking? He needs to get himself a couple of decent advisors to put words in his mouth, waste of a seat by this rate.
What a joke
Mick Wallace. An Elected Gobshite.
40 million in debt & he can still afford a holiday , what a prick
Great comment, that sums up this guy.serious debt yet he wants to co-ordinate his hols with the football. If im 300quid in the red,i get stressed out.this lad needs a slap,even if I do partially agree with him,his social,and financial standings, our survey days?……PRICK LOL
…our survey says…not days- damn you touchscreen!
i dislike Wallace as much as i hate my cheap ass touch screen phone! a lot. its easier to get rid of my mobile fone though.
So can the nation ask their bosses for the same wks holidays too!! What a joke… Get back to work and discuss more important matters like how they are going to fill this hole they got us into!
What a signal that would send to the international community!
Seriously… has he not heard of sky+…
The fu**er is just as bad as the rest of em !
Wake up Mick !
Astonished why people still think that so-called “Independents” have anything but their own interest in mind when this sort of thing happens. Remember that the great white hope, Shane Ross, took himself off to the sun for a holiday when this Dáil first met. And don’t get me started on Lowry and Healy-Rae.
What an utter failure this guy continues to be.
The people in power would need to get their priorities right. It would be better if he was calling for a much shorter recess. Two weeks at most, ranting on about some football match as if that is going to get the country back on a level keel. If Waffler Wallace has nothing constructive to say, say nothing…
Its a good thing hes not in power………
what a spoon! nothing to offer the public at all
Wear a shirt and cut your hair you useless clown
i have to say. i totally agree with you now. he is no longer a radical! i used to think he was right to stick it to the man, turns out he is now the man. looking out for himself. he may as well look the same as the other puppets
I think he’s even more a muppet than many others!
Regardless of when the dail sits I wouldn’t imagine a lot of TDs will be missing the games.
Shur may get the Leaving & Junior Cert exams postponed also, oh wait ; ]
If there wasn’t a budget next month id say something. But, Mick cmon, thats embarrassing, moreso because of the timing. A few weeks before a budget? How many minutes per dail session is he even allowed speak, and he uses it up on this?
Being honest is great, and the only reason he’s admired is because of his up front honesty. Chances are, most TDs would like it moved for the same reason. But for God’s sake get the priorities straight.
Honesty doesn’t mean you’re free to waste the short time you have on nonsense.
We are the laughing stock of the world
oh shutup
Look like a fool, act like a fool – guess what – he is a fool!
Can someone please save the taxpayer the money this idiot is being paid and make the application to have this man made a bankrupt.
D’unbelievables! Mick Wallace TD wants to rearrange the Dail Summer holidays of several weeks (!) not to make sure they can respond to EU crises, climate change protocol meetings, but… to watch football. Arrogant $%^&
Reading this from the other side of the world, who the hell voted for this drongo, anyway?
Just seen that the government wants to cap annual leave at 30 days/year for public sector; they could set a great example and fall in line with their own policy.
There is a radical idea, leading by example, might even have a snowball effect and other governments might do it too!!!
Ive a better idea Muck! Sorry I ment Mick really! Why not move the Dail to Poland and Ukraine for the summer where you could go to all the games you want and it won’t cost you a cent, the taxpayer can pay for it, and while we’re at it think of the expenses you could claim awell!!!!
a gombeen that owes millions but is still going to Poland and Ukraine for euro 2012, what a prick! he has no idea of the hurt he is causing people by how insensitive he is. people have nothing because of cowboys like him and he doesn’t give a damn.
The amount of money pinky is on and six week holidays for the summer and all his worried bout is moving holidays to suit himself,looks like Mick the wexican has been laying industrial glue lately!
If they had the interest of the nation at heart, then they would suggest a end to the summer break. A summer break is intended to be just that, a break during the summer, but the people in power seem to interpret this as a break for the duration of the summer… If this break was regulated by SUMMER WEATHER they would have less time of.
What a prat! I know the Dail is full of nepotistic parasites, leeches, gombeens and gansters but surely even a gobshite like Wallace could see how such a ridiculous request like this was going to go down with the country. People all over the country are reeling from cuts, tax hikes, pay freezes and massive job losses and vast numbers of people struggling to just keep their heads above water! His priority? Time off to watch football! Astounding, you couldn’t make it up. TD’s already get too much time off and are massively overpaid for the little amount they do actually do.
If they’d agree to half the summer holiday to three weeks I’d be inclined to let them take it whenever they like.
6 weeks holiday for the summer, just one of their recesses… When the majority of people only get 4 weeks holidays in a year, total?
I know they work in their constituencies for some of the recesses, but come on….
What a jokeshop. Typical Muldoon. Hold your lip Mick for some important issues or worry more about the few bob you owe.
It’s his greatest contribution to Irish politics since he pointed out that “in the real world” people don’t have to conform to a dress code in the workplace. Which is news to me, but then I’m not a self-employed multi-millionaire (as was).
The man is an idiot.
Can’t argue that Mick Wallace seriously needs to get his priorities straight.
If YOU had his seat in the Dail, what issues would you bring up?
Bit disappointed his suited enemies will love this – least he’s honest i suppose!
I think you’re confusing honesty with cretinous stupidity.
No wonder ya went tits up ya tool…were ya watching telly when your loans ran outta control? Take your time off Wallace…just don’t hold you hand out looking to be paid for your time off….what a prick!
What a waste of a TD seat
Yes but sadly it’s not the only wasted seat
I think Mick needs to do a bit more thinking and a lot less talking
Country on its knees, austerity crippling people, euro on the brink of collapse, unemployment at a ridiculous level and this f**king moron is worried about watching a competition in which we probably won’t make it out of the 1st round…why can’t they do an intelligence assessment of TD’s before they are allowed into the dail??? Ok
Well granted here wouldn’t be a whole lot of people let in bar the cleaners and a few tourists but at least we wouldn’t have to listen to these idiots on a daily basis!!!!
Good God. Who voted for this guy? I thought he’d have bigger issues to concern him at the moment. Like all the rest of us do.
I don’t find a problem with it…..
He’s not asking for extra time off, he’s asking rearrange the current 6 weeks recess (I have a problem with the 6 week length, but that is a different ball game altogether – excuse the pun)
But keep an eye on the Dail Chamber when the matches are on. We won’t see that many politicians in there. They’ll all be in the Dail Bar, while claiming they’re ‘turning up money’. Then they’ll go and take their 6 weeks holidays!
exactly. lets see the dail that 2 weeks. it’ll be emptier than usual.
Nail on the head there Rob. The outrage here is actually hilarious.
It doesn’t make any difference when they take their (ridiculously long) holidays, and in fact it makes sense for them to take a break while there is a welcome distraction from our depressing economic situation.
Sure the Dáil is nearly empty most days anyway!
Agree on the six weeks being too long but the working hours for the gov are the working hours. What type of example is this to the rest of the country in these times? Being flexible in hours during the championship is one thing but moving their holidays so the whole gov can be off is just a joke. What type of precidence is that to set? So then we qualify for the next World Cup, and then Euro again and so on and so forth will this become the norm where the gov can move their work day to suit their leisure? Enjoying the games and a release from these hards times is surely needed but leadership and good example is needed more than ever especially after the weak and completely self serving governments that have served us to date and as so many frontline people working will have no option but to work I think this request is beyond disgraceful from our supposed leaders and peoples representatives!
A Fool.
Imagine the dail only sits 100 days out of 365 and still they are not happy with the holidays they get trying to change around the days off so as to be able to go on holidays and support our footballers. Most of the people in this country will have to be content to sit and watch the matches in their own homes ( thats if they have electricity to run the tv in the first place.) This country is really going down the tubes. Have these people in Government not got any idea of what the normal people of this country are going through.?
what an idiot ! As if there was nothing else for him to discuss .He is a joke, a fool, it just goes to show how serious he takes his position in the dail. He is like a chikld trying to get out of doing home work …..
Well done Wexford!
Not a very smart move but asking for summer reccess to be earlier is not exactly a crime, to be fair to Mick he has been a perfectlly good independent and has raised some important issues. Better than another FF’er thats for sure.
Indeed he has;
-Mary Mitchell O’ Connors clothing,
-Criticising the pension levy, while not paying the pensions of his own workers in full,
-Trying to align the parliament’s holiday with football games.
The only thing I can give him credit for, is the fact that, upon being advised by a colleague to “cut your hair, get a decent suit, and join Fianna Fail”, he declined to pursue all three.
I used to admire this guy.
A Stetson and cowboy boots to match the tee shirts what a cowboy
Wish I had I could afford to take any holidays
Man, go and grow vegetables. You’re clearly in the wrong place
Their Summer Breaks are a total Joke so is their Christmas break but maybe they can MOVE Christmas to he Summer eh what do you think Mick Wallace a TOTAL WASTE OF THE LTTLE TIME YEA DO SPEND IN THE DAIL CHAMBER
whats sadder than this ridiculous request…is that the people of this country actually voted him into this position…cringe…and worse still we are working our asses off to pay his wage :-(
I tell ya what Mick!!
Why don’t you and all yer mates in the Dail have the year off altogether, with full pay and expenses.
I’m sure we’ll do better without ye.
I’ll be rearranging my holidays next summer now that we’ve quailified for the Euros, as will most of my friends.Mick has no influence on the length of Dail holidays and I’m sure no TD will be sitting in the Dail chamber during Irelands games.It makes sense to move the holidays forward and have our TDs back working earlier with no distractions/excuses for being absent. Good idea from Mick,
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2008/sep/08/whoshouldplaythenewworzel
Found perfect job for Mick
Productivity would be down,so less time for loud mouthed yokels to shout inane rubbish at each other across the chamber.
Absolute crap timing.
We may as well have voted for Bertie and Biffo. This shower of absolute morons are a disgrace to Ireland. They complain about the occupy dame st group sitting around doing nothing …. how long has this ‘government’ been sitting around doing nothing …. since the 9th March that’s how long. Shameful.
i might ask my boss here in Canada(where I had to move to to find work and support my family) if he can move the plant shutdown so I can look at the football…… get up the yard ya bo…cks
Here in the US we look at Mick and say “well done, Wexford” – you got what you deserve!
What a bufoon! We don’t use the word “eeeejit” a lot here (tho we should!)
Jeeeez he is as bad as FF/greens…they did not even shorten their hols. even tho the country was going down the tubes…It did not take you very long Mick to find your way into the bubble like the rest of the wasters…If anything your hols. should be cut & ye should b focused on the country & all its problems!!!!!…Ahhhh but I forgot…U have no worries…U can pay your bills with your hefty salary & expenses…absolutely no better than the rest of them!!!…BUT why did we expect BETTER?????..
Absolute GOBSHITE…..
I cannot believe this guy. I can forgive the hair and the clothes but to be worried about watching a soccer match when we are in these most difficult of times is just incomprehensible. That single request alone shows he is just another self serving clown and DOES NOT deserve to hold office and serve the people of Ireland. A disgrace to his constituents, to all of us that as the Euro goes down the tubes and we face into our budget which will impact all of us seriously that he is worrying about his ability to watch a soccer match. A Fool.
What an arse! Is he for real?
He owes the banks millions and yet he can afford to go swanning around Europe watching football. Mick pay your debts before you take extravagant holidays!
Compromise…let them take the 2 weeks during the football but skip the remaining 4 weeks!
they are all a joke in that house
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