No Ifs And Buts

at

Screen Shot 2015-11-26 at 11.09.08

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton

Tánaiste Joan Burton believes that a living wage “means that a person in full-time work, without additional welfare support, can afford housing, food, utilities, clothing, transport, healthcare, childcare and recreation”. She has promised to make this happen “if Labour is returned to government” (News, November 18th).

This is the sort of urgent action which should be happening right now. The Labour Party should be taking advantage of the fact that they are in Government and that they are in a position to implement this change before the next election.

Furthermore, with the whole country so far away from a true economic recovery, wouldn’t you think our Government would be working overtime to deliver as much progress as possible before the election? Positive results will get them re-elected, yes?

Instead, all of our Ministers have become a bunch of politicians making similar announcement to the one above. “If Fine Gael are re-elected this will happen”;“If Labour are voted back into power that will happen”. If, if, if. None of them deserve to be re-employed by Ireland Inc.

Lulu Cleary,
Rathmines,
Dublin 6.

Pre-election promises (Irish Times letters page)

Sam Boal/Rollingnews.ie

Sponsored Link

23 thoughts on “No Ifs And Buts

  1. Nej

    What is this madness? Are you suggesting that the politicians and political parties are actually responsible to the people to carry out their promises?!?!?!

    Crazy talk.

    1. Spaghetti Hoop

      +1
      If I were Lulu I would send that letter directly to the government parties and demand a response.

  2. Fergus the magic postman

    Er, going by labour’s recent track record with promises, no thanks Joany baby. We know your real idea of a living wage, is a wage whereby the receiver isn’t dead yet. Have a nice life in obscurity with your pension.

  3. Mayor Quimby

    Everything has it happens indeed!

    “Ireland Inc.” ? That’s the kind of letter I would expect from from a D6 resident called Lulu.

    “None” is singular by the way.

  4. Colin

    Large issue is we don’t run a country like a business. I don’t see why we don’t. Encourage at least a break even and cost containment pledge on public services. Literally the first thing I’d do if I took office.

    1. ahjayzis

      How does a country run as a business implement lay-offs to reduce costs? Just euthanise the poor or something?

      Does that make every citizen on welfare an ‘overhead’ to be tackled?

      Do we outsource things like policing, hospitals and prisons to help the bottom line at quarterly returns?

      1. scottser

        now yer talking. so a taxpayer is effectively a shareholder, and a welfare recipient is a sort of asset. so anyone working gets their own dole-y to do their shopping, laundry, walk the dog etc?
        cooooool..

    2. classter

      You can’t run a country like a business because a country is infinitely more complicated than a business.
      Many more stakeholders with many more different drivers.

      The great fallacy is that CEOs will automatically make good politicians. Yet it almost never happens.

  5. Kolmo

    Work full-time.
    Health Care – nope. (After Tax Insurance racket @ E2000+ p.a., & GP @ E60 per 10 minute visit, Hospital ER@ +48hours + E150 admission)
    Childcare @ 800-1000 per child per month – nope.
    Housing – nope.
    Social Welfare – being self- employed, so that’s a nope.
    Recreation – Museums are free, so are parks, and by free I mean happily paid for by my income taxes….for now.
    Clothing – Yes. Sales, Arnotts, grand.
    Transport – Bike, grand.
    Well done.

    1. rory

      It’s hard to believe they are going to be voted back in when you read things like that. And yet FG probably will be. Why do you think that is?

      1. classter

        *Perceived* paucity of alternatives.

        FF – utterly discredited; corrupt, ignorant & it turns out, completely incompetent.
        SF – ties to organised crime all over & past violence up North.
        Labour – core vote disenfranchised (rightly or not) with performance in govt.
        Renua – small, untested, possibly just a personality cult around Creighton.
        SocDems – small, untested, possibly a bit ‘funny’ for over-represented rural & suburban-rural voter
        AAA – definitely considered too ‘funny’ & impractical by large swathes of the electorate.
        Independents – maybe can be kingmakers but can’t make a govt.

        So you’re left with FG. Actually haven’t shown much competence (bungling of IW, bungling of banking inquiry, no real reform of civil service or public services). But they finally legislated for X-case, had same sex marriage referendum, and presided over an economic recovery more impressive than that of the other PIIGS countries.

  6. DubLoony

    Its a step up from the previous need to maintain a social welfare system. ‘member last time with the troika, economic collapse and what not?
    Our welfare system was seriously at risk of being decimated.

    Now that there is a recovery (yes I know, uneven etc but its a recovery) we need to ensure that jobs pay real wages, not subsidized by welfare top ups.
    What is the problem with making work a real option to welfare?

  7. Anomanomanom

    So she actually saying a liveable wage should pay for all those things and people shouldn’t have to struggle. Because the livable wage she’s talking about would be about €20 an hour. She gets more moronic by the week.

  8. Liam Deliverance

    The Tanaiste, she be crazy – maybe if that shower skipped their 5 weeks Christmas Holidays?

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie