Senator David Norris
“I hear people on the wireless [radio] saying ‘Oh what about the poor people on the social welfare and they’ll be deprived of their few drinks’ – I don’t spend my tax dollars to buy drinks for people on social welfare…I don’t think tax is for people to be drinking all the time – and I see them all around my area buying slabs of drinks.”
Senator David Norris
People on social welfare should not be allowed buy alcohol, says Senator (Jack Quann, Newstalk)
Wednesday: €1 Per Unit Of Alcohol
Sponsored Link
Stupid headline Newstalk.
He never says anything resembling “People on social welfare should not be allowed buy alcohol”
Go on David, sue [REDACTED]
+1
Everyone knows what he’s saying – newspapers just running wild with it, as they do.
See Jeremy Corbin for another example. The newspapers love him.
I’m betting a lot of people will very much not get what he is saying though.
so what exactly is he saying then C?
Many’s a person of my acquaintance just enjoys the 10% of income they may give to gain some company for a few hours, especially those in isolated rural Ireland & would find comments like that an affront to their sensibilities !!!
Yes he said exactly that in the radio interview if you actually listen to it.
He was asked by Ivan if people on social welfare should be allowed to buy alcohol and he said. “Not with tax money, No.” Meaning they should not be allowed to spend social welfare money on alcohol.
eh, thats exactly what he said .. its all verbatim, its not the papers jazzing it up. its you wanting it to be that for some weird reason.
You had me at “NEWSTALK”….. (blushes and flaps eyelids)
:-J
He likes to wrestle in the nude
Who doesn’t?
Communists, that’s who. And people who don’t have an attractive co-combatant.
Muahahahaaaaaaa…… n1
:-J
No poor child. That’s called sex, you just caught your parents.
I’d like to wrestle with you…
…after a bit of trans-substantiation of course.
:-J
Agreed. I don’t pay my tax for someone to go have drinks. You’re on the dole, between jobs. If it’s a lifestyle choice, tough nuts to you. If you’re stuck in a rut, I wish you well in getting out of it… but welfare and dole money is not drinking money.
Explain why it’s not. I was lucky to only be on the dole for 6 weeks in my working life. And after paying all i owed I had exactly, I remember because the first week of only having dole money was the worst week of my life, €9:32 left. I looked forward to Saturday using my €9 for 6 tuborg and a bag of chips, hardly a glorious life style of spending(NOT TAX PAYERS) MY MONEY on drink.
That’s hardly ‘binge-drinking’ though is it?
What Norris is venting about is the capacity of those on Social Welfare to get through slabs of alcohol. I’ve seen it too. A couple of cans is not enough for some of these lads. If you’re a dolehead and fond of the gargle, one thing you have plenty of is time and regular cash. And what do you do the day before dole day when you’ve nothing to eat? Stand outside the shopping centre for the ‘cud ya spayer enny chaaaaange furra corpatay?’. Oh yes, us taxpayers love giving twice.
So your pointing out the few dregs of society. It’s the typical thick paddy response if punish the majority to teach the the minority a lesson. The closing time on off licences didn’t work, now we have this ridiculous idea.
I’m pointing out a substantial majority of idle dole recipients.
Now I don’t happen to agree that the unit pricing OR the off-license closing is the solution but Norris is right to point the finger at the ones who can’t prioritise feeding themselves or their families.
Your clearly an idiot if you think the majority of people are binge drinking lay abouts.
The real issue here is that unemployment benefits and assistance are considered essentially the same thing in Ireland.
Paying into PRSI is paying into insurance so when the unforseen happens (ie losing your job) you can claim payments like ANY insurance and in most countries this would be based on your previous salary for a set time. This is your money and you can spend on what you want
However, dole for people who’ve never paid in is essentially charity and should be exclusivly food stamps, and considered emergency payments.
Theres a lot to be said for a privitsed mandatory welfare insurance system in my book
I agree on the people never working a day in their life. But an example of this ludicrous idea for alcohol, my sister works for a crèche. 37 hours for €215 the government contribute €70, I can’t even understand what ridiculous scheme the government have her on, anyway when she’s pays out what she owes she buys a bottle of vodka with her mate and they go out to a club late as possible with little money. So someone working earning next to nothing is being punished by raising prices for no reason.
+1 This is the most intelligent thing I’ve read all day
No. I would never never never recommend privatising welfare. It wont work and that’s it.
Maybe…. if they put in all sorts of non-profit rules and what not…. but then it might as well be under the government, so what’s the point….
So, no, never. No way ever should welfare be put in private hands.
Where does it say that in law?
If you lose your job tomorrow, you’re going to feel guilty buying a bottle of wine with the other half because you can no longer afford to go out?
It’s dole, not food stamps – it’s their money once it’s given to them. It’s crappy enough not having another job, let’s not start going through their outgoings. This is just poor hating.
+1
The Norris is counting to 5 with the holy hand grenade here.
Right out.
If you lose your job tomorrow… you’ve the PRSI you paid into. Do what you want with your money.
When you lose that and are on basic dole, you are on ’emergency money’. That’s my point.
Apologies for my unintended wide brush.
Contributory or not, once that dole money is in someone’s hands it is their money. That’s the principle, you or I don’t have any say on how they spend it. I object to tax money being spend on chaplains in struggling schools, retrofitting toilets in Mountjoy – we don’t get a vote on that though. I don’t want to live in a country with food stamps where the long-term unemployed are denied basic aspects of being an actual grown-up.
Scroungers exist, but the answer isn’t to treat all long-term unemployed like scroungers.
True, true… I’m four rungs lower down the ladder… happy now :)
Let them waste it on what they want. I would not accept someone telling me what to spend my cash on regardless of it was dole or wages. Plus 50% of the cost of drink goes back in tax anyway. I’m really surprised people even pretend to care about this. Literally it’s their money butt out!! In my mind all the money I pay in tax is good money after bad to fools who don’t deserve to manage it / spend it.
spot on from ahjayzis. a voice of logic in a sea of classic right wing broadsheet commenters
@Clampers… I’m surprised you have any oxygen to breathe your moral standards are so elevated!
urgh. Clampers is like a 1950s dad. stubborn, backward old git.
Clampers finally shows his true colours. Hard to keep up the liberal populist mediocrity. Feel good?
I’d love to politely ask him how he could be out from TCD for decades on disability yet still up to raking in mucho tax dollars from his very well publicly remunerated senatorial soapbox .
Yeah, its shocking, imagine taking out income protection insurance and then claiming on the policy !
Disgraceful, sure insurance is the devils work, just like gambling !
So a system that he paid into for years, eventually pays out, and he can spend it how he wants? Fine.
Shame the dole/national insurance isn’t exactly the same setup.
the point is he was not fit to lecture seemingly but okay to remain a well paid national legislator .even TCD had to call a halt eventually …
I’m not disagreeing with you, I’m arguing that if he’s spending the insurance company’s money on drink, instead of the basics of keeping himself alive, how is that any different to people enjoying a few cans on the money they’re entitled to from social insurance?
@ahjayziz… +1
Income protection insurance is voided if you subsequently take paid work.
You should, he responds to letters and emails.
If you get cancer would you like to be politely asked to stay in doors and not say anything to anyone anymore.
Proof that you can be on the right side of history, but still a gobsheen. He has some interesting opinions about women as well. Although, it’s not surprising someone from a privileged background like himself could have their head so far up their hoop.
“He has some interesting opinions about women as well.”
Go on….
I probably should’ve tried to remember them before writing that. He was at that ‘poetry festival’ in town, whatever it’s called, last year. He was one of 6 or 7 guest speakers at this event with Rick O’Shea Aenhus O’Newsreader. He had some pretty archaic views on women. Alas, I can’t remember what they are but I do remember being disappointed and surprised he’d say them in front of artsy types into their poems.
My ability to use basic grammar goes out with the window when I’m here for some reason.
Saint Paul disapproves of this message: “how dare the messenger have an opinion contrary to mine?”
I love it.
You are happy to publicly criticise his ‘attitudes to women’ without remembering what they are!
Aye. Not my proudest moment. Although, it’s hard to remember specifics when it comes to general ‘blah blah men are better than women at most stuff blah blah’
You know, you remind me of a poem I can’t remember, and a song that may never have existed, and a place I’m not sure I’ve ever been to.
Also, crocodiles ate my face.
Never let lack of facts get in the way of a good scramble for your usual I’m-so-right-on internet points.
In the year of the scavenger, the season of the bitch
Sashay on the boardwalk, scurry to the ditch
Just another future song, lonely little kitsch
(There’s gonna be sorrow) try and wake up tomorrow
I always thought it was ‘from lonely little Keats’…!
If Sen. Norris is so physically flexible that he can reach his own fundament with his head, it’s little wonder he’s never short of dates.
That needed proving?
@ Medium C: Nah, guess not. I just can’t resist an opportunity to crack wise, no matter how lame the result.
He’s right.
Where I live, people on social welfare are driving into Lidl with forklifts, there’s no beer left for the hard working taxpayer by the time we get to the shops.
I assume they borrowed the forklift off the job they are doing a nixer for?
I’m on a JobBridge is still okay for me to buy drink or is that some weird grey area?
Ha! Nothing above 4% proof.
I think its OK to celebrate being part of the real economy (if only for a short time), so long as its done in moderation.
You can use a maximum of 10% of the extra €50, or whatever is left from it after transport and lunch costs.
Only €5, but it’s Christmas… :(
#1PintChristmas
I have to agree with Sen. Norris.
I’ve been on the dole more than once, and had trouble putting together enough for rent and food week-to-week. If I did manage to grab a drink it was only ever one or two, and although people do deserve the right to live and see their friends, you have to figure out alternatives to booze. I don’t really know how even my close mates managed to drink and dole so often.
I remember well standing in a sombre dole queue (they are always sombre) when a soused auld lad walked through the door shouting and singing, pushed his way to the front of the queue and demanded service (signing a form or something). It was stomach churning – he wouldn’t listen to anyone and just to get him out of the place they served him – this was outside of Dublin so there was no security on staff to deal with him. It was a sad reflection on the system that he was not refused, at least until he sobered up.
Having said all that, I think the waste that goes through the dole is a drop in the ocean compared to the waste in the Dáil Bar that my tax dollars pay for.
What the penalty there for a “drink and dole”?
It was in the RSA (Regional Subsistence Allowance) handbook: “Never EVER drink and dole.”
If you drink, then dole, you’re a bloody idiot
There is a massive difference between going to the pub to have a pint or going to someone’s house with a few cans. Presently I’m doing a doctorate and while I’m not destitute, I do have to consider my options more. We tend to have house parties where the cost for the full night is the same as the price of 2 pints in the local.
Fair point, and I do agree. I’m also on board with your comment below, which I hinted at too – you do need a social outlet but it’s just how it is done that bothers me.
I wouldn’t begrudge anyone a pint. I hated being on the dole for the struggle to see my friends or family, to travel, to go for a pint and not worry about food for next Wednesday. But on the flip-side I have seen people go from the post office to the pub on rotation, and that isn’t right.
That doesn’t mean they’re loving being on the dole. It often means they’re so depressed, they see no hope and thus booze is the only light.
Also very true. And very sad.
And the slip towards a more capitalist centric, American styled society continues. Next stop food stamps.
While I totally agree that people should not be spending all of their dole money on alcohol, can those on the dole not be allowed to have some social outlet, or should they stay in their little boxes and not join our society until they can contribute to it? For some, getting out, forgetting that they are on the dole and their worries for a night can be all that staves off full blown depression.
All those at the bottom of society, not just those on the dole, will be the ones most effected by these dickensian rules on alcohol pricing.
Does this come from experience?
Cos my experience differs greatly.
If anything, most things were made considerably worse by going out drinking.
Sounds like your self control isn’t the best. Maybe just have two or three and get the last bus?
Protip:
Don’t say things like that, it only makes you look bad.
Sorry, with the bit on depression.
I agree with your broader characterisation of the minimum pricing.
Well, I have been in situations where I’ve been locked away and not able to go out and I definitely felt it effecting my mood. Of course, you get the horrors and the fear when you over do things, but that’s not what I’m talking about. When you know that all your friends are able to go out on a Friday and have a great time but you can’t for whatever reason for weeks on end it can make you feel cut off. As bad as it is, and I don’t agree it should be, but the drink is at the center of Irish social interaction.
Agreed but sadly some on the dole forget they are on the dole totally and make it a lifestyle – someone said they are only a handful but I see it on a weekly basis and it seems to be more than a few … Those people go around with bill smartphones, have giant LED at home with SkySport sub and spend the day in Bookies / Pub (men) or selling dodgy gear on FB (women). Those are leech and to a certain extend I feel those are the one Sen.Norris referred to.
He is referring to them. These are the professional doleheads who have managed to secure every entitlement going yet have no intentions of working for a living or upskilling. As I said earlier, they are time-rich and they are guaranteed a weekly wad of cash with compliments from Mr and Ms Taxpayer.
They should really just make a list of what poor people are allowed to do to make things easier for them.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2015/04/06/kansas-wants-to-ban-welfare-recipients-from-seeing-movies-going-swimming-on-governments-dime/
http://mic.com/articles/114628/state-reps-want-to-lower-quality-of-life-for-welfare-recipients#.BnlORGCOI
i wouldn’t usually quote from the journal comments section, but these two are worthy of a mention
Everyone knows America doesn’t count as reality because they are completely mad over there. But scary.
People on social welfare shouldn’t have to buy alcohol……..it should be piped into their homes for free!
Homophobes the lot of you!
Dolophobes.
Because who is left to discriminate against but the welfare society?
F….. u…..p….p off troll.
tis a bit much of the senator to think he can dictate where his taxes go. i don’t particularly want my taxes to pay bank debts or ministerial pensions and a host of other things. but that’s my tough poo and i have to suck it up and so should he. the thing that annoys me about his comments though, is that he makes his living advocating for equality. but essentially he’s suggesting that EVERYONE on social welfare is a drunken weehead and too quick to abdicate responsibility for themselves based on what he sees at the bottom end of parnell street. these comments of his are short-sighted, hateful and hypocritical and someone like him should know better.
He essentially is not suggesting that.
He also is not suggesting that.
You are inferring that from what he is actually saying, but he is not saying that.
“and I see them all around my area buying slabs of drinks.”
Pretty reasonable inference.
You would have to first accept that everyone who is on the dole hangs around North Great George’s Street.
It’s pretty clear with that sentence that Norris sees the poor, in general, as alcoholic degenerates.
oh he said it., and he meant it. i’m sure he’ll probably retract it, but he said it.
He did not at any point say or imply what you inferred. You put the bit you inferred in capitals to emphasise it.
‘I don’t spend my tax dollars to buy drinks for people on social welfare’
he didn’t say ‘some’ or qualify or contextualise his statement in any way. his implication refers to all social welfare recipients. how else am i/we supposed to infer meaning from his statement?
In fairness, many of the poor are crack-smoking, Rottweiler-impregnating degenerates as well. As a people, the poor have range :)
He’s always been like this. He’s what i like to call a faux intellectual. They know loads about one, maybe even a few select subjects. But really their just articulate and not to intelligent on everyday life.
“But really *their* just articulate and not *to* intelligent on everyday life.”
C’mon.
C’mon yo self.
C’mon*
If you’re going to insult people’s intelligence, it’s wise to make you’re spelling basic words correctly.
Your not new on here. But again just for your pedantic bottom. I AM IN NO WAY CHECKING MY GRAMMER ON A GLORIFIED MESSAGE BOARD. Your response sums up the level of mental facilities.
Sorry for resorting to YOUR type but, I’d check my grammer If I was I you.
And auto correct/insert screws me again.
“Proof that you can be on the right side of history, but still a gobsheen”
I knew it wouldn’t take you long to reinforce this proof – I must say it amused me when I first read that from you earlier.
“Your response sums up the level of mental facilities.”
A completely meaningless sentence which I’m guessing you thought sounded smart. And then you want to call Norris a faux intellectual. How embarrassing for you.
My god your not pretending, you really are one of THOSE people. How do you people manage with every day life. And honestly I don’t need to sound smart again GLORIFIED MESSAGE BOARD. If this is where you think people come to “sound” smart I take everything back because it’s really not your fault.
You seem awfully wound up considering this is just a GLORIFIED MESSAGE BOARD
Yes finally someone who actually gets me. Never answer the argument with logic. Idea is not to be right, it’s to prove the other person is wrong.
I used to like and admire David Norris.
I shook his hand once.
I’ll never do it again.
The man is so out of touch that I’m shocked.
Stephen Fry, in other words: an idiot’s idea of an intellectual
Watch a lot of Stewart Lee do ye?
Not at all. Fry’s reputation irks me a tad. There’s nothing wrong with the chap – in fact, he strikes me as a real sweetie.
So what’s your iq then. compared to Stephen Fry.
As high as me sack is low.
The guy’s a Senator – I hear him talk intelligently on a whole range of topics that affect society. He present ideas and solutions and is very much a creative thinker. I don’t agree with everything he says but he’s brave enough to stand up and address the problem of doleheads drinking their welfare money while dolehead’s kids starve so fair fluks to him I say.
@The Immortal Hoop: I agree. Whenever I see the phrase faux intellectual being used, I gotta go Fry.
Hey now leave Fry out of this. At least he earns his money.
That’s brave is it?
@ Spaghetti Hole;
…while dolehead’s kids starve…
In fairness he didn’t actually say that, but we both know what he meant.
It’s the ‘his tax dollars‘ bit that’s harder to chew.
Such a noticebox
I’d say the Senator will be on Marian tomorrow morning to justify himself (or row back, whatever)
But in the general point, I think it’s correct that the state uses some of the money I give them to provide a home, food etc for people who have no income. But I don’t want to give money for people to spend on slabs of alcohol. If they want to do that they should get the money somewhere else.
Its like if I give money to a homeless charity, its so they can provide beds and food (but not alcohol) to those not fortunate enough to have a home.
But as the comments on here illustrate, its easy to make the general point but hard to implement in practice. Is it just alcohol that would be limited. Or should people on the dole be prevented from spending it going to the theatre. Is it just things that are bad for their health? But I drink to excess myself on occasion – probably gonna do it at my sports club party tonight.
It’s about priorities isn’t it.
If Vincent DePaul are appealing for your donations to help an impoverished family get through Christmas because their oul fella has spent all his dole in the pub then we are never going to get anywhere. That I believe is what Norris meant.
Giving Social Welfare recipients less money is the solution?
Then everything will be right, like it used to be?
-really?
Would you ever get a grip?
How does he know that the people he sees buying ‘slabs of drink’ are welfare recipients? Did he ask them on the way out of the offy?
His remarks aren’t too surprising, they’re quite in form.
He was on the radio a couple of weeks ago loudly expressing his support for elitism, when the charge was brought up that the Seanad was elitist. He even said that he didn’t care to hear the opinion of some newsagent when he could hear the opinion of Fergal Quinn instead.
He’s an articulate and sincere man who was on the right side of history with his support for gay rights and preservation of Georgian Dublin but he is very much a product of privilege and attempts to cononise him as a secular saint inevitably backfire.
Those types of plans always backfire.
Scallywags.
I would definitely be of the opinion that once you’ve paid your stamps and that guarantees you Social Welfare Benefit.
This should be cash as you’ve paid the stamps and you should have the right to choose how your interim time and money are spent. You’ve worked to earn the social stamps to cover this.
Once the length of time or stamps has elapsed to make it assistance, and you’re on the lower rate, this should be converted from cash to government guaranteed payment methods for landlord, bill vendors and supermarkets (not allowing alcohol purchase), if you’re long term unemployed and want free money, it should be used to supplement life and make sure you’re not on the streets. Assistance should be something that is agreed with welfare by presenting the major bills in your life in a given month and having them pay the bills and rent they agree with.
But if you have a mortgage, it’s a very different story.
I agree, that’s why it’s gotta be case by case and if your mortgage is massive, then you have a very different discussion but whatever money is agreed between welfare and mortgage holder should be paid directly to bank.
The problem for the long term unemployed isn’t just a lack of funds, it’s a lack of confidence, in themselves and the world around them. Everyone has basic emotional needs and the need to feel valuable and valued is top of the list. It’s about feeling independent, like a fupping grown up, basically. If you’re long term unemployed, that feeling of independence diminishes because you have to rely on other people. That feeling is pretty horrible. I’ve been there. With what you’re proposing would make people in that position feel a lot worse about themselves. They can’t even have the freedom to decide what to buy. What you’re doing there is pushing people deeper and deeper into a hole thus making it much harder for them to get out of it. Getting out of poverty requires a lot of motivation and if you feel like a worthless invalid, you’re chances of doing that are pretty slim.
The solution isn’t cash though, the solution surely is retraining in sectors where jobs exist. IT is vibrant and almost redundancy proof almost. What has to be the focus of money going into welfare has to be the services and ability to get people to work. Week after week handing over cash isn’t going to be a solution to anything, so those that really want a new job, retraining and welfare assistance in placements with companies looking for trained candidates should be prioritises. Jobbridge shouldn’t be a 50 quid a week thing for 9 month, it should be a 3 month placement for retrained candidates and the company should have to make a commitment to hire 25% of taken interns. Meaning at least 1 hire per year from every company involved on a fulltime 12 month contract with probation expired because of the 3 months already sat so the job is secure.
Working with the unemployed rather than leaving them to sort it all themselves.
“The solution isn’t cash though, the solution surely is retraining in sectors where jobs exist.”
The solution is both. Having cash in your pocket gives you at least a small feeling of independence. It doesn’t make sense to take that away from people while also telling them to be more independent.
“Week after week handing over cash isn’t going to be a solution to anything”
It’s a solution to having no money, not to sound glib. The long term unemployed *want* to work.
“those that really want a new job, retraining and welfare assistance in placements with companies looking for trained candidates should be prioritises.”
We already have FAS and Jobbridge. There are lots and lots of retraining schemes out there. You retrain people AND give them some money in their pocket so they don’t feel like a child.
Whether someone feels like a child or not is really irrelevant to government policy.
Solve the problem, get people back to work quickly and they won’t feel like children. If the problem persists beyond the 1-2 year period of benefit, then via assistance you are just minimalising the impact of spend, money can be spent on staying in a house, buying food, living at least somewhat comfortable. Having cash in your pocket is not a sign of happiness and using it as an excuse to keep a broken system is foolish.
Solve the problem, remove cash from long term benefit claimers and reduce unemployment. Only way forward and reduces scamming and beer drinking welfare problem that Norris doesn’t like. I know plenty of people like the kind Norris is describing and the fact they can live at home with parents for years off welfare with no real incentive to work is annoying to me. Sure some people want to work and can’t get work too, but when it’s long term, the state can’t continue to just be a charity full time. There has to be an installed urge to change shifts, accept a not in your normal parameters type job to get back working
“Whether someone feels like a child or not is really irrelevant to government policy.”
Of course it is. Government policy is about affecting society. If your policy makes people at the bottom feel helpless, it’s a stupid, ineffective policy.
“Solve the problem, get people back to work quickly and they won’t feel like children.”
If only I had thought of that when I was on the scratcher for 8 months. I could have just gotten a job quicker.
but again you’re missing the point, you were on it for 8 months. You would still be paid cash under what I’m proposing.
It’s the long term ones where cash management makes sense and reduces the things Norris is talking about. Those on the scratcher 3-4 years who lie in every day, have cans and seem to enjoy it. The ones who won’t take a job in McDonalds because the different between dole and that job is negligible. At some point you have to draw a line.
And doing this doesn’t have to make someone feel like a child, if they don’t want to take a job in a different or don’t want to retrain for jobs in different areas then they aren’t trying. The what you do is irrelevant when it comes down to earning some proper income. If you’re down and struggling and hoping to get back into where you were previously job role wise, stamps cover you, if it goes on longer than that, you need to re-evaluate.
8 months is a long time on the scratcher, I don’t envy you having to have endure it, I spent 4 weeks after a redundancy not working (months pay in liu due to contract) and luckily picked up a job and didn’t miss a paycheck, but during those 4 weeks I felt bored, out of touch, unproductive and depressed. I understand that there is a want to get a job, but when it goes on longer than 2 years then you’re talking about having to properly and entirely re-evaluating your approach.
FAS I’m sure do a great job, but I’m talking about FAS and JobBridge being linked intrinsically and the rules changing so companies can’t abuse the intern process. That requirements and job security become part of the package so that if you engage in the intern role to try obtain a job you have at least a 1 in 4 chance or being retained for a minimum 12 month contract. That participation in this scheme and completing 12 months at a company replenishes your stamps for another 12 months that if you aren’t kept on after those 12 months you still return to cash autonomy for another year while you seek employment again. And hopefully you don’t spent more than 12 months on it again but at least if you’re willing and trying and open to change and the government resources are trying to place you with more guarantees or a real life contract, there is a genuinely chance are returning fulltime to work.
You seem to think I’m saying take all the money off all the people and make them beg for their supper. I’m only suggesting that there be a measure of control over long term people and at that, the only control is that the FREE money they get is used on requirements for living and not things that are not needed. Perhaps a percentage could be cash and the remainder MUST go on rent,food,bills. There’s ways of looking at it that reduces government liability while maintaining a standard of living without being homeless.
@ Aiden;
You don’t understand these matters, and you can’t spell FÁS either.
(Don’t worry about it, they changed their name ages ago under controversy to SOLAS. They’re ‘different’ now.)
Not everyone on the dole is as flexible as you presume. Some of them have families.
eg; What about the father who needs his wife to give up her part-time job so he can take up a training course.?
Jobbridge is nothing more than an insult to decent people who desperately want to earn a decent wage, a gift to unscrupulous employers, and a tactic to reduce the unemployment numbers.
I could go on.
I don’t think I should.
You still wouldn’t get it.
Australia are trialing a “cashless welfare card” soon.
Users will be allowed to take out about 20% at an ATM but after that, all other spending will be on the card.
Where a shop has a minimum spend, or you lose the card etc, you’ll be stuffed.
Australia also imprisons people on islands in the middle of nowhere for no good reason. Hardly the vanguard of social policy.
Yes but what lovely islands.
I’d happily steal a sheep if it meant a move to Tassie.
(Oh and they ALL have lovely islands in Oceania of course. Ahem)
Think further away and with added angry/ rapey guards
Australia is a Guinea Pig economy where things are tested out. Ireland is one too. The smoking ban was the first national smoking ban and used by the WHO and UN for advocating and implementing bans around the world.
it wasn’t an Irish government idea as much as they like to pretend it was.
Too many comments…can’t read them all.
If somebody said this already I apologise..
Why not increase the price of take-away booze, decriminalise marijuana, and turn ‘smoking areas’ into ‘smoking dens’?
Fianne Fáil are on my side. They own the pubs.
It could happen.
Would you support the introduction of a ‘Drink Drink Dawn’ between 4am and 5am where you can drive drunk at 15kph while displaying an orange flashing light on your roof?
I’d have to learn how to drive first.
Is that a problem?
so are gays bad again now?
I once knew a girl who wouldn’t eat Bacon Fries in a pub cause she was a vegetarian.
Oh the fun we had with that one.
Bacon fries, the bar snack of kings!
I once had a. Girl
Or
Should I say
She one had me
A Beatles fan, just when you really need one.
Thanks for making me feel young FreshFish.
(Did you see my joke about fish the other day? It was probably censored so I won’t repeat it here.)
This reeks of Joan and her fancy phones.
As Senator Norris’ salary is paid out of the public purse – as well as those receiving a social welfare payment, -and he’s a public representative, I think the public have more of a right to see what he spends his money on, than any social welfare recipient.
He may feel he’s entitled to his night time brandy or three after working hard all day waffling in the senate.. no doubt all that screeching and getting excited is tough work.
Here he is at his most excitable when there was talk of the seanad being shout down.
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51fGHV6ViAk
Populist joker needs to get a real job.
Oh Anne, I love you more and more every day.
-But surely you meant to say, ‘the public have more of a right to see what he spends his money on, than what he pontificates about any social welfare recipient or whatever the Hell they want to do.
He’s a ponce, from a different planet.
He was never hungry.
Ammirite?
You know what I mean.
It’s late.
My understanding of it is that the poor man has run out of steam.
He doesn’t know what to do next.
He wishes he was Panti Bliss, so he’s grasping at nettles.
Isn’t he ill memes?
Anyway there’s a star man waiting in the sky for all of us
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=muMcWMKPEWQ
Now that is fresh fish we can all fry in our minds..
:-J
Best alternative xmass track…
:-J
I heard this live and here’s my shake….
1. NEWSTALK is a fupping sh1te representation of Ireland.. or anything unbiased and intentionally oppressive in the media. Sure we all love Moncrief etc, but overall [REDACTED[ calls the shots and this station is retarded. So retarded it’s offensive to people who are mentally disabled.
2. I love the man.. but Norris is living in a meta-fictional screenplay of a James Joyce diary adapted by a ex-pat librarian. It should be titled “A portrait of a statesman as Dorian Gray”.
3. If you add 1 + 2 and you get 4 then you have only yourself to blame.
:-J
I meant to say unintentionally…..
Damn you ROBOT secretary, back to the factory again…
:-J