The headline over former taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald’s thought-provoking, weekly colum in today’s Irish Times (Saturday April 25th) screamed “Reducing pay may attract a better class of politicians”.
Six weeks ago however, our very own locally produced Drogheda Leader published the following “LETTER to the Editor” (reproduced below).
So who called it first? – it most certainly wasn’t the Irish Times and Garret - more like the Drogheda Leader and…well read on to find out exactly who really did “call it” first.
Dear Editor,
The notion that cutting TD’s expenses by 10% will somehow satisfy local and national public opinion that the country’s political elite are going to shoulder a fair share of the burden of public sector pay cuts is simply a farce.
There is a cast iron case for reducing the expenses and allowances of members of the Dail by around 50% and completely abolishing the Senate.
The mileage and travel allowance for TDs should certainly be replaced by a system of reimbursing Dail members for their travel on the basis of the appropriate standard rail fare for their particular journey, irrespective whether they use public transport or their own private cars.
TDs salaries should also be cut to the the level of the average industrial wage, i.e.around 40,000 pa, ministerial salaries to 60,000 and the Taoiseach’s salary to 80,000.
If these levels of remuneration were on offer to members of Dail Eireann and the government you would see a far better class (and calibre) of individual in public life -principled and honest, there for the betterment of society, local communities and their constituents - rather than the free-loading opportunists and careerists who see politics and public life as a gravy train.
TDs, who on average draw down a MINIMUM of 200,000 pa (between salaries, expenses and allowances) each, have absolutely nothing in common with the vast bulk of the ordinary public – the average family, public or private sector worker, student or pensioner - whom they claim to represent.
Given their salary levels, pensions and other perks it would certainly seem that our TDs have far more in common with middle-ranking and senior bankers, as well as the property developers of the country, than the rest of us.
