Madam, – While our country is reeling from cuts, negative equity and the prospect of losing our beloved children to emigration, we now have the shocking spectacle of senior ministers jumping ship in the storm! They have nothing to lose by abandoning their responsibilities, as they have little chance of re-election and have their ridiculously fat and often multiple pensions to shield them from the economic disaster they have done so much to cause.
This move typifies the scheming, self-serving mindset of Fianna Fáil that lost us our valuable gas fields and has now brought the whole economy to its knees. Where is the fairness to struggling taxpayers in these failed ministers receiving two massive pensions and a huge lump sum as well? It’s time for a profound sea change in Ireland. If accountability and justice can be restored, people might be more willing to tolerate the sacrifices necessary for recovery. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Based on pay, my job must be significantly less important than that of a Cabinet Minister. However, should I wish to resign, I would have to give at least four weeks’ notice, including a handover period to my successor, so that the company I work with wouldn’t suffer from my departure.
While I have my own low opinions of the efficacy and impact of the ministers in question, surely they should not be allowed leave at this time if it adversely affects government administration? Especially given that a general election will occur before their successors have had a chance to even read in to their new positions, should the taoiseach not have simply refused to accept their resignations? Ah, but that would mean that he cared about the running of the country and wasn’t just playing some political game. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – In view of the straitened circumstances in which the plain people of Ireland find themselves, I would like to direct one of Bessie Burgess’s quotes from Seán O’Casey’s The Plough and The Stars at our present Government – “Yis are all Shanghai-ed now”. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – If I voluntarily resign from my employment unless it is part of a scheme or arrangement, I am not entitled to any redundancy or severance payment. Why should Ministers be treated differently? Members of a cabinet which reduces payments to carers and the disabled should be ashamed to be associated with this extravagance. – Yours,etc,
Madam, – Amid all the recriminations surrounding ministerial resignations, thoughts have turned to the legacies of the various politicians. One of the positive legacies mentioned in respect of Mary Harney was the introduction of legislation in 1989 banning bituminous coal. This measure has been scientifically shown to have, and continues to, save lives.Micheál Martin’s legislation on environmental tobacco smoke is a measure which has been copied globally and will reap big health dividends.
When the legacy of another recent retiree from Cabinet, Noel Dempsey, is discussed the legislation he introduced on drink driving will figure prominently as it has already saved many lives and will continue to do so.
What these three pieces of legislation to improve the health of the population have in common is that they are examples of politicians doing what we elect them to do: propose legislation for the common good, face down vested interests and steer the legislation through the Oireachtas. Interestingly, two of the three Acts come from departments other than health. These principles can be followed by any minister, in any portfolio, to address the major challenges we face.
Let us elect people to the 31st Dáil who will take their responsibilities to the common good seriously and let us hope that out of that 166 we end up with 15 in Cabinet who always put the common good ahead of vested interests. That would be a fitting legacy and represent genuine political reform. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Cynical Opportunism When End is Nigh. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Mary Harney’s decision to depart the Irish political scene comes, tragically, years too late.
Ms Harney had, in spades, the arrogance so typical of her contemporaries. A blind, misguided commitment to inequality as a cornerstone of society was seemingly hotwired into her DNA as it was with all her former and thankfully now defunct, PD colleagues.
Her departure is both overdue and long expected and the tragic aspect applies for all those who suffered, or worse, as a result of her dogged zeal to consolidate a dysfunctional two-tier healthcare system.
Goodbye and good riddance. She won’t be missed by anyone who had to endure the consequences of her decisions. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Like many another, I have been puzzling over the huge media focus on the Fianna Fáil leadership issue in recent days. It is as if the passengers on the Titanic had sought to elect a new captain to replace Captain Smith as the ship slipped beneath the waves. The explanation offered by Minister for Culture Mary Hanafin as to how she opposed Brian Cowen continuing to lead Fianna Fáil, but fully supported him as Taoiseach, also puzzled me until I consulted my astronomical almanac and realised that her explanation coincided with the January full moon! To return to the Titanic analogy, as the ship of state sinks, the well-heeled elite are quietly rowing away in their lifeboats from the sinking ship with their generous pensions to look forward to. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – A large number of our politicians appears to have misunderstood the saying attributed to John F Kennedy’s father, Joe, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”. They need to realise it means that strong people work harder to resolve a problem, and not get going (meaning “depart”) with inflated pay-offs and pensions. Not, of course, that I would encourage any of them to stay! – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Let me see if I have this right. An election cannot be held immediately because there is a lot of important legislation to be enacted and an economic crisis to be managed but the Dáil sits for three days each week.
Since TDs returned from their “Christmas” break on January 12th, a week has been spent dealing with the fallout from Golfgate and the confidence vote.
We now face the distraction of a Cabinet and ministerial reshuffle which will result in major disruption to the work of all the ministries concerned. These new appointments will presumably lead to significant additional cost to the country – including the termination payments to the departing ministers.
Mary Hanafin voted against the confidence motion in respect of Brian Cowen as party leader but the next day indicated that she did have confidence in him as leader of the country. Micheál Martin believes his failed leadership bid will energise the party.
The only comfort I can find when listening to Fianna Fáil representatives is in the words of your former correspondent Flann O’Brien: “Your talk is surely the handiwork of wisdom because not one word of it do I understand.” – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Am I alone in thinking the reason the Taoiseach considered a Cabinet reshuffle at this late stage in the life of the Government was simply because the promise of a portfolio – however brief the tenure – was his main strategy in keeping edgy backbenchers and ministers of state on side and enticing them to vote for him in the recent confidence motion? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Following the Taoiseach’s decision to re-assign the portfolios of those Ministers who just resigned, does this mean that their successors will be entitled to double ministerial pension rights? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – A lot gone, more to go. – Yours, etc,