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Political pensions: will this government end the madness?
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19-11-2011 5:33pm#1Why Irish people aren't making an issue out of this is shocking. The fact that you can be a minister who leaves office at the age of 50 and be entitled to a pension of €100k per year for the rest of your life from the age of 51 on is ineffably wrong. In addition, the fact that crooks like Ray Burke, Beverly Flynn, Bertie "that house from a property developer was just a gift" Ahern and Michael Lowry continue to be paid hundreds of thousands of euro from this pot while the rest of us receive unprecedented cutbacks for their mistakes is disgusting. Talk about feathering their own nests. John Bruton, for instance, left office in 1997 at the age of 50. He has been paid a pension each year since, with his current pension being €142,000. Re-read that! On top of this, Bruton has been working full time since, including as a highly-paid EU Commissioner, in between lecturing us on morality. This is simply leeching off the rest of us due to laws they made to benefit themselves. On top of this all ministers receive ridiculous but mostly ignored lumpsums before their pensions even begin.
Why do the pensions of politicians and government ministers not begin when they begin for the rest of us, at 68 years of age?
The Dáil voted earlier this year to raise the pension age to 68 years of age for all people who were under 50 this year. It is currently 65 for everybody (except politicians). Politicians, in sharp contrast, will continue to get their pensions from the moment they leave office - even if they leave office while remaining on as a TD. Can anybody defend this system?
1) 2011: The Year the Political Pensions Pot Was Plundered
2) 30 former government ministers receive pensions of over €100k
3) Public fury over political pensions (11 November 2011)
4) Irish Politicians 5 star pensions - huge disparity has to stop (16 November 2011)
It seems from this that the current government is attempting to delay passing legislation whereby politicians only receive their pensions at the same age as the rest of the population: Government challenged over promise to stop TDs collecting pension early
"The Government promised in the programme: “No political pensions will be paid to sitting TDs and in future no retired politician will get a political pension until the national retirement age. Politics must be about service to the public, not financial gain for politicians.”
Taking the Order of Business for the Taoiseach, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said the Attorney General advised the Government on whether legislation was promised or required on any issue. “The Government will rely on the Attorney General’s advice on that matter,” he said."
If the current government were to change the law entitling them to pensions only at the same age as everybody else, collectively they would lose millions between the day they leave office and the national retirement age. Is there any rational reason why politicians should be paid a pension before the national age? Can you see the current government passing a law which, while obviously fair, would result in them personally losing so much money?Should politicians only receive a pension from the age of 65/68 like the rest of us? 2 votes
Yes, and they will change the law0%No; the current system is adequate50%
1 vote
Yes, but they won't change the law50%
1 vote
3
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