Bertie has given up his ministerial pension

OutlawPete

So what do you make of this?

I think he's a clever ****er, he knows he's retiring soon enough and it's a small price to pay to and try regain some respect.

Former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern is to give up his €83,000 ministerial pension.

His decision follows growing controversy over pensions paid to serving politicians.

Mr Ahern contacted the Department of Finance this afternoon to ask them to 'gift' his pension back to the State.

Mr Ahern's pension is currently the largest payment to a former office holder still in Leinster House.

This evening, former Ceann Comhairle and Health Minister Rory O'Hanlon announced he will also surrender his pension.

Fianna Fáil TD Frank Fahey announced this afternoon that he is to 'voluntarily forgo' his ministerial pension until he retires from Dáil Eireann.
This leaves eight Fianna Fáil TDs, Senators and MEPs still taking pensions.
Earlier, Fine Gael and Labour promised that all their serving politicians would surrender their ministerial pensions.

Labour's Ruairi Quinn, Brian O'Shea and Emmet Stagg, as well as Fine Gael's Bernard Allen, said they would give up their ministerial pensions.

Their move follows the decision last night by European Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn to forgo her Dáil and ministerial pensions.

Ms Geoghegan-Quinn is seeking to have the necessary arrangements put in place to allow her to 'gift' the pensions to the State for the duration of her service as an EU Commissioner.

There have been a number of calls in recent days on Ms Geoghegan-Quinn to surrender the Oireachtas and Ministerial pensions, which are worth over €100,000. Her salary as a Commissioner is just under €250,000.


Changes to legislation

Fine Gael today published legislation to remove ministerial pensions from all sitting Oireachtas members.

Party leader Enda Kenny said that if the Government votes down the Bill next week, all Fine Gael's ministerial pension holders will surrender them or contribute them to charity.

The legislation, an amendment to the existing legislation, would remove the pensions from sitting Oireachtas members with immediate effect.
Earlier, the Labour Party said it would draw up legislation to ban the payment of ministerial pensions to serving politicians.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore said their legal advice was that there was no constitutional impediment to such legislation.

Labour TD Michael D Higgins, who had been donating his ministerial pension to charity, wrote to the Department of Finance last week asking for it to be stopped.

The Taoiseach, meanwhile, has insisted that Opposition proposals to end the payment of ministerial pensions to serving politicians would be unconstitutional.

Last year, his pension, before tax, was worth €5,485.49.
Labour TD Emmet Stagg was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Energy and Communications in 1995 and received a pension last year of €7,716.

Waterford Labour TD Brian O'Shea, a former junior minister, received €7,716.47 last year.

Fianna Fáil's Frank Fahey received a pension last year of €37,205.

Source

A self serving ploy as far as I'm concerned.

What was it Haughey said?

PeterIanStaker

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

the c**t got us into this mess. Its about as useful as pissing onto a forest fire.

4zn76tysfajdxp

OutlawPete wrote: »

What was it Haughey said?

"I like chips."

Fear Uladh

OutlawPete wrote: »

So what do you make of this?

Labour's Emmet Stagg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jn_1-RAoYI

phasers

I think we should focus on the bastards who still haven't given them up

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

No I don't, he's a sly old fox, he didn't do it for the right reasons

Pete, no matter what he does he will get abuse over it. You know?

At least he is doing something and hopefully this will open the floodgates, and more politicians will follow. This should have happened a long time ago, back at the start of the recession. All ministers should have had a pay review and then a pay cut regardless of who they are and what they do.

Like phasers said, lets not give these people crap for doing the right thing, and put pressure on the other assholes who have more care for their own agendas than that of their country.

biko

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Well, he'll just be less rich but I guess it's something.
Maybe if ALL of the FF gives their pensions up I'll have some respect. That is the ones with a combined pension of 80K/year and no other income after 65.

Absurdum

mmm coconut milk

TheZohanS

I'm not voting in anymore of your polls, they're always public.

Kristopherus

Crikey, we should give him a halo :D:D. Hopefully he would choke himself with it :rolleyes:

Noffles

Only done because it was in the public limelight... does anyone actually think the fat ruddy, nose ****er would of done it otherwise... stop kidding yourselves!

partyatmygaff

Whether he genuinely means it or it's just a PR exercise atleast he's set the precedent for other politicians.

Fair enough.

Overheal

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

They make it sound like a noble act.

**** them. They did it because they were caught. Its about as noble as giving your sister back the money you stole out of her purse.

cson

To the poster alluding to pissing on a forest fire.

I'll expand that by saying I wouldn't piss on Bertie if he was on fire.

OutlawPete

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Xander Most Mushroom wrote: »

"I like chips."

Expensive shirts I believe.

bonerm

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

OutlawPete wrote: »

What was it Haughey said?

Hopefully "I'm in terrible pain"

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

No I don't, he's a sly old fox, he didn't do it for the right reasons

bonerm wrote: »

Hopefully "I'm in terrible pain"

Ignore his good work to suit your own agenda? :rolleyes:

dr.bollocko

Leandro Prehistoric Incense wrote: »

Ignore his good work to suit your own agenda? :rolleyes:

He was a grand chap to lick a brown envelope alright. I'll give him that.

OutlawPete

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

OutlawPete wrote: »

What was it Haughey said?

He described Bertie as: "The most devious of them all"

Am I right Pete? You sexy devil you.

Ulysses Gaze

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Ahern did it because he wants to run for the Presidency and he needs, badly, to repair his image in the eyes of the voter.

The guy is about as sincere as the used car salesman that he should have been.

SeaFields

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Whether he genuinely means it or it's just a PR exercise atleast he's set the precedent for other politicians.

Being dragged into doing it by the press, kicking and screaming, doesnt set a precedent - just highlights another exmaple of how this man is a fcuking pr!ck.

phasers

What exactly did Haughey do? Wikipedia isn't showing anything really worthy of the hate he gets.

All I know is my Mam thinks he's a legend cos he doubled children's allowance or something

Ulysses Gaze

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

phasers wrote: »

What exactly did Haughey do? Wikipedia isn't showing anything really worthy of the hate he gets.

All I know is my Mam thinks he's a legend cos he doubled children's allowance or something

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/moriarty-tribunal-haughey-stole-45m-65364.html

I particularly like the part where the corrupt Haughey stole money set aside for his 'best friends' (Brian lenihan snr) medical problems.

Liam Byrne

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Whether he genuinely means it or it's just a PR exercise atleast he's set the precedent for other politicians.

Fair enough.

He what ????

He was one of the last 10 to agree.

Now if he gave up his car and driver and stopped skiving off to make money on our time I'd start to regain some respect for the weasel.

phasers

:eek: That medical fund stuff is just awful. I don't think even Bertie would pull that!

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

No I don't, he's a sly old fox, he didn't do it for the right reasons

dr.bollocko wrote: »

He was a grand chap to lick a brown envelope alright. I'll give him that.

He still paved the way for what we have now.

bonerm

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Leandro Prehistoric Incense wrote: »

Ignore his good work to suit your own agenda? :rolleyes:

Well we all learnt from the best (or worst) :rolleyes:

Ulysses Gaze

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Liam Byrne wrote: »

He what ????

He was one of the last 10 to agree.

Now if he gave up his car and driver and stopped skiving off to make money on our time I'd start to regain some respect for the weasel.

The clown earns $40,000 a speaking engagement. $40,0000!!!!.

http://www.washingtonspeakers.com/speakers/speaker.cfm?speakerid=6261#

Ulysses Gaze

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Leandro Prehistoric Incense wrote: »

Ignore his good work to suit your own agenda? :rolleyes:

As tea-boy for the Peace Process?

drBill

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Ahern did it because he want to run for the Presidency and he needs, badly, to repair his image in the eyes of the voter.

The guy is about as sincere as the used car salesman that he should have been.

Exactly. He's just laying the groundwork for the Presidency. Remember this is the same guy who applied and succeeded in getting artists tax free status for his autobiography. Gives me a very uneasy feeling, I'd prefer if he just took the money and f*** off for good.

Ulysses Gaze

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

drBill wrote: »

Exactly. He's just laying the groundwork for the Presidency. Remember this is the same guy who applied and succeeded in getting artists tax free status for his autobiography. Gives me a very uneasy feeling, I'd prefer if he just took the money and f*** off for good.

The writing was on the wall a few days back when he denied he'd go for Lord Mayor.

The problem is that Irish voters have memories like goldfish, so there is every chance that the perjurer will get the Aras. :mad:

Pete M.

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

phasers wrote: »

:eek: That medical fund stuff is just awful. I don't think even Bertie would pull that!

Well Bertie, the loveable rogue, just oversaw the complete befcukering of the whole health system, as well as leaving the place in an awful mess, still though isn't he a grand fellah:rolleyes:

And he is still taking the piss, he got his aides to 'gift' it back to the state, Mario must be wetting his pants.

He, like the rest of them in Dail Eireann, deserve an awful lot less than most pensioners when you think of what they have done over the last few years.

El Siglo

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

If he becomes President, I'm starting an insurgency.
Fuckin' Hamas, Taliban, FARC, LEGO style insurgency!

Dyr

phasers wrote: »

I think we should focus on the bastards who still haven't given them up

I think we should focus on making sure that the bastards don't live long enough to draw them.

trapsagenius

No I don't, he's a sly old fox, he didn't do it for the right reasons

El Siglo wrote: »

If he becomes President, I'm starting an insurgency.
Fuckin' Hamas, Taliban, FARC, LEGO style insurgency!

You won't.You'll most likely just complain about it on the internet.

Pete M.

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

El Siglo wrote: »

If he becomes President, I'm starting an insurgency.
Fuckin' Hamas, Taliban, FARC, LEGO style insurgency!

There'll be an insurgency long before that happens

Liam Byrne

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

bonerm wrote: »

Hopefully "I'm in terrible pain"

I think he only said that every time he was called to appear at the tribunal ?

starbelgrade

OutlawPete wrote: »

He described Bertie as: "The most devious of them all"

The pot called the kettle black & the banks ran away with the spoons*.


* = The good spoons that is, the bad spoons were donated to a charity group called NAMA which was set up to help the poor people of Ireland.

Liam Byrne

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Leandro Prehistoric Incense wrote: »

He still paved the way for what we have now.

I'm confused....I thought you were defending him earlier ?

amacachi

phasers wrote: »

All I know is my Mam thinks he's a legend cos he doubled children's allowance or something

As long as people base their voting on policies like that I don't see politics in this country improving.

SeaFields

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

amacachi wrote: »

As long as people base their voting on policies like that I don't see politics in this country improving.

Considering how much FF are after bankrupting us this time, buying a general election ain't going to be an issue for a long, long time.

CoalBucket

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

I particularly like the part where the corrupt Haughey stole money set aside for his 'best friends' (Brian lenihan snr) medical problems.

Ya you got to admire haughey alright a good and decent man in the Fianna Fail tradition.

amacachi

SeaFields wrote: »

Considering how much FF are after bankrupting us this time, buying a general election ain't going to be an issue for a long, long time.

It's how they won the last few though.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

No I don't, he's a sly old fox, he didn't do it for the right reasons

Liam Byrne wrote: »

I'm confused....I thought you were defending him earlier ?

Think would we have been better off without him?

CoalBucket

drBill wrote: »

Exactly. He's just laying the groundwork for the Presidency. Remember this is the same guy who applied and succeeded in getting artists tax free status for his autobiography. Gives me a very uneasy feeling, I'd prefer if he just took the money and f*** off for good.

Of course he did, his auto biography was the biggest work of fiction released that year

SeaFields

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

amacachi wrote: »

It's how they won the last few though.

It was unfortunately. Ireland doesn't have the money for their pre-election generous budgets any more though.

Ulysses Gaze

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

Think would we have been better off without him?

Ahern didn't create the conditions for the Celtic Tiger, he walked into a great situation and turned it from a nice, export driven economy to a property bubble ponzi scheme.

Nor did he have as big a role to play in the Peace Process as he is credited with.

ScumLord

It's not enough, I want the shirt off his back and even his shoes.

Funkfield

I'm not sure, he's confused me now

TheZohan wrote: »

I'm not voting in anymore of your polls, they're always public.

Whats wrong with public voting?

Capt'n Midnight

I have respect for those who gave it up when the issue was first raised.

But that was back in the days of Richie Ryan if not earlier, check out how long back he was getting a pension while working.

starbelgrade

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

The writing was on the wall a few days back when he denied he'd go for Lord Mayor.

The problem is that Irish voters have memories like goldfish, so there is every chance that the perjurer will get the Aras. :mad:

Instead of getting it up the Aras, like he deserves.