The cost of politicians......

timespast

I've read many posts lately on the unemployed (some of you prefer the term sponger)

Though figures for our politicians are released often let's go back 5 years to better days when most of the country didn't seem bothered about how politicians were getting a slice of the action.

Here's a link to a site..... now I know Co Cork is the biggest County but I know where some of these guys live and believe me I couldn't run up travel and mileage costs to that level.....ok with an 8 litre car I might get close.

Remember, these guys are part time (very part time) and a lot of their constituency work would be carried out by a T.D.

I'd be interested to see other examples.
http://www.mulley.net/2006/09/27/cork-county-councillors-expenses-and-salaries-for-2005/

liammur

timespast wrote: »

I've read many posts lately on the unemployed (some of you prefer the term sponger)

Though figures for our politicians are released often let's go back 5 years to better days when most of the country didn't seem bothered about how politicians were getting a slice of the action.

Here's a link to a site..... now I know Co Cork is the biggest County but I know where some of these guys live and believe me I couldn't run up travel and mileage costs to that level.....ok with an 8 litre car I might get close.

Remember, these guys are part time (very part time) and a lot of their constituency work would be carried out by a T.D.

I'd be interested to see other examples.
http://www.mulley.net/2006/09/27/cork-county-councillors-expenses-and-salaries-for-2005/

Embarrassing.
State mercs, multiple pensions for our ministers, huge expenses, etc
When will the population cop on?

timespast

liammur wrote: »

Embarrassing.
State mercs, multiple pensions for our ministers, huge expenses, etc
When will the population cop on?

I wonder whether the population ever will.

Look at the politicians who have quite blatantly used the system ...they leave the party and are re-elected as an independent on a bigger majority.

Sure we have to look after own!

ART6

liammur wrote: »

Embarrassing.
State mercs, multiple pensions for our ministers, huge expenses, etc
When will the population cop on?

I believe that times are a changin'. Years ago no-one would dream of questioning the integrity of a politician or a priest, but then the news media started to change -- partly, I suspect, as a result of UK newspapers opening Irish editions. Their journalists were not at all of the forelock tugging mentality. They were prepared to ferret out answers to questions that certain people would prefer not asked. Now, increasingly, politicians are being caught out in behaviour that they had come to believe was their right (Callely?, Bertie Ahern?). Now at last the people are being told in print what they had always believed but couldn't prove, and the younger generation are much more bolshie as a result.

As we have seen recently corruption and the fleecing of the public purse is no longer being tolerated. I suspect there is a lot more dirty water to flow out yet.

Coillte_Bhoy

timespast wrote: »

I wonder whether the population ever will.

Look at the politicians who have quite blatantly used the system ...they leave the party and are re-elected as an independent on a bigger majority.

Sure we have to look after own!

How is that using the system?? They are elected

timespast

Coillte_Bhoy wrote: »

How is that using the system?? They are elected

I was replying to point "when will the population cop on?"

Using the system as in taking back handers and looking after their buddies.

The population (or rather a large % of them) will vote for "their" man no matter what.

liammur

timespast wrote: »

I was replying to point "when will the population cop on?"

Using the system as in taking back handers and looking after their buddies.

The population (or rather a large % of them) will vote for "their" man no matter what.

Very true, the likes of lowry, b flynn will always be voted in, with little or nothing to offer.

View

timespast wrote: »

Remember, these guys are part time (very part time) and a lot of their constituency work would be carried out by a T.D.

TDs should not be caring out the work of local councillors. Local councillors are supposed to be there to deal with local issues. TDs are supposed to be national legislators not jumped-up county councillors.

timespast

View wrote: »

TDs should not be caring out the work of local councillors. Local councillors are supposed to be there to deal with local issues. TDs are supposed to be national legislators not jumped-up county councillors.

Of course ..... the point is if anyone wants something done they will go to a T.D. not their County councillor.

If a constituent approached their T.D. you can be assured the T.D. would not recommend that he approach his local County councillor.

Sandvich

We have 4 times as many TDs in this country per head as the UK. That's a bit much.

Though at the same time, part of the reason we have this is so that eventually you find SOMEONE useful. People have very undiscerning standards.

View

timespast wrote: »

Of course ..... the point is if anyone wants something done they will go to a T.D. not their County councillor.

If a constituent approached their T.D. you can be assured the T.D. would not recommend that he approach his local County councillor.

The important point is really what should the councillors and TDs be doing - what is the "division" between their labour. An old fashioned demarcation issue in other words.

The expenses issue is - while not trivial - essentially a side issue to that issue.

Arguably, we should be focusing on why the TDs - elected to be parliamentary legislators - are wasting their time (and tax-payers' money) on issues that could and should be left to local councillors.

timespast

View wrote: »

The important point is really what should the councillors and TDs be doing - what is the "division" between their labour. An old fashioned demarcation issue in other words.

The expenses issue is - while not trivial - essentially a side issue to that issue.

Arguably, we should be focusing on why the TDs - elected to be parliamentary legislators - are wasting their time (and tax-payers' money) on issues that could and should be left to local councillors.

Oh I know why they do it........it's to get elected.

Same reason why they turn up at strangers funerals at times.

I mention politicians and expenses etc because these are the cretins who we are banking on getting us out of this mess.......I won't hold my breath.

View

timespast wrote: »

Oh I know why they do it........it's to get elected.

Same reason why they turn up at strangers funerals at times.

I guess I phrased they why part of my previous sentence badly. Yes, it is a given that politicians will do whatever is needed to get elected - no one can fault them for lack of work in that regard. The question for us - the electorate, that is - is:

Should the TDs - elected to be parliamentary legislators - be wasting their time (and tax-payers' money) on issues that could and should be left to local councillors?

If majority opinion on that is "No", then the need to define the political equivalent of demarcation boundaries arises. If majority opinion on that is "Yes", then the question arises as to whether we want or need to have local councillors and/or government at all.

I can personally accept either answer, but really believe we need to be asking questions about how the political system is structured. Ultimately, it is the political structures, rather than the politicians (as individuals) that tend to define the results achieved.