Ministrial/Government Drivers

Paddyo

Would it be a good idea to have army drivers driving the goverment cars rather than Gardaí

It would save quite a bit(dont have figures) and free up 150 Gardaí to do policing work.

Paddyo

flutered

what is wrong with a mondeo, avensis or primera etc with a built in gps. our smarmey minister for europe has to be driven to a private health club each day for a swim, this explains everything to me.

LookingFor

They should not have drivers.

If they want one, take a taxi.

Have a small pool of shared cars, escorted if needs be, for important engagements that can't be met via private transport.

The IMF guys have presented a stark contrast. The VP of the IMF - who I presume is extremely well qualified and deserving of his position - carries his own stuff and takes taxis. Meanwhile our know-nothing ministers are chauffeur driven around.

It'll continue as long as the electorate puts up with it though.

Scofflaw

I can't help but feel that in the current climate, the sudden replacement of Garda drivers by squaddies in Ministerial cars might create a certain amount of concern.

amused,
Scofflaw

Cheap Thrills!

Let them drive themselves or get public transport, at their own expense to work -like the rest of us.

It might have make them think twice about some of their actions if they knew they'd have to press flesh with the great unwashed every day.

All this 'security' malarkey is unnecessary Joe Public like me wouldn't know half them in a line up anyway.
The Guards have better things to be doing.

Yitzhak Rabin

They should just have a fleet of 20 or so reasonably priced vehicles that ministers request when they need them for official occasions. If there are more than one going to the same place, they should share them.

I recently had some politicians visit my place of work. They all 'had' to stay the night before in a 4* hotel, even though the meeting was at half past 9 and where I work is an hour from Dublin. They all arrived in separate cars, driven by gardaí. It was such a waste of money, God knows what bill they racked up in the hotel the night before.

dekbhoy

lets be fair here, you couldnt really expect them to get taxis etc, for security reasons........ army drivers all the way, sure they are doing nothing anyway, hard to believe vital gardai are wasted driving around these gimps and if not army drivers they should be driven around by civilians trained as security guards

PeterIanStaker

Army members would be better off training and keeping up their skills than driving those muppets around.

Let them get taxis I say.

After all, your average minister has a lot in common with a cab driver, whose cab you wished you hadnt got into.

They both spout the same old drivel about the economy (and how he'd solve it), foreigners, their private life etc, until the journey's over/election.

LookingFor

dekbhoy wrote: »

lets be fair here, you couldnt really expect them to get taxis etc, for security reasons.

If politicians fear the public, perhaps something is wrong...

I don't think there'd be a big security risk to them being driven in taxis, or driving their own cars. The most they'd get from any taxi driver would be an ear-ful, and even then, I'm sure that most taxi drivers would in fact promptly shut up if they were asked to. Besides, the Dail could arrange taxis with a known 'good' company.

(And if they do not wish to drive a car at their own expense, then of course, they should pay for these taxis themselves.)