FG accused of hypocrisy on pensions

caseyann

Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has accused Fine Gael of “rank hypocrisy” over its position on severance payments and pensions for TDs and ministers.


Fighting for their payments first off lol
Can see his stand point on that now more lol.

And then we have. Hypocrisy apparently lol


Reports today suggests Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny has deferred a €100,000 lump sum payment from his teachers’ pension due when he turns 60 in April until he retires from politics, when he will also be entitled to TDs and ministerial pensions.
“I just discovered this morning that Enda Kenny was due this April to get a €100,000 lump sum and €30,000 per annum despite the fact he has only been in the classroom for four years and in other words accumulating rights for 30 years as a TD,” he said. “I think that’s wrong.”

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0220/breaking28.html



They all want it cushy lmao
Oh people wake up to the only issue here and it is they are only out for themselves.

oppenheimer1

Dionysus wrote:

So, all that talk from Fine Gael about how shameful it was/is of Fianna Fáil ministers to have numerous pensions and accept large severance payments has just been blown out of the water by Pat Leahy in today's Sunday Business Post.

According to the SBP (story available online at 10am tomorrow), Enda Kenny was a teacher in the 1970s for four years. Four years! This coming April Kenny will be entitled to a payment of €100,000 for reaching his 60th birthday. Each year thereafter he will be entitled to an additional pension of €30,000 per annum. This is on top of his entitlement to a TD's pension and a ministerial pension. Oh, and he has already admitted to taking 250,000 in pensions and severance payments to date.

Rotten. To think Fine Gael was attacking Micheál Martin for being entitled to his teacher's pension - a right Martin publicly renounced - and all along Kenny never came out and renounced his right to his numerous pensions and this (massive) severance payment. Martin also stated that, if re-elected, he will not take his own (massive) ministerial pension of €90,000. Why did Kenny not come out at the same time and make such a commitment about this payment?

Tell me, somebody, just what is the real "reform" and "change" which Fine Gael is offering us when underneath it all its leading members are engaging in the same sycophancy for which they've condemned Fianna Fáil? Why are many people keeping their heads in the sand on just how similarly self-serving Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are. Is it because Fine Gael has promised to redirect money we don't have to bail out idiots who bought at the height of the boom? If you're voting for them, which of their election promises has bought your silence and tolerance of the same old corrupt politics that Fianna Fáil gave us?


Breaking News: According to Journal.ie, Kenny has just come out and said he will accept the €100,000 lump sum payment, but defer acceptance of it until after he leaves office. What? four years teaching and he'll still accept a €100,000 severance payment that a teacher with 34 years teaching is entitled to! How can anybody defend that? How can Fine Gael lecture anybody on ethics in government? Just a week ago they were hammering Micheál Martin on the same issue. And now this is revealed.


And for those of you who are still in denial about Fine Gael being Fianna Fail Nua, why is Fine Gael refusing to name the corporate donors who attended a Fine Gael fundraising dinner in Dublin last week? What are they trying to hide? So much for their promise of providing openness and transparency in government. The broken promises are starting even before the election: Varadkar refuses to name attendees.

Taken from After Hours and I couldn't agree more.

Ray Burkes Pension

Its a contributory pension. He's paid money into it himself over the years. Why shouldn't he get his own money back? The rest should go to charity or whatever.

oppenheimer1

Ray Burkes Pension wrote: »

Its a contributory pension. He's paid money into it himself over the years. Why shouldn't he get his own money back? The rest should go to charity or whatever.

Over the years?! He worked for 4 years as a teacher! Why should it go to charity? it should go straight back to the exchequer.

telekon

Wait a sec...

Is this the same Micheal Martin that, only last week, initially said he was keeping the €90,000 severence pay only to backtrack the next day...hypocrisy indeed. :rolleyes:

I agree with Ray Burkes Pension above, Enda should definitely donate it.

Tragedy

telekon wrote: »

Wait a sec...

Is this the same Micheal Martin that, only last week, initially said he was keeping the €90,000 severence pay only to backtrack the next day...hypocrisy indeed. :rolleyes:

I agree with Ray Burkes Pension above, Enda should definitely donate it.

Is this the same Michael Martin who years ago forego any teachers pension past the years he worked as a teacher?
Yes, yes it is.

How about you address the issue of Enda Kenny and his pension, and not do the usual thing of flailing around attacking everyone else to try confuse the issue.

telekon

Tragedy wrote: »

Is this the same Michael Martin who years ago forego any teachers pension past the years he worked as a teacher?
Yes, yes it is.

How about you address the issue of Enda Kenny and his pension, and not do the usual thing of flailing around attacking everyone else to try confuse the issue.

Speaking of which, did you hear Micheal Martin on 'This week' today on Radio 1?

I think you'd find it very interesting in relation to the statement you've just made...

thebman

Regardless they are still the only party with a proper reform package for our political system IMO.

I'll vote for them and if they fail to deliver the promised change, I'll punish them next time round.

Their party still has the strongest people in it to solve our biggest problem, the economic crisis.

Caused by FF need I remind the FFers posting here so why would I vote for MM saying he is sorry when we all know he isn't and was there to reform the system for the past 14 years but never though it needed reforming. Why is he so into reform now it seems like it might win some votes?

oppenheimer1

telekon wrote: »

So I'm not allowed use FF methods? Why not?

Because in this forum we try to keep on topic.

So is Kenny a hypocrite?

telekon

thebman wrote: »

Regardless they are still the only party with a proper reform package for our political system IMO.

I'll vote for them and if they fail to deliver the promised change, I'll punish them next time round.

Their party still has the strongest people in it to solve our biggest problem, the economic crisis.

Caused by FF need I remind the FFers posting here so why would I vote for MM saying he is sorry when we all know he isn't and was there to reform the system for the past 14 years but never though it needed reforming. Why is he so into reform now it seems like it might win some votes?

My thoughts exactly. You can't say fairer than that. If the results don't come, theyre out on their ear...

astrofool

The laws around teachers becoming TD's need to be revised full stop.

If I worked in Tesco, I wouldn't expect them to keep a position open for me while I pursued another career.

telekon

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Because in this forum we try to keep on topic.

So is Kenny a hypocrite?

Yes. He is.

I said he should donate it didnt I?

When did I defend this exactly?? I was only pointing out the hypocrisy of MM accusing someone else of hypocrisy. He who throws stones in glass houses and all that...

oppenheimer1

telekon wrote: »

Yes. He is.

I said he should donate it didnt I?

When did I defend this exactly?? I was only pointing out the hypocrisy of MM accusing someone else of hypocrisy. He who throws stones in glass houses and all that...

Whats wrong with giving it back and putting an end to all this non sense?

GSF

So Enda paid into a pension himself and now FF are criticising him for taking his own money back. these FF'ers have a bloody nerve. :rolleyes:

telekon

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

Whats wrong with giving it back and putting an end to all this non sense?

Sweet mother of God...NOTHING!

Want to point out where I said it was ok, do you??

hotmail.com

Kenny is giving up the pension - pressure will now come on Mary Hanafin.

oppenheimer1

telekon wrote: »

Sweet mother of God...NOTHING!

Want to point out where I said it was ok, do you??

You said give it to charity. Giving it back sets the precedent that no other person should get this ludicrous payment.

telekon

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

You said give it to charity. Giving it back sets the precedent that no other person should get this ludicrous payment.

Ah, you can stop the nit picking now. Donate, give it back, whatever...just as long as he doesn't keep it!

And to be honest, the money donated to someone like the St Vincent de Paul (like Gormley did) would be preferential as it is routed directly to those who need it most.

Happy now? :rolleyes:

Tragedy

GSF wrote: »

So Enda paid into a pension himself and now FF are criticising him for taking his own money back. these FF'ers have a bloody nerve. :rolleyes:

Congratulations on showing your utter ignorance of how public sector pensions work.
:rolleyes:
The Government contributed FAR more to the pension than Enda ever did.

hotmail.com

Anybody know Mary Coughlan's personal position on this? Has she resigned her post yet?

Mr.Micro

The hypocrisy of Martin/FF accusing others of hypocrisy :D:D:D:D

Must be desperate for a sound bite as FF sure have not any coherent policy.

Tragedy

hotmail.com wrote: »

Anybody know Mary Coughlan's personal position on this? Has she resigned her post yet?

Mary Coughlan was never a teacher. Kudos on trying to deflect attention from Enda though
Presuming you mean Mary Hanafin, I found this from the Irish Times:

“Minister Hanafin availed of the Special Oireachtas leave for teachers in 1997. Under the scheme the teaching post is held open for the duration of election to the Oireachtas. This is an arrangement which has been in place for many years. The Minister receives no remuneration, nor has accrued any additional pension entitlements in that period".

Hanafin has been considered likely to lose her seat in Dun Laoghaire for the last 2 years, and is still a doubtful. She'd have to be mad to give up her teaching position now, but it would be nice if she came out and stated "If I am re-elected, I will be resigning my teaching position".

Doubt it'll happen though.

hotmail.com

Tragedy wrote: »

Mary Coughlan was never a teacher. Kudos on trying to deflect attention from Enda though
Presuming you mean Mary Hanafin, I found this from the Irish Times:

Hanafin has been considered likely to lose her seat in Dun Laoghaire for the last 2 years, and is still a doubtful. She'd have to be mad to give up her teaching position now, but it would be nice if she came out and stated "If I am re-elected, I will be resigning my teaching position".

Doubt it'll happen though.

I stand corrected! I thought Coughlan was a teacher as well.

Nope Kenny needs to be condemned for holding onto the post for 30 years! Scandalous.

Sir Oxman

It's a scandal and certainly puts Kenny's posturing on privileges and payments under the very hot spotlight.
It's an utter disgrace that he (or anyone) can hold onto a public service position and not only benefit from that but benefit very handsomely from their actual employment in the sum of tens of thousands of euro in severance payments and pensions (250k in his case) and a huge salary.
AFAIK, he only gave up his right to return to teaching in 2004 after being a TD since 1975.
Martin is right to use it as an attack to boost his party but it loses some of it's potential coming out of his mouth.
Kenny's promise on ending the disgusting snouts-in-the-trough carry-on in Ireland is sounding very hollow to me. Leading from the front is a lie.
This bugs me so much...

EDIt:
I see he's not taking any of the 30k pension - don't know about the lump though.
If he rejects both and declares that he will end every aspect of double/triple pensions/severance payments and holding onto teaching positions, then he will have redeemed himself on this issue for me.

galway2007

Kenny is no different than the rest of them and all the **** will come out about FG as soon as they take office including who was Leo dining with last week when he had his fundraise but won’t say who was at it?????????????

Violafy

Anything that Fianna Fáil say is either a lie or hypocrisy. That said, the same is probably true for Fine Gael.

Eliot Rosewater

Silly and generally off-topic posts deleted. This isn't After Hours.

/mod

caseyann

astrofool wrote: »

The laws around teachers becoming TD's need to be revised full stop.

If I worked in Tesco, I wouldn't expect them to keep a position open for me while I pursued another career.

Completely agree with you,keeps others out of jobs.And they are for creating jobs.Right their own and those that keep them in good cash.

CDfm

hotmail.com wrote: »

Nope Kenny needs to be condemned for holding onto the post for 30 years! Scandalous.

Does anyone know how many TD teachers there are who have hung on to their posts ????

Tragedy

There are 25 TD's running for re-election who are currently receiving teaching pensions as far as I can determine, though I can't find how many still have teaching positions right now.

CDfm

Tragedy wrote: »

There are 25 TD's running for re-election who are currently receiving teaching pensions as far as I can determine, though I can't find how many still have teaching positions right now.

do you know the names ?

Has Ivana Bacik held on to her lecturing post ?

Tragedy

Michael Martin, Mary Hanafin(both of those have stated that they will only receive pensions based on time worked, whether they follow through is anyones guess and Hanafin has retired from teaching according to the Indo), Pat Carey, Frank Fahey(retired from teaching and claiming that he'll give pension to charity)Timmy Deenihan, Michael Noonan, Enda Kenny(says he'll give it to charity), Brendan Howlin, Roisin Shortall and Joe Costello(but says he isn't taking it). Only names I could find with a google.

This is from a news article in 2008:

Meanwhile, all 16 TDs on leave from teaching are continuing to chalk up pension benefits which can be cashed in from the age of 55 after 35 years' service.

Nine of the 36 former teachers are now in receipt of a teaching pension, while another 11 have resigned their post but have yet to reach the age at which they can draw down a reduced pension.

CDfm

36 Former teachers in the Dail - maybe thats why the country got in a state

i think we need an I am not a teacher party

Tragedy

Just saw Bacik question - she's on a leave of absence.

CDfm

Tragedy wrote: »

Just saw Bacik question - she's on a leave of absence.

As was George Lee

This is begining to sound like a trend