Michael D Higgins, what's another dynasty eh!

Sponge Bob

Micheal Ds constituency office expenses were every bit as high as those paid to TDs who maintained a substantial constituency office for the oul Medical card and Dog licence business they find themselves in. Except that Michael D did not do any constituency work ...so I could never understand what this money was needed for. EG In 2009 he claimed €14k where Grealish claimed nearly €15k for his hi vis tin box in Briarhill and McCormack €19k for his prospect hill premises.

Just as I thought the Michael Ds had gone ex dynasty I got a nasty surprise this morning. One wonders what political experience this woman has, she has never offered herself for election in the past and it is not like Labour need a spare candidate as a backup for Nolan in Galway West given the number of elected councillors they now have.

http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/37440/michael-ds-daughter-to-seek-seanad-seat

Alice-Mary Higgins, daughter of Labour president and former Galway West TD Michael D Higgins, is to seek a seat in Seanad Éireann.

later12

Does nobody in your family, or your extended family, share a profession with their parent? And might not that shared role have been inspired one by the other? And would you call that a dynasty?

To call Michael D Higgins's daughter running for the Seanad a dynasty is certainly stretching the meaning of that word. Nepotism perhaps, if she were to be simply handed a Seanad seat; but forming a dynasty based on a constitutional and perfectly valid election?

Sponge Bob

And who exactly will be driving her around on the canvass and doing the introductions do you think ??

Gaffs89

Sponge Bob wrote: »

And who exactly will be driving her around on the canvass and doing the introductions do you think ??

Michael D is no longer a TD , so he's free to help his daughter. What's your problem with that.

Can you back up that statment that he didn't do any constituency work?

Sponge Bob

Gaffs89 wrote: »

Can you back up that statment that he didn't do any constituency work?

Eh?? Where have you lived for the last 30 years ??

later12

I'm not sure which is your point; is your gripe that Michael D Higgins claimed constituency and / or parliamentary expenses or that his daughter is running for Seanad Eireann?

Both seem pretty non-objectionable to me.

Sponge Bob

later10 wrote: »

Both seem pretty non-objectionable to me.

That's nice. Thank you for sharing !

Raging_Ninja

One wonders what political experience this woman has, she has never offered herself for election in the past

Are you complaining that a person who never held a political position before is running for political office? What's so bad about it? Or should only certain people be allowed to go into politics?

Gaffs89

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Eh?? Where have you lived for the last 30 years ??

As I thought you can't back it up, just sling mud.
I've lived in Galway.
While he may have not done the funeral/ cute hoor thing.Michael D did his best to help anyone who looked for it. You don't get elected time after time if you don't look after your constituency.
He has been a great representative for Galway.I like my TD to be honest not up in Ballybrit in the tent screwing the country.

Sponge Bob

He did virtually no constituency work and announced from the very go that he would not be a clietelist poiltician. I voted for him on the basis that he was perfectly upfront about this from the 1980s onwards and that he delivered a resounding critique of clientelism and national politics.

HOWEVER I also correctly observed that for a National Politician he claimed around as much in 2009 as McCormack and Grealish who ran or run a substantial clientilist interface in their constituency offices. In other words I am not in the least suprised at McCormack and Grealish claiming this money...but am at a loss as to what Higgins did with it .

Gaffs89

Sponge Bob wrote: »

He did virtually no constituency work and announced from the very go that he would not be a clietelist poiltician. I voted for him on the basis that he was perfectly upfront about this from the 1980s onwards and that he delivered a resounding critique of clientelism and national politics.

HOWEVER I also correctly observed that for a National Politician he claimed around as much in 2009 as McCormack and Grealish who ran or run a substantial clientilist interface in their constituency offices. In other words I am not in the least suprised at McCormack and Grealish claiming this money...but am at a loss as to what Higgins did with it .

At last!
Why didn't you put it that way in your first post. You ask a very good question.
€14K-€19K not much of a wage for a person to staff an office. I don't know is there a limit they can claim for a constituency office.What did Fahy claim, I'm sure it was the max.

Cannibal Ox

Sponge Bob wrote:

One wonders what political experience this woman has

Pretty sure she's worked for NGOs and been involved in a good bit of campaigning. So more then most.

OhNoYouDidn't

I really wish people would understand what a dynasty is and the difference between that and a family member standing for election.

Its a fairly simple distinction to make, yet we have had a number of threads recently failing to make it

Sponge Bob

Gaffs89 wrote: »

At last!
Why didn't you put it that way in your first post. You ask a very good question. €14K-€19K not much of a wage for a person to staff an office. I don't know is there a limit they can claim for a constituency office.What did Fahy claim, I'm sure it was the max.

Fahey claimed the same as Higgins more or less ...and the others. See attached spreadsheet. The amounts there are for OFFICE Maintenance not personnel. Higgins had his office at home not in the city like Grealish Fahey and Mc Cormack.
The COMA ( constituency office maintenance allowance) was paid for the following ONLY
http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/pdf/explanatory-document-on-expenses-october-2009.pdf

To help Members maintain their public offices as set out above a Constituency Office
Maintenance Allowance of €8,000 per annum [reduced from €8,888.17 from 5th August
2009] is paid bi-annually in arrears (January and July each year). The allowance covers
expenditure such as:
* rent, rates and other such charges, electricity and heating
* cost of improvements carried out during the year
* purchase of desks, chairs, filing cabinets
* maintenance payments for photocopiers
* annual insurance premium - fire and theft
* public liability insurance for rented or leased property
* general cleaning
* office stationery and newspapers.
The maintenance allowance is paid on receipt of a signed claim form which is issued to
Members bi-annually.

He claimed the same as the rest ( the max) .

leeroybrown

Two things:

1) Personally, I'll wait to see what kind of candidate and individual his daughter is before running around shouting about 'dynasties'.

2) Even though Michael D's constituency office is attached to his own house there are still running costs and something most people won't realise. Running an official workplace in your private house has legal implications with regards to capital gains tax on a portion of it's value in the event of sale.

Godge

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Fahey claimed the same as Higgins more or less ...and the others. See attached spreadsheet. The amounts there are for OFFICE Maintenance not personnel. Higgins had his office at home not in the city like Grealish Fahey and Mc Cormack.
The COMA ( constituency office maintenance allowance) was paid for the following ONLY
http://www.rte.ie/news/morningireland/pdf/explanatory-document-on-expenses-october-2009.pdf


He claimed the same as the rest ( the max) .

That is very interesting. 17k is a lot of money for rent etc. for a consituency office run out of his own home. Do the rules allow him, instead of paying rent, to set a certain amount of the 17k against his mortgage meaning the taxpayer was paying part of his mortgage?

BTW, I have no problem with the likes of Grealish or others who used the money to set up bona fide offices etc.

Sponge Bob

Every TD is also entitled to 2 staff , one in their constituency and one in Parliament. Details of their salares are not released for privacy reasons but average €40k each paid for by the taxpayer.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/one-in-five-tds-and-senators-employing-a-family-member-1458546.html

I know Frank Fahey had his daughter Louise working in his office. I have no idea whether Michael D availed of his allowances.

The Eiuropean Parliament discloses their names, the Oireachtas does not that I know of.

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/expert/assistantAlphaOrder.do?language=EN&type=&letter=H

Oh Look ....a John Harkin works for Marian Harkin well I never

Gaffs89

Godge wrote: »

That is very interesting. 17k is a lot of money for rent etc. for a consituency office run out of his own home. Do the rules allow him, instead of paying rent, to set a certain amount of the 17k against his mortgage meaning the taxpayer was paying part of his mortgage?

BTW, I have no problem with the likes of Grealish or others who used the money to set up bona fide offices etc.

Is Grealish's office not in the same building as his glass business, which according to todays paper in serious financial trouble.

StupidLikeAFox

Why not email or write to him, as a concerned constituent, and ask him? I know he isnt a TD now but it might be worth a shot.

expectationlost

tds should have separate office

996tt

later10 wrote: »

Does nobody in your family, or your extended family, share a profession with their parent? And might not that shared role have been inspired one by the other? And would you call that a dynasty?

Fair enough if she put herself forward for election before the people of Galway, but trying to get into politics via the back door by being elected to a very well paid job only on the basis of who her father is sums up irish politics. Fine Gael and Labour are no differnet to Fianna Fail

OhNoYouDidn't

996tt wrote: »

Fair enough if she put herself forward for election before the people of Galway, but trying to get into politics via the back door by being elected to a very well paid job only on the basis of who her father is sums up irish politics. Fine Gael and Labour are no differnet to Fianna Fail

I think I missed how you jumped to that conclusion....

later12

996tt wrote: »

but trying to get into politics via the back door

I'm pretty sure Alice Marie Higgins did not have anything to do with the drafting of Bunreacht na hEireann; she did not mastermind the perfectly legitimate means of election that she and all of the other candidates are about to engage in, she is doing nothing wrong.

There is nothing implicitly wrong or bad about seeking election to Seanad Eireann, even if you are the son, daughter, brother, lover, colleague or supreme arch-nemesis of a current or past member of the Oireachtas. You should stick to the argument about the constituency office, at least that might be worth something. This thing about his daughter just appears petty tbh.