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President Michael D Higgins’ €3,000 a night hotel stays

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    #182
    AudreyHepburn
    Registered Users Posts: 5,673 ✭✭✭AudreyHepburn


    Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »
    He's not affording anything. He's taking advantage of his position to jet around attending non-essential conferences, concerts, etc., staying in luxury hotels, and heaping expenses upon the taxpayer.

    E.g., flying from Dublin to Kerry on the government Learjet at a cost of over €11,000. Why is that necessary? So he can save a few hours in the car?

    He’s the president - he’s doing nothing any other head of state wouldn’t do.

    The begrudgry in this country makes me sick sometimes. I hate this attitude that because I’m struggling no one else is allowed nice things.


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    #183
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    Turnipman wrote: »
    The costings were provided by the Army Air Corps.

    How did they cost it? Are pilots paid extra for flights? Is that just fuel costs?


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    #184
    xi5yvm0owc1s2b
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,325 ✭✭✭xi5yvm0owc1s2b


    Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »
    How did you cost that?

    Figures from the Department of Public Expenditure quoted in the media. Information and costs about the use of the government jet are public knowledge.


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    #185
    Turnipman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 789 ✭✭✭Turnipman


    Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »
    How did they cost it? Are pilots paid extra for flights? Is that just fuel costs?

    How about doing your own research instead of asking witless questions?


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    #186
    Grayson
    Registered Users Posts: 16,154 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    AudreyHepburn wrote: »
    He’s the President - do people really expect him to stay in squalor?

    Why is it that when someone does well for themselves or can afford the finer things in the country that people assume there must be dodgy dealings afoot?

    Michael D is the leader of our country and a fine leader at that. He deserves to and is entitled to be treated with the highest regard.

    Don’t any of you complainers try to tell me that you wouldn’t stay in such luxury if you could afford it.

    I think people here expect him to bunk up in a hostel or holiday inn.

    Plus all the arrangements for this were made by the dept of foreign affairs. So Higgins did absolutely nothing wrong.


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    #187
    AllForIt
    Registered Users Posts: 8,304 ✭✭✭AllForIt


    Hitman3000 wrote: »
    It's well over a months wages for a lot of people. Or if you want to be frivolous a week in the Sun for a family of 4 including spending money.

    Well you could look at it like that or you could look at it like this

    3,000 * 365 days of the year = €1,095000

    That's just over 1 mil. I'm sure there isn't one council that would get too excited about receiving 1 extra mil a year towards housing.


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    #188
    BailMeOut
    Registered Users Posts: 2,969 ✭✭✭BailMeOut


    Hitman3000 wrote: »
    You and others are at great lengths to also ignore or deflect from the lack of FOI regarding the office of President. Why do you think the taxpayer should be clueless as to how our money is spent?

    how did you come to that conclusion? The indo article is not journalism, it is all innuendo and speculation. A real journalist would never write something like this and you are falling for it.

    This same newspaper wrote a half decent article recently on how much the Office of the President costs over seven years which is EUR30m for 7 years. By anyone's standards that is cheap for what we get.

    https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/revealed-how-much-the-office-of-the-president-costs-over-seven-years-36785078.html


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    #189
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    Turnipman wrote: »
    How about doing your own research instead of asking witless questions?

    I’m doubting the statistics. Research isn’t just a google.

    Anyway, so what. The jet is there for a reason. Imagine the populist backlash if it were never used. Paying pilots for nothing. Depreciation for nothing.


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    #190
    Turnipman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 789 ✭✭✭Turnipman


    BailMeOut wrote: »

    By anyone's standards that is cheap for what we get.


    I'm not exactly sure what unit of measurement you use to assess standards, but I suspect that they're probably the same ones that Louis XIV used for extending the Palace of Versailles.


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    #191
    xi5yvm0owc1s2b
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,325 ✭✭✭xi5yvm0owc1s2b


    AudreyHepburn wrote: »
    He’s the president - he’s doing nothing any other head of state wouldn’t do.

    "He's the president" doesn't excuse this wanton waste of taxpayers' money. You may think its defensible to spend €11k of taxpayers money transporting Higgins from Dublin to Kerry in a Learjet, when it's a mere three and a half hour drive for ordinary mortals. Many would not agree with you, though. €11k is roughly what someone on JSA gets over an entire year.
    I hate this attitude that because I’m struggling no one else is allowed nice things.

    I'm happy to say that people should be allowed nice things, if they pay for them themselves. If Higgins wants to jet down to Kerry, or stay in luxury hotels in Geneva so that he can peddle his socialist rhetoric at a lefty conference, let him pay for these kinds of jaunts out of his own pocket.


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    #192
    suicide_circus
    Registered Users Posts: 19,802 ✭✭✭✭suicide_circus


    ohnonotgmail wrote: »
    the same forces that led to a crash in 2008 that resulted in the country borrowing 10's of billions of euros? Swings and roundabouts.

    the same forces that have got the number of people in the world living in extreme poverty down to about 10% from about 90% 150 years ago?


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    #193
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    Turnipman wrote: »
    In your monochrome view of the world is there really no middle ground between a 2 or 3 star budget hotel and a high-end five star hotel luxury suite?

    What’s the middle ground there? A 4 star hotel?

    God almighty. I bet our presidency is one of the cheapest, relative to Gdp, in the world.

    I also feel that half the begrudgers would be happy with this expenditure if somebody else were president


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    #194
    RobertKK
    Registered Users Posts: 33,730 ✭✭✭✭RobertKK


    AudreyHepburn wrote: »
    Of course there is but I fail to see why the head of state should stay in a 2 or 3 star mediocre hotel just because staying in anything better might make some folks jealous that they can’t afford to do the same (which is what I think the whining is really all about).

    You can get rooms in the same 5 star hotel for less than €500. It is hardly squalor.


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    #195
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »
    "He's the president" doesn't excuse this wanton waste of taxpayers' money. You may think its defensible to spend €11k of taxpayers money transporting Higgins from Dublin to Kerry in a Learjet, when it's a mere three and a half hour drive for ordinary mortals. Many would not agree with you, though. €11k is roughly what someone on JSA gets over an entire year.



    I'm happy to say that people should be allowed nice things, if they pay for them themselves. If Higgins wants to jet down to Kerry, or stay in luxury hotels in Geneva so that he can peddle his socialist rhetoric at a lefty conference, let him pay for these kinds of jaunts out of his own pocket.

    Dont be stupid. If he’s invited as the president we pay for it.

    Same with any country. Trump gets ferried around the US in government jets and helicopters.


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    #196
    ohnonotgmail
    Registered Users Posts: 40,211 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    suicide_circus wrote: »
    the same forces that have got the number of people in the world living in extreme poverty down to about 10% from about 90% 150 years ago?


    like i said, swings and roundabouts.


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    #197
    BailMeOut
    Registered Users Posts: 2,969 ✭✭✭BailMeOut


    Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »
    Yes. Almost a million waiting for medical procedures (Irish Times).

    what has this got to do with waiting lists? There is an assumption by many that money moved from one place to another will fix problems in Ireland. Money has nothing to do with waiting lists. We have one of the most well funded health systems in the world however the money pumped in is badly managed. If we got rid of the presidency and gave 100% of the savings (EUR 30m over 7 years) to the HSE nothing would change other than we flush another EUR30m away.


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    #198
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    RobertKK wrote: »
    You can get rooms in the same 5 star hotel for less than €500. It is hardly squalor.

    The president of any country isn’t going to stay in room 212, floor two, breakfast not included. Beside the fire hydrant.


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    #199
    RobertKK
    Registered Users Posts: 33,730 ✭✭✭✭RobertKK


    Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »
    What’s the middle ground there? A 4 star hotel?

    God almighty. I bet our presidency is one of the cheapest, relative to Gdp, in the world.

    I also feel that half the begrudgers would be happy with this expenditure if somebody else were president

    I seriously doubt it.


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    #200
    Taytoland
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,067 ✭✭✭Taytoland


    Just what would Higgins be discussing on these business trips?


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    #201
    BailMeOut
    Registered Users Posts: 2,969 ✭✭✭BailMeOut


    Turnipman wrote: »
    I'm not exactly sure what unit of measurement you use to assess standards, but I suspect that they're probably the same ones that Louis XIV used for extending the Palace of Versailles.

    Louis XIV would be spending billions in today's money. The two are not even in the same ball park!!!


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    #202
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    BailMeOut wrote: »
    what has this got to do with waiting lists? There is an assumption by many that money moved from one place to another will fix problems in Ireland. Money has nothing to do with waiting lists. We have one of the most well funded health systems in the world however the money pumped in is badly managed. If we got rid of the presidency and gave 100% of the savings (EUR 30m over 7 years) to the HSE nothing would change other than we flush another EUR30m away.

    Probably most of the complainers are right wingers. They probably don’t want any more taxpayers money spent on the HSE. Which is in fact adequately funded.

    And this money is a tiny drop in an ocean of expenditure.


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    #203
    Franz Von Peppercorn
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,070 ✭✭✭Franz Von Peppercorn


    Taytoland wrote: »
    Just what would Higgins be discussing on these business trips?

    Business.


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    #204
    Turnipman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 789 ✭✭✭Turnipman


    Taytoland wrote: »
    Just what would Higgins be discussing on these business trips?

    Jobs for his kids?

    He's managed to get one daughter into the Seanad, but there are three others who still need to be attached to the public teat.


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    #205
    RobertKK
    Registered Users Posts: 33,730 ✭✭✭✭RobertKK


    Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »
    The president of any country isn’t going to stay in room 212, floor two, breakfast not included. Beside the fire hydrant.

    Because he/she is not a man or woman of the people?
    The president is simply the first citizen of the state - an equal and subject to the same laws.
    That is why any citizen who fulfils the criteria can run for the presidency, they are no more special than anyone else in the country. It is a simply a job to represent the country, not to see oneself above other people in the Republic.
    What is wrong with room 212, too cheap when a lot more can be spent, because we have money to waste on politicians who are there to serve us, but choose to serve themselves?


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    #206
    AudreyHepburn
    Registered Users Posts: 5,673 ✭✭✭AudreyHepburn


    Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »
    "He's the president" doesn't excuse this wanton waste of taxpayers' money. You may think its defensible to spend €11k of taxpayers money transporting Higgins from Dublin to Kerry in a Learjet, when it's a mere three and a half hour drive for ordinary mortals. Many would not agree with you, though. €11k is roughly what someone on JSA gets over an entire year.



    I'm happy to say that people should be allowed nice things, if they pay for them themselves. If Higgins wants to jet down to Kerry, or stay in luxury hotels in Geneva so that he can peddle his socialist rhetoric at a lefty conference, let him pay for these kinds of jaunts out of his own pocket.

    Listen to yourself - you’d swear he was running the country into the ground! Divide €11k by the amount of taxpayers in the country- individually we are paying pittance.

    I’ll say it again - he’s the president, he’s not going to slum it just to satisfy the begrudgers.


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    #207
    Taytoland
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,067 ✭✭✭Taytoland


    Turnipman wrote: »
    Taytoland wrote: »
    Just what would Higgins be discussing on these business trips?

    Jobs for his kids?  

    He's managed to get one daughter into the Seanad, but there are three others who still need to be attached to the public teat.
    Typical socialists. All about the working man and the struggle of the workers while sipping on the finest champagne and eating the finest steak.


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    #208
    RobertKK
    Registered Users Posts: 33,730 ✭✭✭✭RobertKK


    Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »
    Probably most of the complainers are right wingers. They probably don’t want any more taxpayers money spent on the HSE. Which is in fact adequately funded.

    And this money is a tiny drop in an ocean of expenditure.

    So it is fine to waste money.

    A few thousand here, a few thousand there, more elsewhere, it doesn't be long adding up...


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    #209
    Grayson
    Registered Users Posts: 16,154 ✭✭✭✭Grayson


    RobertKK wrote: »
    You can get rooms in the same 5 star hotel for less than €500. It is hardly squalor.

    But he'd have aides and stuff like that. Whatever room he stays in needs to have a separate room for meetings. Unless they all sit on the side of the bed. I'd imagine that's the reason for a suite.


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    #210
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 17,378 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    This is the only country in the world where people whinge about their president's hotel room.


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    #211
    Turnipman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 789 ✭✭✭Turnipman


    Taytoland wrote: »
    Typical socialists. All about the working man and the struggle of the workers while sipping on the finest champagne and eating the finest steak.

    And yet the deferential "spit on me Mickey" slobberers in this great Republic of ours continue to worship the ground that he walks upon (or, more accurately, flies over)!


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