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

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Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

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

Michael D. Higgins on €249k makes more than Emmanuel Macron, despite the fact that Ireland is a fraction of the size of France (population 68 million vs 4.8 million). The French president also does far more than cut ribbons and attend rugby matches.

Any examples of countries with populations under 5 million that pay ceremonial presidents this much?

Turnipman

Deleted User wrote: »

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

And the link to your exhaustive research that led you to that conclusion can be found where exactly?

RobertKK

Grayson wrote: »

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.

The hotel is geared up for that:

http://www.beau-rivage.ch/en/events-organisation/meeting-spaces-banqueting-rooms/

Six elegant reception rooms, all with natural light and the exquisite views of the Lake or the Brunswick Gardens, the Alps or the Brunswick Monument Park provide an elegant, sophisticated setting for functions arranged to order.

Turnipman

Turnipman wrote: »

And the link to your exhaustive research that led you to that conclusion can be found where exactly?

This is the only website in the world where people try to sound like professors while whinging.

ArchXStanton

Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »

Michael D. Higgins on €249k makes more than Emmanuel Macron, despite the fact that Ireland is a fraction of the size of France (population 68 million vs 4.8 million). The French president also does far more than cut ribbons and attend rugby matches.

Any examples of countries with populations under 5 million that pay ceremonial presidents this much?

Irish politicians... They were always good to themselves as everyone else was told to tighten their belts

xi5yvm0owc1s2b

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Probably most of the complainers are right wingers.

It's funny that complaining about unaccountable politicians staying in €3,000-a-night hotel rooms and taking €11,000+ trips from Dublin to Kerry on a taxpayer-funded Learjet now makes you a right-winger. I thought this was the kind of stuff that left-wingers should be up in arms about.

WinnyThePoo

Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »

It's funny that complaining about unaccountable politicians staying in €3,000-a-night hotel rooms and taking €11,000+ trips from Dublin to Kerry on a taxpayer-funded Learjet now makes you a right-winger. I thought this was the kind of stuff that left-wingers should be up in arms about.

Come on you don't care about any of the money. You hate him because he's got socialist ideals.

Hitman3000

AudreyHepburn wrote:

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

Did he foot the bill or the taxpayer? It's an important distinction.

Mike Hoch

flookdgates wrote: »

You remind me of the clueless naive young wans who were falling head over heels in love with Stephen Gately of Boyzone back in the 1990s. Some people are very innocent, god bless them.

The entire county knew Varadkar was a homosexual for years but there was a silent agreement amongst the media not to out him. Taxi drivers and hotel receptionists all over Dublin could have told you he was gay. Eventually the pressure became to much for Varadkar so he gave his infamous coming out interview to RTE.

If any journalist wants to ring up that Swiss hotel they should ask if Michael D and Sabina got separate beds

Did you used to operate a Facebook account under the name Bap Sergio and Bob Allen Peters? Quite possibly the most bizarre, hilarious FB account to ever operate out of Ireland.

He claimed there are videotapes of Michael D up to no good, to the fawning admiration of his motley crew of friends (Freeman on the Land, no way we won't pay types).


He also claimed that nobody died in the Manchester concert bombing and that the Gardai are a British registered private company with no jurisdiction in the republic.

He'd make Alex Jones seem reserved.

whiskeyman

President Stays in Presidential Suite Shocker!

Turnipman

Deleted User wrote: »

This is the only website in the world where people try to sound like professors while whinging.

More unsubstantiated research that, I suspect, has just been pulled out of your largest orifice.

Franz Von Peppercorn

Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »

It's funny that complaining about unaccountable politicians staying in €3,000-a-night hotel rooms and taking €11,000+ trips from Dublin to Kerry on a taxpayer-funded Learjet now makes you a right-winger. I thought this was the kind of stuff that left-wingers should be up in arms about.

My point is you guys don’t care about the money unless it’s a politician you don’t care for.

This new found concern for the homeless and the HSE isn’t fooling too many people.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

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

Nobody is suggesting he should "slum it." But do you think it's unreasonable that the president, if going from Dublin to Kerry on a nonessential trip that is far from a state emergency, should be expected to travel by car? Why should we fire up the LearJet because the €200,000 spent last year on two new presidential BMWs is not good enough for him?

Assuming that the president should be entitled to live in the lap of luxury and spend whatever he wants, without accountability to the citizenry, takes us dangerously back to the monarchial attitudes of centuries ago.

People blaming the Department of Foreign Affairs for booking it are of course indicating a much greater problem across the civil and public service - the huge number of senior civil servants who completely unnecessarily take expensive flights, stay in expensive hotels and dine in expensive restaurants while so many fundamental problems remain in our society. There is no need for that waste of our taxes. That is the most important point. And no excuses for it either. Such waste is a blatant two-fingers to taxpayers: let them eat cake.

If we had any sort of investigative journalists, there's a huge story there in Department expenses. But no ordinary journalist/sycophant would be willing to damage their "government sources" by taking it on. Such is the reality of our "free press".

Nevertheless, blaming Foreign Affairs is also letting Higgins off scot free. If he had genuine socialist principles - as this President of Uruguay clearly has - Higgins could have easily instructed them that he doesn't want anything higher than a 4 star room. Seven years after he took office on a massive salary of €250,000 per annum, free accommodation in a mansion and no household expenses he has clearly never felt humble enough to give them this instruction. We can safely assume Higgins has been doing the same money-hungry parasitic exploitation of the Irish taxpayer from day 1 as President. That's a lot of waste for a man who should have a deep feeling for our people's history.

He's come a long, long way from the tv interview in the 1980s where he spoke with passion, and what I thought at the time was immense integrity, about his early life in poverty in Clare (in that interview he returned to his home place to add feeling to things).

Years later, I can only conclude that Higgins is nothing but a classic case of a smoked salmon socialist, just like the entirety of his Labour colleagues in the last government - all of whom from 2011 on gave massive increases to their friends/advisors, far above the set limits, and restored their own pensions while simultaneously bringing in FEMPI to implement cutbacks on the rest of the public service. Labour has fully earned its place as the champagne socialist party - and this latest revelation is very, very firmly part of the same "Do as we say, not as we say" mentality that dominates there.

xi5yvm0owc1s2b

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

My point is you guys don’t care about the money unless it’s a politician you don’t care for.

I wouldn't support any politician who thought it appropriate to commandeer a Learjet so he could fly from Dublin to Kerry to attend a concert.

If the likes of Mary Harney had ever done such a thing, the entire left would have been up in arms.

But when the beloved Michael D. does it, anything is excusable.

martingriff

mariaalice wrote: »

You are still not getting it, he does not book his own hotel rooms complain to the department of foreign affairs and as someone pointed out Switzerland is very expensive.

It's a scurrilous article full of innuendo and the indo should be called out for that.

I find it great and I am agreeing with you that when the Indo has a piece that agree with people's position it is great and we should agree with it but else when it's I would never believe anything written in it.

Just remember the person writing this was hoping to get endorsements from everyone to be president and when Higgins decides to run he sckulled away by saying I was never going to run it was only to start dialogue and now low and behold he takes pots shots

My opinion is the president role as it is uselèss and unless it has greater powers should be scrapped

mikemac2

The real waste of money in this story is Craughwells salary for the senate. A job it seems he doesn’t even want

Turnipman

Turnipman wrote: »

More unsubstantiated research that, I suspect, has just been pulled out of your largest orifice.

This is the only orifice in the world that research can be pulled out off.

seamus

seamus wrote: »

Sure, let's just stick him into a shared dorm in a hostel then

You repeatedly come across as desperate to defend Higgins/the Labour Party. There is, believe it not, a wide range of reasonably-priced quality accommodation between a €3000 per night room, and a €15 per night room. But nice strawman introduced to try and defend the indefensible.

Franz Von Peppercorn

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Did he foot the bill or the taxpayer? It's an important distinction.

The taxpayer paid because it was an official visit. Same as every single presidency, monarchy or political office in the world.

Franz Von Peppercorn

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You repeatedly come across as desperate to defend Higgins/the Labour Party. There is, believe it not, a wide range of reasonably-priced quality accommodation between a €3000 per night room, and a €15 per night room. But nice strawman introduced to try and defend the indefensible.

This has been done to death. He isn’t staying in a mid range room in a mid range hotel either. No head of state does that.

Riskymove

Deleted User wrote: »

the huge number of senior civil servants who completely unnecessarily take expensive flights, stay in expensive hotels and dine in expensive restaurants while so many fundamental problems remain in our society. There is no need for that waste of our taxes. That is the most important point. And no excuses for it either. Such waste is a blatant two-fingers to taxpayers: let them eat cake.

this is absolute nonsense

There is a strict system in place in the civil service for travel aboard. There is a list of all cities and how much you get towards accommodation (based on usual rates) and its capped at that

similarly you get a certain amount for meals depending on how long you are away

Riskymove

Luka Broad Bassist wrote: »

I
If the likes of Mary Harney had ever done such a thing, the entire left would have been up in arms.

???

Hitman3000

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote:

The taxpayer paid because it was an official visit. Same as every single presidency, monarchy or political office in the world.

Cool, let's stick with Ireland. It would be nice to see his jaunts and expenses that are paid for by the working public subject to FOI. It's fair in my opinion.

Muahahaha

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

So we dont have any evidence that he did actually spend a night in a 3,000 a night suite?

Theres no evidence for it at all. But that didnt prevent the reactionary right on here falling hook, line and sinker for the Indos clickbait.

In any case if they hate Michael D. so much then they will soon have a chance to vote him out of power. With his approval ratings at almost 70% I cant see that one working out for them either.

Hitman3000

Riskymove wrote:

???

Mary flew to Sligo on the Aer Corps CASA plane to open an off licence for a buddy. There was up roar at the time from all parties including Labour. Higgins former party.

RobertKK

On the 24 day working holiday to Australia and New Zealand last year, the hotel bill for Michael and Sabine Higgins came to €28,194, paid for by the Irish embassy in Australia.

Riskymove

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Mary flew to Sligo on the Aer Corps CASA plane to open an off licence for a buddy. There was up roar at the time from all parties including Labour. Higgins former party.

yes I know

That's why I didn't get the "If Mary Harney had ever done such a thing"

AudreyHepburn

Hitman3000 wrote: »

Did he foot the bill or the taxpayer? It's an important distinction.

The taxpayer - the same as for every other head of state in the world.

€11k split between all the taxpayers in the country is nothing.