It's ''all s***e'' says MEP defending €400,000 "study break" to a holiday island

squod · 15-10-2010 06:52PM #1

the MEP last night blasted scrutiny of the €400,000 cost of the Madeira island trip as "all ****e" the three-day break has nothing directly to do with Irish affairs or the constituents of Jim Higgins in Connacht-Ulster.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/its-all-se-mep-rounds-on-critics-of-study-break-2380479.html

Biggins · 15-10-2010 06:56PM

Yet another one taking the piss.

Just like those that cost us 11 million the last two years for their cars.
See: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1015/1224281155552.html

THE PROVISION of Garda drivers and State cars to Cabinet Ministers, former taoisigh, the President, Chief Whip, Ceann Comhairle and others has cost almost €11 million in the past two years, it has emerged.

This represents expenditure of €105,000 per week, or €15,000 per day.

curlzy · 15-10-2010 07:00PM

I'm so beyond being shocked by anything that pack of greedy ****ers do. Honestly I doubt I'd even blink if the paper reported they were sacrificing babies to Satan in the Dail.

orourkeda · 15-10-2010 07:02PM

curlzy wrote: »

I'm so beyond being shocked by anything that pack of greedy ****ers do. Honestly I doubt I'd even blink if the paper reported they were sacrificing babies to Satan in the Dail.

Hence they'll keep doing this as long as they know there'll be no reaction.

Son Of A Vidic · 15-10-2010 07:02PM

Did they ever hear of video conferencing? Or perhaps sending a small representative group, considering the economic times we're living in - pr1cks!

bleg · 15-10-2010 07:03PM

I wish all politicians would **** off and die.

Grimreaper666 · 15-10-2010 07:04PM

He's spot on there, it is all sh!te, the crap we're still having to put up with on a daily basis from these shysters. I wonder was he in Athlone and plenty other places last year when they flooded? Was he f**k, no where to be seen. Arrogant tw@t.

Red Hand · 15-10-2010 07:04PM

I know who's first against the wall when the revolution comes!

southsiderosie · 15-10-2010 07:07PM

The EU bureaucracy is an even bigger waste of money than the Irish bureaucracy and with even less oversight.

Black Swan · 15-10-2010 07:11PM

Party time on an island resort! I can think of a better island to send them to for their next working vacation. Anyone remember the old film Papillon (1973)?

steddyeddy · 15-10-2010 07:14PM

orourkeda wrote: »

Hence they'll keep doing this as long as they know there'll be no reaction.

You hit the nail on the head, thats exactly it. If their getting away with it why stop?

Helix · 15-10-2010 07:45PM

is there no way for someone to take a civil case against them for misappropriation of taxpayer's money or something?

jay-me · 15-10-2010 07:52PM

Not enough people are feeling the pinch enough yet. Has to be more unemployed and more cuts before people will stop waffling away in pubs and on the internet about our woes!

We lap up SH1T like it were a three course dinner :mad::mad::mad:

Helix · 15-10-2010 07:55PM

i dont understand it at all

the public could shut ireland down in a few hours and demand action/a new government/criminal proceedings for mishandled funds

yet they wont, and thats why theyll keep getting ridden up the back end

southsiderosie · 15-10-2010 07:57PM

Helix wrote: »

i dont understand it at all

the public could shut ireland down in a few hours and demand action/a new government/criminal proceedings for mishandled funds

yet they wont, and thats why theyll keep getting ridden up the back end

Yes they could for Ireland, but I thought this was about misuse of EU funds (which I know indirectly involves Ireland).

Honestly, I think member states should demand more accountability, because from what I've seen in Brussels and Luxembourg, it is a total money pit.

Sticky_Fingers · 15-10-2010 08:01PM

From the article:

All I know is that it's a very good hotel, the accommodation is wonderful, the food is lovely. For people who work so hard, we're entitled to that. You don't expect us to stay in B&Bs, do you?"

Sweet baby Jesus, has this guy no shame?

jay-me · 15-10-2010 08:03PM

Sticky_Fingers wrote: »

From the article:

Sweet baby Jesus, has this guy no shame?

Clearly not:mad:

Helix · 15-10-2010 08:04PM

should be a 3 star maximum for politicians, if they want 5 star they should pay the difference

no problems with money being spent on meeting rooms/nice grub if theyve got foreign officials over, but for in house stuff it should be capped. its not like 3 star means dive in fairness

complete transpanrecy is needed for politicians globally, failure to do so or misappropriation of funds should carry serious jail time

of course politicians arent gonna implement something like that, so we'll never see it

squod · 15-10-2010 08:23PM

All I know is that it's a very good hotel, the accommodation is wonderful, the food is lovely. For people who work so hard, we're entitled to that. You don't expect us to stay in B&Bs, do you?"

Even Fine Gael are trying to FAS it up on taxpayers money.

Biggins · 15-10-2010 08:34PM

southsiderosie wrote: »

Yes they could for Ireland, but I thought this was about misuse of EU funds (which I know indirectly involves Ireland)...

...Which means your and I money being paid to them in contributions from our taxes, etc.

Donkey Oaty · 15-10-2010 10:36PM

Biggins wrote: »

...Which means your and I money being paid to them in contributions from our taxes, etc.

Another way of looking at is this: every euro spent on hotels, limos, junkets, etc, is a euro snatched out of the public funds for Harney's hairdos, Callely's travels, etc.

Biggins · 15-10-2010 10:51PM

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Another way of looking at is this: every euro spent on hotels, limos, junkets, etc, is a euro snatched out of the public funds for Harney's hairdos, Callely's travels, etc.

LOL - true but its still coming out of our pockets in the long run.

southsiderosie · 15-10-2010 11:05PM

Biggins wrote: »

...Which means your and I money being paid to them in contributions from our taxes, etc.

Donkey Oaty wrote: »

Another way of looking at is this: every euro spent on hotels, limos, junkets, etc, is a euro snatched out of the public funds for Harney's hairdos, Callely's travels, etc.

Technically I'm a US taxpayer, which means my money goes towards funding Iraq, Afghanistan, and pension programs that I will never see a penny of. :mad:

But at least it isn't going to Brussels.

Biggins · 16-10-2010 01:35PM

southsiderosie wrote: »

Technically I'm a US taxpayer, which means my money goes towards funding Iraq, Afghanistan, and pension programs that I will never see a penny of. :mad:

But at least it isn't going to Brussels.

We know where some of our tax money is going sadly!

The Highest State Pension So far!!!
(€265,000 A year)
See HERE

Tanaiste's brother earns €15,000 in TD/Senator phone sales
(who are then reimbursed by the taxpayer)
See HERE

State Cars costing €11 Million for past two years!
See HERE

The 3 Day €400,000 TD's Island Trip
See HERE

Bertie Aherns car alone costs €84,000 a year!
See HERE

Fine Gael TD's €10,600 Claim!
See HERE

TD's €2.3 Million Summer Holiday Expenses!
See HERE

Former Senator Escapes Probe of €146,000 Expenses!
See HERE

HSE Heads Give €3 Million To Drum For Advisers!
See HERE

Blood Boss Blew €130k Expenses
See HERE

Sacked Ministers Get €25,000 To Ease Blow
See HERE

Bertie Rings Up €3,300 Phone Bill Claims
See HERE

Amazing Allowances Of Our Top TD's
See HERE

Dempseys €13,000 Trip To Derry & London!
See HERE

Healy-Rea Brothers Get Cared For.
€110,000 For Year On Council!
See HERE

Councillor Disputes €106,000 Expenses Paid
See HERE

Smoked Salmon TD's €1 Million Dinner
See HERE

Well Paid TD's Spend And Spend At Bar!
See HERE

Lists Of Various Allowances - Details Lacking!
See HERE

TD Told To Pay His Huge Dail Bar Bill
See HERE

16 TD's That Refuse To Hand Back Money!
See HERE

Aherns Merc Clocks Up €175,000 Travel Bill
See HERE

Harney Makes Light Of Crises As She
Enjoys Lavish Banquet
See HERE

Shame Of Pensions On Double For Teacher TD's
See HERE

The Top 5 Irish Scandals Of Decade
See HERE

Pension Cash Bonus For Charlie McCreevy
See HERE

Government Bill For Their Spin People
Reaches 20 Million Euro
See HERE

Dempsey €14,000 on Limo's
Harneys €5,000 Hotel Bill
See HERE

Backbenchers €19,000 Washington Trip
See HERE

TD's €86,000 Trip To Cape Town
See HERE

The Dept Of Foreign Affairs Massive Wine Cellar!
See HERE

Phill Ewinn · 16-10-2010 01:42PM

Dunno whether I'm jealous or furious

Biggins · 16-10-2010 01:45PM

Phill Ewinn wrote: »

Dunno whether I'm jealous or furious

Well think of it this way - remember all the above (tip of the iceberg!) when our next budget comes in December.

The effect of that budget on you as they beg (take!) more from you, will answer your quandary.

16-10-2010 01:49PM

Helix wrote: »

i dont understand it at all

the public could shut ireland down in a few hours and demand action/a new government/criminal proceedings for mishandled funds

yet they wont, and thats why theyll keep getting ridden up the back end

This is true. However Irish people don't want criminal proceedings into corruption though because let's face it, half of the population are on the take in one way or the other. Be it benefits which artificially are high to ensure votes, or public service wages which are artificially high for the same reason.

Why would these people want to change the status quo? You will only see these people up in arms when it's their greedy pockets that are feeling the pinch. Who pays? The minority in this country that actually pay any sort of meaningful amount of taxes and these people are too busy working their arses off to fund our greedy system.

You won't see people marching to balance the 20 billion euro hole the budget because they know that it means a cut for them and their extortionate government handouts. They will happily pass the cost onto the hardworking of the country and their children.

The people of this country are the reason the country is as it is. To blame the politicians alone, a mere representative of the ****e this country stands for, is to blame the result, not the cause of the problem (i.e. the voters).

mikemac · 16-10-2010 02:47PM

To be fair, I wouldn't have an issue with the Minister for Justice having a state car and garda driver.
They will have important documents from the DPP and the Minister or their senior civil servants shouldn't be walking around with these.
And the Minister probably does need protection at times.

Not so sure about all the other state cars

krudler · 16-10-2010 02:49PM

I've said it before and I'll say it again, democracy simply doesnt work.

Donkey Oaty · 16-10-2010 02:59PM

Biggins wrote: »

Harney Makes Light Of Crises As She Enjoys Lavish Banquet
See HERE

An Irish businesswoman, who was in attendance at the ball, said it was a fabulous night with Ms Harney looking "elegant in beige".

Presumably this was before midnight, when Ms Harney returned to her natural pumpkin self.

Dj Stiggie · 16-10-2010 03:04PM

krudler wrote: »

I've said it before and I'll say it again, democracy simply doesnt work.

Its still the best of a bad bunch

It's ''all s***e'' says MEP defending €400,000 "study break" to a holiday island

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