Social Welfare Measures Could Be Rejected

I'd be in favour of rejecting the cuts on the basis that they should be more severe - i.e. they should also cut the State Pension.

I am annoyed at how lightly the issue of PS pay / staff is being dealt with, but in a vacuum the SW cuts make sense and should be carried.

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Just heard there that Michael ring is urging TD'S to vote against the welfare measures announced in the budget:).
I think its a disgrace that they are attacking the blind person pension the carers allowance and disability allowance:mad:
I think there is a growing head of steam going behind rejecting the social welfare measures.

Wow, what a scoop. FG TD argues against government decision! What next, SF argues for a united Ireland?!

phasers wrote: »

I thought the social welfare measures didn't go far enough.


I heard he doesn't even bother with paper and just washes it

He pays people on the dole to to it.

We can keep laying boots into each other and ignoring the elephant in the living room. That's what they want us to do. Old v young, employed v unemployed, public sector v private. On and on it goes.
Meanwhile, as we're arguing over scraps off our own table, the IMF and the EU are robbing our wealth now and far into the future to bail out the banks.
The WHOLE budget needs to be rejected, and the bank guarantee reneged on.
Then we can start again without this €100 billion rock of debt which we never accrued hanging around our neck.

melekalikimaka wrote: »

and this is the attitude that will leave us in this mess longer, complaining. No one is happy with getting cuts but its a fact they are required. this is only the start of them, next year there will be more, and the year after.

who says this attitude will leave us in the mess longer! if they left carers and blind allowance alone and took further pay cuts from the higher earners( 100+ grand a year) and a further pay cut to ministers it even the balance!
As far as Im concerned more cuts to the high earners wont put them on the breadline while the low earners like carers are in **** creek enuf as it is!!
Go do a few case studies!

phasers wrote: »

I thought the social welfare measures didn't go far enough.

Can you explain why you expected it go further? Please add references to having children, the cost of food etc, rent, ESB, telephone etc. not to mention the fact christmas is coming up..
Yeah, Id like an essay.

melekalikimaka wrote: »

next year they will get smashed again, in fairness they are still very high, but they have received reductions already and i imagine they are giving them some breathing space before the next hit

That's not really the right way of handling the issue though. Rather than universal / union negotiated measures, there should be an outside assessment of what every department / employee brings to the table and job / pay cuts on an individual level just like in the private sector.

Doing a good job? Your department using its budget efficiently? Then you shouldn't be also suffering at the hands of a global cut introduced because the majority of employees and departments are bloated wastes of space. The croke park agreement should be torn up and the unions bypassed entirely. The failure to do that is unacceptable.

But all of that doesn't mean that the SW cuts are too harsh or inappropriate. It is of course disgraceful that the societal section that is bereft of political organisation gets appropriately assessed for budget cuts while the biggest area of public over expenditure gets treated with kid gloves because they are organised, do vote and will clog up your city centre if you push them, etc.

But no political party or protest vote is coming at the problem like that. You have parties saying 'fight every cut', or thousands of people turning up at protests that have ICTU members / Civil Servants at the front. Sigh. :rolleyes:

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

Whatever about cutting the dole, i think its just sick to cut a poor blind person's payment or a carer for that matter.

What level were those payments set at in 2006? How will they compare to that rate after these budget cuts are implemented?

I just think that it is very unfair on the disable and those caring for them.

Why should you be condemned to a life of poverty just because you are ill, disabled or looking after someone who is???

Their benefit went down, they are losing the heating (not sure of the name) allowance, in favour of a €40 one of payment (how many bags of coal is that), they will surely keep worm all winter with that.

What this says is that if you are ill or disabled, you are really good for nothing and this so called caring society doesn't give a damn, because you can not pay taxes.