Senan Moloney in the Indo this morning got one of the details wrong (the amount) but it was still a cracking story. Retiring Ministers had to claim their pensions within six months or else they could only claim from the time of their first claim. Obviously, Woodsie missed his deadline. By how much? A couple of months? Or a couple of years? Anyway the helpful section inserted by Brian Cowen into a totally separate Bill (one that regulates money markets) has solved all that for the Minister for Education since his retirement in 2002.
Really, is there any length that politicians won't go to to make sure they're all looked after. And when it comes to pensions, there is always a muted response from the opposition. I wonder why!
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Sorry, I was a little too familiar there. Woodsie is of course Michael, our former Minister for Education.
Not to be confused with the slightly less known rugby player (Keith) or golfer (Tiger).
The pay rises in a year of tough budgeting is a remarkable study in arrogance. Their defence reminds me of the hollow explanations given by dictators when asked about why they should stay in power. No, this is not a dictatorship - but the outrageous arrogance, the brass necks, and the surreal detachment of this government from reality are all the fruit of the megalomania that sets in after winning three elections. Or when the oppostion hasn't won an election in a quarter of a century. As a study in how to rub people's faces in it and get away with it, the current pay hikes are nothing short of Brilliant. FF are looking at a period of 30 years without losing an election. The Woods clause is merely indicating where arrogance and conceit hit the next level - sleaze. We're faced with another five years of this, and believe me, it will get worse. But we only have ourselves to blame.
Also see comments below. The salary levels for our top politicians are a disgrace. And how often do our Ministers have to dip their hands into their pockets?
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