tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37523245560971184182024-03-19T11:59:41.989-07:00Corrupt EireAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.comBlogger486125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-74412871676253012132013-08-07T12:23:00.003-07:002013-08-07T12:23:34.023-07:00Some Recovery! Marks and Spencer to close 4 stores by 17th Aug - 180 jobs lost <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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More than 280 jobs are to go in the retail sector following announcements today by Marks & Spencer and Musgraves.</div>
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Marks & Spencer is to close four stores in Ireland, which will result in the loss of 180 jobs.</div>
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Musgraves has said 102 jobs will go at the Superquinn head office in Lucan in Dublin over the next 18 months.</div>
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The M&S stores at Mullingar and Tallaght and the Simply Food stores in Naas and Dún Laoghaire are to close in the coming weeks.</div>
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The company said the four shops were unprofitable and that the decision to close them came after a strategic review.</div>
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However, the company said a new M&S store is proposed for Limerick, with 250 jobs promised.</div>
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<a href="http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0807/466829-marks-and-spencer-job-losses/">http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0807/466829-marks-and-spencer-job-losses/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-28065235172701004352013-08-07T03:05:00.000-07:002013-08-07T03:05:01.051-07:00Africans asylum seekers challenge "direct provision": looking for social welfare payments<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.1478936.1375135144!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.1478936.1375135144!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_600/image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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A family has taken a <a class="search" href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_organisation=High%20Court&article=true" style="color: #003399; outline: none !important; text-decoration: none;">High Court</a> challenge against direct provision, the scheme under which asylum seekers are housed and provided with a small weekly allowance while their applications are being processed.</div>
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The family of six, including four children aged between two weeks and 20 years, have been living in direct provision accommodation for more than four years.</div>
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Lawyers for the family argue that the scheme was unlawfully established and has no legal basis. They claim it operates unlawfully by ministerial circulars and administrative arrangements without any statutory underpinning, and amounts to a “parallel system” for dealing with asylum seekers.</div>
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Under direct provision, asylum seekers are provided with full-board accommodation, with the cost of meals paid directly by the State.</div>
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Paid work<br />They are also given an allowance of €19.10 per adult and €9.60 per child per week, but are not permitted to take up paid work.</div>
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The family, originally from Africa, contend there is no statutory basis for the payment of this allowance or for the setting of the amounts paid, and argue that direct provision, by excluding them from receiving basic social welfare payments, violates rights to private and family life under the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.</div>
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According to papers submitted to the court, the family also argue that key aspects of the system are in breach of the principle of the separation of powers and invalid given article 15.2.1 of the Constitution. This article provides that the “sole and exclusive” power of making laws is vested in the <a class="search" href="http://www.irishtimes.com/search/search-7.1213540?tag_organisation=Oireachtas&article=true" style="color: #003399; outline: none !important; text-decoration: none;">Oireachtas</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/asylum-seekers-take-high-court-action-against-direct-provision-scheme-1.1478939">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/asylum-seekers-take-high-court-action-against-direct-provision-scheme-1.1478939</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-63536213157150015872013-08-07T03:03:00.004-07:002013-08-07T03:03:46.468-07:00Government plans free GP care for under fives, Election on the way?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.1485627.1375776247!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_300_160/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.1485627.1375776247!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/box_300_160/image.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Government plans to announce free GP care for under-fives later this year as part of a radical recasting of its central health policy.</div>
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Months after the abandonment of an election pledge to first extend free medical cover to people with long-term illnesses, Minister for Health James Reilly will unveil a remodelled strategy proposing the phased introduction of free GP care for all according to age group.</div>
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Dr Reilly is still promising the policy can be introduced within the lifetime of the administration, as pledged in the programme for Government, even though no progress has been made so far. The plan, designed to take the Government parties to the next election, will see the announcement of free GP care for under-fives after the summer and a pledge to extend this benefit to other age groups over the following two years.</div>
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Minister of State at the Department of Health Alex White is working on the detail of the proposals. There is no indication yet where the €400m-450 million a year required to fund free GP care for all will come from.</div>
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<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/reilly-plans-free-gp-care-for-children-under-five-1.1485628">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/reilly-plans-free-gp-care-for-children-under-five-1.1485628</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-39468400526131512242013-08-07T03:02:00.003-07:002013-08-07T03:02:35.009-07:00Fintan O'Toole ... Ireland in a nutshell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzV8v-dPijq-rOrs0EdM-ggF1UwBz6GF5Tacz-iYwiDe0f81iShXI70Gp-Qv_8i74d9-wHMnbcQ_uWbxXLvWwTT2YfQWejYbq1qIfyYL5h_rTXy72p4m57EQFwlFVhDvxYoifgujvrGaI/s1600/Innovationirelandfinancialaindreasdotcom.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzV8v-dPijq-rOrs0EdM-ggF1UwBz6GF5Tacz-iYwiDe0f81iShXI70Gp-Qv_8i74d9-wHMnbcQ_uWbxXLvWwTT2YfQWejYbq1qIfyYL5h_rTXy72p4m57EQFwlFVhDvxYoifgujvrGaI/s320/Innovationirelandfinancialaindreasdotcom.png" width="225" /></a></div>
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In 1980, in his first Fianna Fáil ardfheis as taoiseach, Charles Haughey described Northern Ireland as a “failed political entity”. He was right, of course. But: black pots, black kettles, glasshouses, stones. There was, and is, more than one failed political entity on this island.</div>
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Back then, when Haughey used this infamous phrase, there was a rather sterile argument about partition. Was it a historical inevitability or a grotesque tragedy? We can now see that the answer, as it usually is in Irish history, is “both”. Given the lack of any serious engagement with Ulster unionism by Irish nationalists, partition was probably unavoidable. But that does not make its consequences less drastic. It produced two deeply flawed and ultimately unsustainable political entities.</div>
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They failed in radically different ways:, one through violent explosion, the other through slow implosion. The fate of the southern State is much more complex and ambiguous than that of the northern statelet, and it has the immense advantage of retaining the broad allegiance of most of its citizens. Yet those ambiguities should not mask its ultimate failure. And that failure should be seen as a challenge and an opportunity – it invites us to radically rethink the State.</div>
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<br />Failure of the State<br />The failure of the State can be calibrated in many ways: the unwillingness to protect vulnerable citizens from slavery and abuse, the inability to sustain a modest prosperity, the apparently endemic resort to mass emigration, the descent into systemic corruption, the throwing away of hard-won sovereignty, the persistence of structural inequality. But we can also see it even if we look at the State in its simplest expression as a set of institutions.</div>
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The State as established under the 1922 and 1937 Constitutions is a classic, three-pillared democracy. It is built on the structure designed in the 18th century by Locke and Montesquieu, the separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the legal system. But each of these pillars is so badly cracked that any honest inspector would have to condemn the building they support.</div>
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This is hardly, at this point, a controversial statement. Every serious observer in recent decades has pointed out, again and again, that the legislature does not originate legislation, scrutinises legislation in a wholly inadequate way (more than half of all Bills under the current Government have been rushed through under the guillotine), and seldom holds to account the executive that, through the whip system, exerts almost complete control over it.</div>
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The legal system, meanwhile, has proved itself to be almost entirely powerless in bringing to justice those who commit those crimes that are most corrosive of social order: corruption, fraud, tax evasion, bribery, perjury, market abuse, corporate recklessness. It has therefore failed to uphold its own most basic principle – equality before the law. There is a rough but real distinction: poor criminals go to jail; and rich and/or well-connected criminals enjoy a very large measure of impunity.</div>
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<a href="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/three-cracked-pillars-of-a-failed-state-1.1485287">http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/three-cracked-pillars-of-a-failed-state-1.1485287</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-65423320761350109392013-08-07T03:01:00.001-07:002013-08-07T03:01:08.679-07:00Enda tipped as next Head of EU.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn4.independent.ie/incoming/article29479404.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/enda+kenny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://cdn4.independent.ie/incoming/article29479404.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/enda+kenny.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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TAOISEACH Enda Kenny is being tipped as a frontrunner to take over as EU chief when the powerful position comes up next year.</h2>
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He is being linked with two top positions in the <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/European_Union" style="color: #5c8b3f; font-size: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">European Union</a> in an analysis of the contenders by an influential <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Brussels" style="color: #5c8b3f; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">Brussels</a>-based opinion-shaper.</div>
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The Taoiseach is viewed as a frontrunner for the powerful post of European Council president, as he is seen as "capable but not a big name with an ego".</div>
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The European Council president chairs the meetings of <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/European_Union" style="color: #5c8b3f; font-size: 1em; margin-bottom: 0px !important; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px;">EU</a> leaders where all the major decisions are made.</div>
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The post is up for grabs in December 2014.</div>
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<a href="http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/kenny-tipped-for-plum-job-as-head-of-the-eu-29479247.html">http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/kenny-tipped-for-plum-job-as-head-of-the-eu-29479247.html</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-5471831144127282092013-08-06T16:16:00.001-07:002013-08-06T16:16:12.151-07:00The Celtic comeback!<br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After months of tracking down the owner of the site we have agreed a takeover and the site will start a new lease of life very soon.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Stay tuned!</span><br />
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-50284934501616325602012-11-05T12:20:00.001-08:002012-11-05T12:20:03.064-08:00Dáil ‘a joke’ as €112m spend passed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08LqbIvE1q81EfthWTxyjSDEkh1IyH-jqmrIMOuTOY8MjMDhJyB5OHYwK-DkokjD00XWgaVL3IIbo2L5x0wKlys-4bW7t7YQHkMK5Rb1Z9GF4VyvV07wpE5ktX09i4zJ1NTHJMhpznY0/s1600/austerityye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08LqbIvE1q81EfthWTxyjSDEkh1IyH-jqmrIMOuTOY8MjMDhJyB5OHYwK-DkokjD00XWgaVL3IIbo2L5x0wKlys-4bW7t7YQHkMK5Rb1Z9GF4VyvV07wpE5ktX09i4zJ1NTHJMhpznY0/s320/austerityye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Dáil was branded "a joke of a parliament" after a
planned €112m spend next year for TDs and senators was pushed through
without any debate.</div>
As it rose for Halloween holidays, Tánaiste
Eamon Gilmore told the Dáil it would have a chance to debate the
Oireachtas budget — an average spend of €500,000 for every TD and
senator — when it returns on Nov 6. <br />
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However, as the budget was voted and passed on a Government majority
yesterday, the opposition questioned the point of holding what was
described by Fianna Fáil’s Timmy Dooley as "a retrospective debate". <br />
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The estimates outline plans to spend €112m in 2013 — an increase on this
year’s €108m. It will bring the average cost of keeping each TD and
senator up to €495,700, compared with €479,400 this year. <br />
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The spend will include: nSalaries of €15,775,000 for 166 TDs — a slight rise from €15,753,000 last year; <br />
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* Salaries for 60 senators amounting to €4.1m — the same as 2012; <br />
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* Salaries for the State’s 12 MEPs (who earn the same as TDs) of €749,000 — up from €742,000 last year; <br />
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* Travel expenses for TDs of €3.7m — up about €55,000 from last year; <br />
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* Travel expenses of €1.3m for senators; <br />
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* Other expenses and allowances for TDs of €6.3m — up from €5.7m; <br />
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* Other expenses for senators of €1.1m — an increase of €147,000. <br />
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Independent TDs demanded a chance to debate the estimates because they
include allowance and staff costs that they do not benefit from, unlike
members of parties. <br />
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"These issues should be debated and scrutinised in Dáil Éireann in full
public view," said Richard Boyd Barrett of the United Left Alliance. <br />
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Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was "almost
scandalous" that the estimate was "being put through the Dáil on the
nod".<br />
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Read more Here<br />
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http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/dail-a-joke-as-112m-spend-passed-212032.html<br />
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-40061008102090665292012-10-27T13:02:00.004-07:002012-10-27T13:02:46.423-07:00People Ireland are loving Fine Gael!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs2L3pzMy9pAS4bHwXqlEl-qjRvuuEJnf4QDacquwyKHVcMnJ-K-hJZe6omPQjRBjwfwQt0MFubG8ScywMvbDclssMO73icoFo5-gDJckcLvrRqwVrs3nNk7EI4pNTrZJHjqT163goec/s1600/polls.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxs2L3pzMy9pAS4bHwXqlEl-qjRvuuEJnf4QDacquwyKHVcMnJ-K-hJZe6omPQjRBjwfwQt0MFubG8ScywMvbDclssMO73icoFo5-gDJckcLvrRqwVrs3nNk7EI4pNTrZJHjqT163goec/s1600/polls.png" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Is it something in the water? looks like despite all the Austerity people are loving Fine Gael and even returning to the party that caused the mess Fianna Fail.<br />
<br />
The Latest Red C poll below.<br />
<br />
<acronym title="Fine Gael">FG</acronym> 34 (+2)<br />
<acronym title="Labour">Lab</acronym> 13 (-1)<br />
<acronym title="Fianna Fail">FF</acronym> 19 (+1)<br />
<acronym title="Sinn Fein">SF</acronym> 17 (-1)<br />
Inds 17 (-1)<br />
<br />
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/patleahysbp" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/patleahysbp</a><br />
<br />Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-12232564915975281912012-10-27T12:59:00.004-07:002012-10-27T12:59:46.050-07:00What TDs earn: the extras<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08LqbIvE1q81EfthWTxyjSDEkh1IyH-jqmrIMOuTOY8MjMDhJyB5OHYwK-DkokjD00XWgaVL3IIbo2L5x0wKlys-4bW7t7YQHkMK5Rb1Z9GF4VyvV07wpE5ktX09i4zJ1NTHJMhpznY0/s1600/austerityye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh08LqbIvE1q81EfthWTxyjSDEkh1IyH-jqmrIMOuTOY8MjMDhJyB5OHYwK-DkokjD00XWgaVL3IIbo2L5x0wKlys-4bW7t7YQHkMK5Rb1Z9GF4VyvV07wpE5ktX09i4zJ1NTHJMhpznY0/s320/austerityye.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE SALARY for a member of Dáil Éireann is €92,672 and that for a
Senator €65,621. It’s not bad money in the current climate, but the
focus of public resentment in recent days is the expenses and allowances
that go with the jobs, especially at a time when other public-sector
allowances are under scrutiny.<br />
<br />
A Dublin-based TD could have a
package worth almost €200,000, including unvouched expenses and two
secretaries or parliamentary assistants at a combined salary of €70,000,
in the first year after election. With vouched expenses he or she could
be pulling in about €210,000. If the TD lived in a far-flung district
of Co Kerry, extra travel expenses would bring the figure to about
€235,000 – and if the deputy were an Independent there would be €41,152
on top of that, making a total of about €276,000 before tax.<br />
<br />
This
week the clerk of the Dáil, Kieran Coughlan, suggested that Oireachtas
allowances, which are currently subject to policy decisions by Minister
for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin, should be overseen by
an independent body.<br />
<br />
Coughlan told the Committee of Public
Accounts that the total spending on members’ expenses this year will be
about €11.7 million, or 11 per cent of the parliamentary budget – and
that this figure, combined with just under €20 million on salaries,
“represents a tiny fraction – one-thousandth – of total State
expenditure for 2012”.<br />
<br />
All 166 members of the Dáil and 60 Senators
are eligible to receive a public representation allowance, but
Ministers, who get tax relief on a second home if they live outside
Dublin, do not receive the travel and accommodation allowance.<br />
<br />
The
travel allowance is paid to members in bands based on the distance to
Leinster House from their “normal place of residence”. It covers the
cost of travel to and from parliament, overnight stays and, for TDs,
other travel expenses. Senators are paid a lower amount, with no
allowances for constituency travel.<br />
Questions were raised recently
when Joe Higgins, the Socialist Party TD, was allowed expenses for
travelling around the State to promote the anti-household-charge
campaign. Attorney General Máire Whelan SC told Howlin this was a
legitimate claim, but the clerk of the Dáil told the Committee of Public
Accounts this week that the allowance “was always to apply to a Deputy
going to and from Leinster House and around his or her constituency”.<br />
<br />
If
they live less than 25km from the Oireachtas, TDs are allowed €12,000
and Senators €7,000. There are 12 bands, paying different rates, the
maximum being for distances of 360km or more – in those cases TDs can
claim €37,850 and Senators €32,850.<br />
<br />
The public representation
allowance is payable to all members (including Ministers and Oireachtas
office-holders). Members can opt for either the certified unvouched
amount or the fully vouched amount. Members opting for the vouched
amount must retain receipts for the full sum claimed and may be audited.
Currently, TDs can claim€15,000 unvouched or €25,700 vouched; Ministers
and Ministers of State can claim €12,000 unvouched or €20,000 vouched;
and Senators can claim €9,250 unvouched or €15,000 vouched.<br />
The
Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy probably echoed public sentiment when he told
the Committee of Public Accounts this week: “If there is an expense for
a TD or Senator that is not vouched, then it should be vouched.”<br />
<br />
All
backbench TDs are entitled to a full-time secretary. (Ministers and
office-holders have separate arrangements.) Senators are entitled to a
half-time secretary.<br />
There is an additional vouched allowance of
€41,092 for secretarial assistance that TDs can use to employ an extra
person full time or divide among individuals for a range of services,
such as PR, secretarial or computer work.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, a TD can
claim an annual allowance of €8,888.17 unvouched or €11,591 vouched.
Senators have similar options but at reduced rates.<br />
<br />
Less well
known are the additional allowances paid for other positions within the
Houses of the Oireachtas. As of March last year, for example, being the
Fianna Fáil whip brought an extra €19,000; the same post paid €6,000 in
People Before Profit, Sinn Féin and the Socialist Party.<br />
<br />
Assistant
whips also get extra allowances. In the Government the sum is €15,000;
in Fianna Fáil €9,500; in Fine Gael €7,500; in the Labour Party €6,000;
and in Sinn Féin €3,000.<br />
<br />
In the Seanad, as of May this year, the
deputy leader of the house received an additional €9,500; the Government
whip €6,000; the assistant Government whip €4,000; the Fianna Fáil
leader €9,500; the leader of the Independent Group of Nominee Senators
€6,000; the leader of the Independent Group of University Senators
€6,000; the Fianna Fáil Whip €6,000; the Independent Group of Nominee
Senators’ whip €4,000; and the Independent Group of University Senators’
whip €4,000.<br />
<br />
<br />
Read more here<br />
<br />
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2012/1027/1224325772087.html<br />
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-74867322627458642872012-10-27T12:58:00.002-07:002012-10-27T12:58:37.162-07:00State wont need a second bailout - Kenny<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cdn.independent.ie/multimedia/dynamic/01121/ek_456_1121016t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.independent.ie/multimedia/dynamic/01121/ek_456_1121016t.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
IRELAND will not need a second bailout when the current EU-<a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/International_Monetary_Fund">IMF</a> programme ends next year, the Government insists.<br />
<br />
Taoiseach <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Enda_Kenny">Enda Kenny</a> and Tanaiste <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Eamon_Gilmore_%28politician%29">Eamon Gilmore</a> both said Ireland would not need another bailout after a German MP from <a href="http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Angela_Merkel">Angela Merkel</a>'s party raised the possibility.<br />
<br />
It
comes as the Government continues to try and get a deal on our €64bn
bank debt and after the joint statement from Mr Kenny and Ms Merkel last
weekend.<br />
<br />
She accepted that Ireland was a "special case" -- after previously appearing to rule out a write down of its banking debt.<br />
<br />
But
Norbert Barthle, leader of the Christian Democratic Union group on the
Bundestag budgetary affairs committee, said new conditions would apply
if the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) was used to reduce our bank
debt.<br />
<br />
<strong>Headache</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong>
Ireland's bailout came from a
previous fund, which has since been replaced by the ESM. But Mr
Barthle said a deal on bank debt using the new ESM could mean a second
bailout.<br />
"I think it would be necessary to ask for a new programme, with new conditionality directed into the future," he said.<br />
<br />
It is another headache for the Government, which is planning to get out of the bailout deal by the end of next year.<br />
<br />
Its
aim is to "restore economic sovereignty" -- which is not possible as
long as the bailout providers are imposing conditions on spending
decisions and tax policy.<br />
<br />
However, Mr Barthle did make positive remarks about Ireland's current position.<br />
"It
is important for me to say that we are very happy about the way Ireland
goes, Ireland is on the track, we have great confidence in Ireland," he
said.<br />
<br />
Mr Kenny was quick to quash the suggestion, saying that he would not use a "term" like second bailout.<br />
"I
wouldn't envisage a second bailout programme," he said. Mr Kenny said
that discussions on bank debt would take place between eurozone finance
ministers.<br />
<br />
"This is not a sort of troika bailout situation that
applies now. Ireland's banks have been recapitalised at the highest
level, that is a matter of historical record, and that burden has been
put on our public and on our taxpayers," he said.<br />
<br />
Read more here<br />
<br />
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/state-will-not-need-a-second-bailout-taoiseach-3276080.html<br />
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-26904636750481768222012-10-25T11:26:00.005-07:002012-10-25T11:27:03.916-07:00On - Off- On - OFF here we go again, someone wake Euroboy of the year up!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Y7x2e3F9O3C2R3p-GQ02_clDzIQgvVMlxZK0wtKXT3v-dEu8W7amqQ5gITcrz6uU1palaGUe5-NndOOKKeAiNnT_KHbHpN3DHwnYwDjg3-ptMELSY8oKUu3DetgrrO3v-tUFkgPzdZM/s1600/Euro_banknotes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Y7x2e3F9O3C2R3p-GQ02_clDzIQgvVMlxZK0wtKXT3v-dEu8W7amqQ5gITcrz6uU1palaGUe5-NndOOKKeAiNnT_KHbHpN3DHwnYwDjg3-ptMELSY8oKUu3DetgrrO3v-tUFkgPzdZM/s320/Euro_banknotes.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Europe's planned banking union will not help countries with past
banking problems, the Bundesbank's Andreas Dombret said today, dampening
Ireland's hopes of tapping the euro zone rescue fund to help its banks.<br />
<br />
Euro zone leaders said in June the ESM rescue fund would be able to
recapitalise lenders directly once the new banking supervision under the
roof of the European Central Bank was in place, which could aid
Ireland's full return to debt markets.<br />
<br />
But Dombret said the fund could only be used for future losses and
damages, striking a similar tone to finance ministers from Germany, the
Netherlands and Finland, when they last month laid out the terms under
which they would allow the ESM to grant such assistance.<br />
<br />
"No doubt, the banking union is an important building block for a
more stable monetary union. But, as such, it is meant to mitigate future
risks and not to cover past sins," Dombret said in the text of a speech
to be given in Dublin.<br />
<br />
<br />
Read More Here<br />
http://www.businessworld.ie/livenews.htm?a=2998160<br />
<br />Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-26390708084764701992012-10-24T16:01:00.003-07:002012-10-24T16:01:39.419-07:00Enda wins European of the year! You couldnt make this up.At first we thought it was a joke, but it does appear the Germans have made Enda their European of the year.<br />
<br />
Must be all the bending over he does.<br />
<br />
<br />
You would have to wonder if this is the prize Merkel wants to give us instead of a cut in debt.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCOykZBE-GbdO55KYGNab1xDUvKRh1gbiAfFnzpt5zATRjN5pzBEzElScWqu_qqb5gvJ_qK8gIMCJLzOJaWjAF-AOA2yirrSHv7as-bDaIOGGL9fHKNUtvyrgq-dBTiEIMSTh2Sfudxo/s1600/iSeFhdMYSGG4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCOykZBE-GbdO55KYGNab1xDUvKRh1gbiAfFnzpt5zATRjN5pzBEzElScWqu_qqb5gvJ_qK8gIMCJLzOJaWjAF-AOA2yirrSHv7as-bDaIOGGL9fHKNUtvyrgq-dBTiEIMSTh2Sfudxo/s320/iSeFhdMYSGG4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
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TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has been named the ‘European of the Year’ by the association representing German magazine publishers.</div>
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The Taoiseach was this afternoon named as the winner of the ‘Golden Victoria’ award by publishers’ body VDZ.</div>
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In a statement the publishers said they had chosen Kenny as the winner because of his “strong contribution to Europe and commitment to European ideals both as Prime Minister and throughout his many years in public life”.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
They added that the award was intended to acknowledge “the achievements not only of Enda Kenny but Ireland and the Irish people”.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“Ireland’s determined response to the current economic and financial crisis has been widely respected, particularly in view of the genuine hardship being experienced by many Irish people.</div>
<blockquote style="background-color: #eaedf2; background-image: url(data:image/png; background-position: 5px 5px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin: 15px 40px; padding: 10px 10px 10px 40px; quotes: ''; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
This award, however, also acknowledges the unique contribution which Ireland has made to the European project since its accession in 1973.<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Despite being located at the Western edge of continent, the green island has always been at the heart of Europe.</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
Read more here.<br />
<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/enda-kenny-european-of-the-year-golden-victoria-648533-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/enda-kenny-european-of-the-year-golden-victoria-648533-Oct2012/</a><br />
<br />
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-79222837176818498142012-10-24T15:59:00.000-07:002012-10-24T15:59:07.914-07:00Politicians to decide if they get to much expenses.As the government plan to cut welfare to save around 750 Million euro other politicians will decide if anything on what to cut from their expenses which cost the state a staggering 1.5 Billion per year!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>
PAC to examine allowances cuts</h3>
<br />
<br />
The Public Accounts Committee will today begin to examine how to scale back allowances paid to politicians.<br /><br />Every year, a total of €1.5bn euro is paid out to ministers, TDs and senators in both vouched and unvouched expenses.<br /><br />Committee Chairman, Deputy John McGuinness, will be pressing the case for getting rid of unvouched allowances altogether.<br /><br />He says allowances should be fully accountable. as they are in private businesses.<br /><br />"I
have always believed that there should be vouched allowances only, in
other words if you're drawing down an expense you should have a receipt.<br />
<br />
Read more here<br />
<br />
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/pac-to-examine-allowances-cuts-571455.htmlAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-33578795923379353902012-10-24T15:50:00.003-07:002012-10-24T15:50:43.607-07:00Government defeats FF Dáil motion to stop sick pay changes<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
THE GOVERNMENT PARTIES have voted down a Fianna Fáil motion which would have seen the Dáil call on the government not to force employers to cover the sick pay requirements of workers.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Fine Gael and Labour successfully forced through a counter-motion which noted that although no such proposals had come to cabinet yet, the deficit in the Social Insurance Fund for 2012 was likely to exceed €1.8 billion.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
“The Department is required to secure further savings on it’s [sic] programmes of expenditure in Budget 2013 and subsequent Budgets”, the counter-motion – tabled by social protection minister Joan Burton – read.</div>
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“Conscious of the Government’s wish to maintain, as far as possible, vital income supports to the most vulnerable sectors in society, it is necessary for the Government to examine all aspects of Departmental expenditure”, it added.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
The FF motion had come after IBEC and Chambers Ireland called on the government not to proceed with plans first mooted earlier this year, when Burton launched a consultation on the possibility of having employers – and not the state – pick up the bill for the first few weeks’ of sick pay.</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
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Read more here</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 23.399999618530273px; margin-top: 15px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-motion-sick-pay-defeated-648723-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-motion-sick-pay-defeated-648723-Oct2012/</a></div>
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<br /></div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-23281431624115930982012-10-24T15:50:00.000-07:002012-10-24T15:50:10.509-07:00Ombudsman’s role to be extended as Oireachtas approves reform bill<br />
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THE ROLE of the Ombudsman in scrutinising the behaviour of public bodies is to be extended, after the Oireachtas approved a bill extending the number of bodies over which the office has oversight.</div>
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The Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill completed its passage through the Oireachtas yesterday evening and is now likely to be signed into law by President Higgins this weekend.</div>
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The Bill will mean that, for the first time, the Ombudsman will have the power to scrutinise the actions of VECs, universities and colleges, as well as other bodies which had been set up after the Office of the Ombudsman itself – including FÁS and the Courts Service.</div>
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The Bill has also been written such that any public body created in future will automatically fall under the Ombudsman’s remit, unless the legislation setting it up gives it an automatic legal disclaimer.</div>
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The legislation was originally tabled by the last government, and had been cleared through the Dáil in 2010 – but the legislation had not been presented to the Seanad before the government collapsed. It was restored to the Seanad’s agenda last month and has now been approved in its entirety.</div>
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Read more here</div>
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<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/ombudsmans-role-to-be-extended-as-oireachtas-approves-reform-bill-648686-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/ombudsmans-role-to-be-extended-as-oireachtas-approves-reform-bill-648686-Oct2012/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-7493355135068721312012-10-24T15:45:00.001-07:002012-10-24T15:49:06.745-07:00The Letters that screwed us all, Lenihan asks for a bailout.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-12656241747642483982012-10-24T15:42:00.003-07:002012-10-24T15:42:54.380-07:00Teachers protest about unfairness of new wage structureDespite Enda Kenny standing up in the Dail today suggesting the protest outside had nothing to do with wages it clear and obvious to all it had everything to do with wages.<br />
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Teachers protest outside Dail over new wage structure</h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;">THOUSANDS of protesting teachers have warned they will fight further education cuts that target the most vulnerable.</span><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px;">
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Students and newly qualified men and women also joined the rally at the Dail to demand equal pay for equal work after the government slashed their starting salaries.</div>
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Gerry Breslin, president of second-level school union Asti, told about 2,000 supporters that education cuts affect children and young people's lives today and in the future.</div>
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"They affect student well-being and student attainment," he said.</div>
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"They hinder economic recovery.</div>
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"They hurt the vulnerable the most.</div>
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"Our children, our young people, our young teachers are being hurt. It is essential that we send a clear message today. There can be no more cuts to education."</div>
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Anne Fay, president of the Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO), said primary schools were already on the breadline.</div>
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"Education funding has fallen off a cliff in recent years while the system is coping with more and more pupils every year," she said.</div>
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"The school system is at breaking point and we need to send a message to government today that education cuts don't heal."</div>
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Read more here</div>
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<a href="http://www.independent.ie/national-news/teachers-protest-outside-dail-over-new-wage-structure-3271780.html">http://www.independent.ie/national-news/teachers-protest-outside-dail-over-new-wage-structure-3271780.html</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-42358065760568179532012-10-24T15:40:00.001-07:002012-10-24T15:40:27.940-07:00Are the Unions finally about to stand up for the people?<br />
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SIPTU president: Congress should not meet again with Troika</h1>
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SIPTU PRESIDENT JACK O’Connor has described further dialogue between the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) and the Troika as ‘at best, pointless’.</div>
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He made the comments following yesterday’s meeting between Congress representatives and the EU/ECB/IMF in Dublin.</div>
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He commented:</div>
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These meetings serve no useful purpose whatsoever. Indeed, their only motivation is quite clearly to provide some veneer of consultation. The fact of the matter is that these people are simply bagmen for the big European banks who are not interested in hearing any alternatives to their wage devaluation strategy.</div>
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O’Connor said that this “agenda”, “is impoverishing working people in Ireland and across Europe” and is being driven “with relentless ideological zeal and in total disregard for the overwhelming evidence that one sided austerity is not working”.</div>
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<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/siptu-congress-troika-647295-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/siptu-congress-troika-647295-Oct2012/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-29755934451789974522012-10-24T15:38:00.001-07:002012-10-24T15:38:20.189-07:00What did Merkel really say to Enda?<br />
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Taoiseach coy on content of telephone chat with Angela Merkel</h1>
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TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY is remaining coy about the exact matters discussed in his telephone conversation with German chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday, prior to the two leaders issuing an unexpected joint statement.</div>
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Kenny kept his cards close to his chest when pressed on the nature of the conversation by the technical group’s Shane Ross in the Dáil today.</div>
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“Surely you don’t expect me to tell what questions I had for the Chancellor, or what questions the Chancellor had for me,” Kenny remarked.</div>
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The Taoiseach added to Ross, who was speaking from the back row of the opposition benches: “That’s why you’re up there.”</div>
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<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/enda-kenny-angela-merkel-telephone-chat-646910-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/enda-kenny-angela-merkel-telephone-chat-646910-Oct2012/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-2815468430431508172012-10-24T15:37:00.003-07:002012-10-24T15:37:21.335-07:00EU issues €3 billion bond to fund Irish and Portuguese bailouts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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THE EUROPEAN UNION has today issued a €3 billion bond to pay for the latest instalments of the bailouts of Ireland and Portugal.</div>
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One third of the proceeds will fund the €1 billion in loans that were approved to Ireland under the last quarterly review of its bailout programme.</div>
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The bond, which matures in 15 years, achieved an average yield of 2.621 per cent – barely over half of the interest rate that <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/GIGB15YR:IND" style="border: 0px; color: #0090af; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Ireland would be charged</a> to take out a similar loan by itself.</div>
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The funds will be passed on to Ireland and Portugal without any extra profit margin being added by the EU.</div>
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The auction was carried out by the European Commission on behalf of the EU under the European Financial Stability Mechanism.</div>
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<a href="http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/eu-bond-ireland-bailout-646967-Oct2012/">http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/eu-bond-ireland-bailout-646967-Oct2012/</a></div>
Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-69362285588751505432012-10-24T15:36:00.002-07:002012-10-24T15:36:45.785-07:0010 EU states to bring in financial transaction tax legislation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION has agreed to introduce the first step in bringing a financial transaction tax (FTT) to ten EU member states.</div>
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It has been estimated the tax could yield as much as €57 billion if introduced on a EU-wide basis – but concerns remain in Ireland that its introduction could undermine its competitiveness and see jobs transferred to the UK and other countries.</div>
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<a href="http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/10-eu-states-to-bring-in-financial-transaction-tax-legislation-646984-Oct2012/">http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/10-eu-states-to-bring-in-financial-transaction-tax-legislation-646984-Oct2012/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-44320379703907090512012-10-24T15:33:00.005-07:002012-10-24T15:33:58.053-07:00Debt deal best done in Private, just like the past 18 months?Brian Hayes is now telling us that the bank debt deal is best done in Private, Just like you have been doing for the past 18 months Brian?<br />
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When are you actually going to deliver?<br />
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Bank debt deal negotiations best done in private</h1>
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JUNIOR FINANCE MINISTER Brian Hayes has said that negotiations on addressing Ireland’s legacy debt are best done in private.</div>
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Hayes was responding to quotes attributed to a German government spokesperson yesterday that Ireland did not enjoy ‘special status’ when it came to bank debt which appeared to partly contradict a joint statement from Taoiseach Enda Kenny and German chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday.</div>
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The Minister of State said that the debate on whether or not Ireland would get a deal to reduce the burden of its €64 billion bank bailout debt had reached “farcical proportions” and said that the country needed to concentrate <a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/enda-kenny-merkel-joint-statement-644593-Oct2012/" style="border: 0px; color: #006aa0; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">on what was said in the joint statement at the weekend</a>.</div>
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He told <em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">TheJournal.ie</em>: “I just think now is the time where we continue to negotiate and it’s better that these are done, effectively, behind closed doors.”</div>
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In a significant statement issued at the weekend Merkel and Kenny acknowledged that Ireland “is a special case” with regards to the sustainability of its bailout and the June 29 statement from EU leaders which committed to breaking the link between banking and sovereign debt.</div>
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<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/bank-debt-deal-negotiations-646197-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/bank-debt-deal-negotiations-646197-Oct2012/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-34271036012744609502012-10-24T15:31:00.005-07:002012-10-24T15:31:57.110-07:00Now the French think were special, but wheres the deal?<br />
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French president Hollande: Ireland’s bailout is ‘a special case’</h1>
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FRENCH PRESIDENT Francois Hollande has further bolstered Ireland’s hopes of being able to recoup some of the costs of its bank bailout from other Eurozone countries – by describing Ireland as “a special case”.</div>
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The comments from Hollande came at the end of a bilateral meeting between the French president and Taoiseach Enda Kenny, <a href="http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/enda-in-europe-next-up-paris-644795-Oct2012/" style="border: 0px; color: #006aa0; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">who visited Hollande at the Elysse Palace</a> today, a day after speaking by phone with German chancellor Angela Merkel.</div>
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Speaking to reporters afterwards, Hollande echoed Merkel’s comments in a joint communique last night, saying Ireland was “a special case and should be treated as such”.</div>
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Enda Kenny, elaborating on Hollande’s comments, said the ‘special’ aspect of Ireland’s situation was the fact that it had a bailout “imposed” on it as a direct result of the banking collapse, and not necessarily as a result of its fiscal position.</div>
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The Taoiseach said the Irish public had been asked to repay the full debts, with the government not being given the opportunity to impose losses on its sovereign bondholders.</div>
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Both Merkel and Hollande’s comments about Ireland being a “special” case refer to the deal reached by the three leaders, in conjunction with their 24 counterparts from elsewhere in the EU, at the European Council on June 29.</div>
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That deal saw leaders agree to improve the terms of Ireland’s bailout, and simultaneously to “break the link between banking and sovereign debt”.</div>
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Ireland has spent €64.1 billion so far on rescuing the country’s banks, of which €34.7 billion has been spent on IBRC, the successor to the defunct Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide.</div>
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<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/francois-hollande-ireland-special-case-645810-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/francois-hollande-ireland-special-case-645810-Oct2012/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-77278713091590330912012-10-24T15:21:00.004-07:002012-10-24T15:21:49.432-07:00More Government Spin over Jobbridge?<br />
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Over half of JobBridge finishers are in paid employment</h1>
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SOME 52 PER CENT OF JOBBRIDGE participants are currently in paid employment after fully completing their internships, according to a report published by Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton.</div>
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Burton said the figure was “one of the best outcomes in Europe for work placement programmes”.</div>
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“JobBridge was a pillar of the government’s Jobs Initiative,” she said. “It’s goal is to help people seeking emplyment to gain valuable work experience and enhance their prospects of getting a job.”</div>
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54.1 per cent of those who undertook their internships in the private sector have secured employment while 49.9 per cent of those who had their placement in the public sector have secured jobs.</div>
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The report also showed that the take-up of the scheme has been particularly strong in the SME sector with this sector accounting for 58 per cent of all placements to date.</div>
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51.6 per cent of non-graduate interns have secured employment after finishing their placement and 89.3 per cent of interns felt the scheme has given them new skills.</div>
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The proportion of interns who failed to complete their placements was high with 3,297 or 59 per cent of participants ending their internship before the scheduled timeframe. However the report said the main reason for early completion was that they secured employment.</div>
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One third of participants cited dissatisfaction with their placement as a reason for finishing their internship early.</div>
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<a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/jobbridge-644724-Oct2012/">http://www.thejournal.ie/jobbridge-644724-Oct2012/</a></div>
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Adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08356388375689056767noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3752324556097118418.post-21428737893600602332012-10-24T15:20:00.002-07:002012-10-24T15:20:48.784-07:00Over 1.3 million adults have less than €50 left after monthly bills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION adults in Ireland have less than €50 left over after paying essential bills each month.</div>
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According to the latest Irish League of Credit Union’s What’s Left? income tracker, disposable incomes have continued to fall in the past six months.</div>
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There has also been an increase of 18,000 in the number of working adults with nothing left at the end of the month after bills are paid. Those living on €100 or less has risen to 1.9 million.</div>
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And looking ahead to winter, households are worried about heating costs and Christmas expenses.</div>
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About 70 per cent of respondents said they are unable to save money, the highest level recorded since the research began last year, and more than half of adults are now struggling to pay their bills on time.</div>
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Altogether, 42 per cent of consumers have had to borrow money to pay bills over the past year. This figure has also risen since the June data was released. Of those who reached out for loans, 58 per cent turned to family and friends for help, while 24 per cent used credit union services.</div>
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The TV licence, bin charges and television and telephone bills are the most likely to be put off.</div>
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During each month, utility bills are now the second most expensive essential bill (behind mortgages/rent) and eight in ten people are worried that they will not be able to cope with increasing energy costs this winter.</div>
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<a href="http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/over-1-3-million-adults-have-less-than-e50-left-after-monthly-bills-642664-Oct2012/">http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/over-1-3-million-adults-have-less-than-e50-left-after-monthly-bills-642664-Oct2012/</a></div>
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