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PRESIDENT MICHAEL D Higgins has said that it is important that the pressure experienced by people due to austerity do not result in the “erosion of the hard-won rights of citizens”.
Higgins was speaking at a reception for the new European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly at Áras an Uachtaráin today. Higgins said her election was “a great tribute to the enormous dedication she brought to her role as Ireland’s Ombudsman and Information Commissioner over many years”.
The president said that the difficult dilemma that has faced European governments is the requirement to take difficult decisions to address fiscal and financial challenges with the imperative of not eroding citizens’ rights that are at the heart of a just society.
He said that a regrettable trend is the acceptance of a view that politics, society and the economy are separate from each other.
We must forensically examine the connections that exist between our economies, our societies and our administrative systems and ensure those connections do not become, or remain, issues for determination by narrow elites of market ideologies. The nature of the interconnection between economy, society and government is a profoundly important issue that impacts on the welfare of all our citizens and its central to maintaining the health and legitimacy of democracy in Europe.
He added that at the heart of O’Reilly’s work as Ombudsmen is the realisation that we must make room for the participation and welfare of all the people within our society, including those on the margins, the poor, the weak and the disadvantaged.
“The relationship between citizens and the public bodies which serve their needs is critical to the achievement of an inclusive citizenship,” he told her.
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Austerity has already eroded the rights of the people of this country and continues to do so everyday.
Higgins kenny noonan and all the other untouchables wakey wakey your decisions have crippled the normal people of ireland . Can you guys say no to the bankers at least once !
Example?
There’s no example of them saying no to a banker.
james for the life of me i can not understand why these politicians have let these banksters destroy our country and not one of them in jail.
It’s FG FF The Labour Party and now SF wanting to protect the elite in this country , the reason no banker is in Jail is because they could take half the TD’s with them
Career politicians, Bankers, Media bosses and most of the legal profession have to keep the system as is so they can all profit and remain at the top of the social scene at expense of the rest of the population.
We are living in an very undemocratic country now where 99% of the politicians including FG and Labour have no voice or impact due to the whip system, and as a result we are all being dictated to by no more than 4 very untrustworthy men aided by the Irish media, and are all in the pocket of the unelected board of the ECB.
Mr President its time to take back our country
Still wondering what rights have been damaged by government spending cuts.
I can safely tell the President that the link between the people and the government is being eroded by the one who claims to feel our pain.
Kerry’s got a personal obsession with Enda Kenny. Almost every post she makes seems to be on an article mentioning him, or an article such as this where she brings him in to the debate. Strange.
Ryan, Kenny and austerity fit together would have thought that was fairly clear seeing as he is the leader of what passes as a government? Or do you think we should just pretend Enda is not responsible for the austerity measures that are helping to disadvantage our sick, school children and those with a physical or mental disability?
Ryan Ash, if our Taoiseach made difficult decisions they would be to remove all perks (attendance money, constituency extras, extravagant unvouched expenses), from the higher paid civil servants like himself. He would then be the best example of a public servant and would be the most popular leader ever in this little tax haven among ordinary voters. It isn’t always about giving to the poor but sometimes taking from the rich to make the country run properly for all it’s citizens.
It is hard to listen to a man talking about austerity and him on a minimum of a quarter of a million euro plus pensions! Socialism ???????
I would never have voted McGuinness, but I remember Higgins face on the TV debate when McGuinness said if elected he would take the average industrial wage and direct the remainer be put directly to job creation and not into the EU/IMF loan pot.
It is hard to listen to a man talking about austerity and him on a minimum of a quarter of a million euro plus pensions! Socialism ???????”
What he practises is not Socialism – he is a Neo – con – just like the rest of them .
Socialists do not live in palaces while the rest of the population suffers – and they do not obey the whims of the Rich as this miserable POS does .
Yes it does work. The question you must ask is who is benefiting from Austerity in Ireland.
Our children and grandchildren as they will be burdened with less debt
Youneek you heard what happened aboutt the “promissory note”?
@ Norman, obviously I am going to have to explain to you the impact of inflation on money like fr ted explaining to Dougal about the size of cows and distance?
The amount of red thumbs just reflects the number of deluded fools
This is the exact mentality that got us into this mess from YouNeek…
@ nikki, you are not making any sense whatsoever, you think austerity caused the housing and credit bubble? Are you on medication or simply utterly confused?
Neek, you are forgetting that Germany insists on these policies to prevent inflation. If EU would just print money like individual nations used to do, there would be no financial crisis. Trying to maintain a currency value to German standards is at the heart of the troubles and one of the root causes of half of Europe being in dire straits.
@ Brian, that would certainly be part of a more balanced solution, I completely agree. One problem though we don’t control the ECB so it’s irrelevant and Germany has already been through its austere economic years after unification. They aren’t keen on doing so soon again.
That is why he flew back from Italy at a moments notice to sign the Anglo debts over the the irish people. Is this is the type of inclusive citizenship he is talking about?
At last I have found someone who thinks the same as me. Higgins flew back on the private jet to sign the private gambling debt of bankers onto the backs of the very people he claims to be representing. After doing that he flew back at great expense on the private government jet to a Roman party. How apt.
‘It is important that austerity does not erode the rights of citizens ‘
We have plenty of rights:
The right to pay tax
The right to pay prsi
The right to pay vat
The right to pay a tv license
The right to purchase water off the state
The right to pay increased electricity charges
The right to pay increased gas charges
The right to pay increased petrol charges
etc.
Where have you been for the last 5 years?
Licence not ‘license’.
The right to purchase water of hedge funds or “hedgies” as they are known in the trade ,might be more accurate !
Although State” does seem to fall within that category ; certain Organs it would seem at any rate !
Dear President Higgins, can you give us a similar sized list of our rights that don’t involve direct payment to the state.
We have the right to pay Mickey D’s fat salary, perks and pension. Sorry pensionS!
Austerity doesn’t work
Austerity works, But only if you already have money. Economics 101 make the rich richer..
Higgins is a good man with integrity if say Gilmore would live to put a mussel on him
And garnish him with a few prawns and scallops.
Lol! Good one Sheik!!
He’s a waster like all politicians well paid bollox talker and you need to waken up or cop on
We need a leader to shout stop!!!
Instead we get well meaning, but totally ineffectual speeches and backslapping.
Come on Higgin’s. Let’s see some fire. Break ranks and join the people.
Well saidNiall, a younger Higgins definitely would !
Yes let’s just spend spend spend, like the Celtic tiger days……oh wait that’s exactly what got us into this mess. And you want to do more of the same.
News flash: the rest of the world will no longer finance a Celtic tiger lifestyle, we have to live within our means
Is this the man who couldn’t get back to Ireland quick enough to legalise gambling debts? Go away Higgins. You’re only a puppet in the grand scheme of things
YouNeek ; do you know what’s a big drain on public finances , bakers who are effectively Civil Servants , exceeding the salary cap for civil servants.
Most of them are running businesses at a huge loss and some “bankers” are former developers ; well they are getting paid out of the public purse for a bank that’s owned by the public;
maybe if these wages were brought into line then there wouldn’t be as many Celtic moments !
I smell a blue shirt fg labour lout oh that’s you
It must be great to continuously utter non effective statements as you sit back and enjoy the show and do nothing to effect change.
Get inside Michael QUICK!! They’re about to mow the lawn. RRUUUNNN!!!
Brilliant!
Oh musha, I can’t run sure my leg is still a bit Tammy.
Says your man, on how much much?
No, it is important that the EU does not erode the rights of Irish citizens, so gtfo. Hopefully SF will burn ye all.
Higgins, do the decent thing and resign.
Seems like it’s already too late An Taoiseach!
Pesky hobbittss’
Champagne socialists my love….
This genius has lost all credibility in my view fine rhetoric but no actions ! He is President of the people of Ireland or is he , our constitution would say no , it is Billy McGuire who is our President ? Who has the answers to this ????
I love my pug !!! Hahahaha!!
Does anyone pass any remarks on little Mickey?
Very presidential of the man but I dont think he has to worry about the esb bill or how to explain to his kids that they cant have an ice cream or a bar of chocholate as their parents have no spare money.
Try telling that to your cronies running the Scam Bridge exploitation. From your €200k a year post. In Aras an Uachtarain. Socialist my arse.
Right on Enola. This little f*cker sickens me to my core
There are no ‘rights’ without the money to spend on them. Lefty nonsense from a lefty president.
What does the world think when they see this embarrasing little gollem.
In fairness, the man is a brilliant orator and very gifted with words; I think you are out of line to describe him as an ‘embarrassing little gollem’ (spelt Gollum incidentally). I heard him speak at the National Famine Commemoration a few months back and thought he presented himself very well and said some very insightful things on the topic of the day.
Having said that, the thoughts he has expressed above ring a tad hollow when, firstly, he is meant to adhere to socialist principles and yet hasn’t taken any meaningful action to help our most disadvantaged and, secondly, that he’s earning a wage that most people could hardly dream of for a role that is largely ceremonial. He expressed his thoughts very well but that is scant comfort to those he is talking about.
Just all lip service my friend.how would he know about hardship
President Smeagol (millionaire by the way) hasnt walked in a working mans shoes for decades… if ever
They think he should be a stand up blue comic like Roy ‘Chubby’ Brown.
It’s austerity or the highway, who’s paying for everything, it ain’t the Irish tax man, what money he has is going to keep all the scroungers happy and Germany’s paying for the rest.
Germany can afford to not the Irish on the breadline
Im foaming at the mouth what the f…k else can it do and they are suppose to the learned ones
The last time this country saw real men was in 1916.
Anyone who makes that kind of BS statement, knowing what he knows, is a clown! That’s an insult to the intelligence of the people of Ireland.
This just confirms for me that he clearly has no regard for any of the “little people” if you’ll pardon the pun!
Spit it out Michael… don’t be so circumspect.
That the State can raid every Family Home for tax to payoff bank debt and raid pay and pensions if people refuse is outrageous in a modern Democracy.
Italian Voters restored their Democracy by scrapping their odious Local Property Tax on their Family Homes.
Irish voters can do likewise. Your job to enlighten them.
——————————-
FB/LocalPropertyTax
We have rights? When did that happen.
If we do have rights it’s only for as long as it’s not inconvenient for the Govt.
Most responses here prove the innate fallibility of democracy
It seems nobody likes youneek, for no reason at all. I would take the hint. Maybe I’m wrong!
Creepy little yoke
Well Mr. President how do you propose to balance the books without “austerity”?
“We must forensically examine the connections that exist between our economies, our societies and our administrative systems and ensure those connections do not become, or remain, issues for determination by narrow elites of socialist ideologies.”
We are being invaded by the new imperialists. The rich get richer. Rights have been and will continue to be eroded.
Wee Mickey talking bollox as usual he’s full of it
This hobbit is talking through his thoin.
y
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