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THE TAOISEACH RAISED eyebrows last week when he said “very much so” in response to a question about whether he was worth his €3,500-a-week salary.
The response drew criticism in some quarters though it should be pointed out that Enda Kenny has taken two pay cuts since he took office in 2011.
When we had the Taoiseach into TheJournal.ie yesterday we asked him to explain why he’s worth his €185,350 annual salary and also whether he’d take another pay cut:
The full interview with Enda Kenny will be online this lunchtime.
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He seems to be doing a lot of interviews all of a sudden
Yeah he’s acting like there is an election on the horizon or something.
Bit early for electioneering it’s not till next spring maybe his going to pull it earlier
He is on a loser, no matter when he calls it. There is no pain, on 3,500 a week.
Referendum. You’d hope he’d be be in. Public eye campaigning for a yes
Why is it taking so long to post the interview? Are FG doing an editorial review of it before it goes public? This interview was done yesterday and is not available until ‘lunchtime’ today..
Ok enda take another pay cut
I wish the journal would not have published a picture of that man so early in the morning.
I used to hate the ugly snout and big nose of Bart Ahern,which was never out of the newspapers or TV channels, but I find that more and more I am beginning to feel the same about Mr Clean Cut Schoolteacher,particularly after listening to his own brand of waffle.
Ditto the Howlin/Rabbite Axis.
http://i61.tinypic.com/34njt39.jpg
Structured interviews. Not a hope of him going up against matt cooper or Vincent browne.
Wow He earns almost as much as the Chief of the new Childrens Protection Agency!!
Yes..another pay cut…say back to about €80k a year.. Ya wouldn’t go hungry on that money and sure if you’re in politics to serve the people, you’d be happy to do it wouldn’t ya?
The first thing a politician does after getting elected, is to ensure that they get re-elected.
The teaching position is always held for them. It’s in the law. That’s why so many of them are teachers.
Reminds me of the gym ringing up members a few days before the first anniversary of their opening. “Hi, just wondering how your getting on in the gym, do you need any help?” Oh, btw your membership is up in a few days and we’d love your €€€!
I’d love to see enda live for a few mts on minimum wage
Why does he insist his salary was cut by 40%. Either he is lying or he can’t do maths . when he took office his salary was €214.187 and its now €185.350. Now that’s not 40. % cut. So Mr taoiseach why lie to the electorate. That’s less than €30.000 pay cut. Not 40%.
Find it funny that his salary is know to the country and the cuts that were taken but somehow he keeps saying 40%. Really can’t figure that out. But its twice now in just over a week he has said 40% and that’s obviously a lie.
This November, you heard it here first!
When has he accepted a brown envelope?? Disagree with him all you like, that’s your right, but at least disagree with him on real issues.
If you have proof he took Brown envelops I’d like to see it
a teacher that cant work out a %. enda when will you scrap the school holidays for the dail and actuly work a full year like everyone else
€214.187 and its now €185.350 = reduction of 13.5%
There are a lot of kids out there who should count themselves lucky, that they haven’t got this idiot, Kenny for a teacher.
The Taoiseach says he’s “very much” worth his salary of about €3,500 per week – €185,000 per year.
Enda Kenny was asked about his pay level at the launch of the Government’s Low Pay Commission to advise on the minimum wage.
The eight-person Commission will report back in July – and the Taoiseach says the current rate of €8.65 per hour will be changed ‘incrementally’ over time.
Heres the salaries of his staff:
Mark Kennelly Chief of Staff €156,380
Andrew McDowell Special Advisor to the Taoiseach €156,380
Paul O’Brien Special Advisor to the Taoiseach €81,676
Angela Flanagan Special Advisor to the Taoiseach €81,676
Mark O’Doherty Special Advisor to Chief Whip €81,676
Sarah Moran Personal Assistant to the Taoiseach €74,973
Theresa Diskin Personal Assistant to the Taoiseach €67,074
Gerard Deere Personal Assistant to the Taoiseach €65,000
Miriam O’Callaghan Personal Assistant to the Taoiseach €65,186
John Lohan Personal Secretary to the Taoiseach €42,760
AnneMarie Durcan Personal Secretary to the Taoiseach €42,760
Claire Urquhart Personal Secretary to the Chief Whip €46,935
Colum Coomey Personal Assistant to the Chief Whip €47,304
Feargal Purcell Government Press Secretary €115,431
Cathy Madden (on maternity leave) Deputy Government Press Secretary and Head of Government Information Service €93,297
Derek McDowell Deputy Government Press Secretary and Head of Government Information Service €93,297
Joanne Lonergan Assistant Government Press Secretary €87,258
40% from the heady heights of Bertie’s salary. And I think FF dropped it by about 30% during their term when the poop hit the fan. Should of had an auto 70% drop.
The puke inducer is big Phil at any time of the day. Followed by iPhone Joan.
Change the record Richard
What about “Enda’s €50k hometown aide to boost local profile” ???
here a great idea pay them all the national average the entire government, if thats not an incentive to improve pay across the board i dont know what is
Nobody wants to see it.
I agree take another paycut and pay for your trips abroad to Davos out of your own pocket and not ours
- Wait till ye hear this….!!
Enda has taken on yet ANOTHER personal assistant, – “Castlebar Fine Gael party activist Jack O’Donnell recently landed the plum role as the Taoiseach’s personal local media liaison and is busily rebuilding Mr Kenny’s image in his hometown.”
“A spokesman for the Taoiseach confirmed Mr O’Donnell’s appointment and insisted he was “eminently qualified” for €50,204-a-year position.”
No wonder we haven’t a penny, – with all these parasites.
He is worth €3,500 because the Chosen One banksters, Goldman Sachs who are giving Ireland “free” advice, told him so.
I find it hilarious that Ireland as a country cant actually govern itself. The Irish are utterly incapable of running a country, that’s why nothing, absolutely nothing works in it as it should. Elected representatives and Irish leaders don’t actually do anything. They are so incapable they have to employ ‘advisers’ and ‘consultants’ generally from the UK to do everything for them, and to tell them what to do and say. Ireland is a banana republic.
So basically Enda does very little himself.
Thats a lot of money on special advisors. Can he not think for himself?
€50k a year is fck all
even very little is a lot for enda
Ping,
The Irish could run a country, the problem is the shysers who go for it, the same family’s and nepotism hold sway. Meanwhile Irish entrepreneurs like Michael Smurfit run rings around the international competition. Not saying we want capitalists running the show, pointing out how Irish people are world beaters, what we want are people who feel honoured to serve the people of this country, not effers who serve the EU with a view to a place in the history books.
Elections will be called by May…
If he believes he’s worth that kind of money why does he need so many advisers on equally obscene amounts of money.
I’ve taken three wage cuts as prices soar. Now I’ve nothing left after the week. Pay day is depressing to say the least. I ROBOT
We are in a deflationary economy, prices are dropping – except property
Cost of living has increased.
It hasn’t.
In 8 years, all taxes have risen direct and indirect. New taxes been added. Utilities bill have risen, cost of food has risen cost of petrol is on par at the moment but it was and will be alot more again. And in most house has dropped sharply most people between ten and 30%. Deflation of 1% is not worth a w##k when your wages is Down 25% and and everything else up 15%
Deflation and prices rises is an oxymoron. Electric prices have dropped recently. Food prices have lowered. White and brown goods have dropped in price. Clothes too.
I don’t know where you shop but i have less at the end of the week than I had last year. If Dziadek has some spare cash left over I will open a a/c in my local bank & you can deposit some of your extra money you seem to have into it as i would love just to be able to pay my bills as they come in the door & not wornder where i’m going to find the money.
sorry about the spelling mistakes before the spelling toll comments
Troll
Where are prices dropping? My gas or electricity bill has not dropped yet my usage has, my food bill has not dropped yet I buy less, my car insurance has risen and petrol has dropped a little but due to get dearer again and train fares I have to pay for my son to get to college have increased and I consider myself lucky I own my home and mortgage is paid, I didn’t waste money or over spend or re mortgage my house in the good times but I’m still paying the price of the bank bail out and my husband has had a 40% pay cut before all the increased taxes, this country is a bloody joke
Clive .. Take rent out of the equation.. Cost of living has fallen along with oil prices. Get the facts right !!
It bloody has…food prices have gone up overall, a night out costs too much, holidays are expensive, and transport costs are ridiculous. Everything is rising except wages, can you understand that?
Meant that comment above to Dziadek Uncaged but journal replies are strange sometimes, as I did hit reply to their comment, but it didn’t appear under it….
I have some brown goods to drop on you Dziadek….
are you talking about Ireland Dziadek? Get your head out of the sand. Seriously???
It’s weird to think that, at some point, you were a baby called Clive. Who the f*ck calls a baby Clive??
Uncaged are you Jim Power in disguise lad. Have you looked at your electricity bill lately lower use higher bill the price of half decent food is up rearing children is off the charts water tax now another bill. Micheal Noonan smug as ever harping on about tax intake VAT and other levvys all over the place gimme a break. Its a f£€$ing robbery a circus and were the clowns . I do my job do it well paying other spoofers debts is all me and the good folk of Ireland are good for ya. They can stick Tha water tax up their jaxie let the gold plated pensions of liars and vagabonds pay for it. Snakes and fakes bossing us around on behalf of bankers in other countries. Paying their debts f£€$ing robbery . Be all you can be they tell you as they put the boot on your throat. Snakes and fakes the worst kind of arseholes in my book.
Will the journal be doing a report on this story due to its importance?
http://directdemocracyireland.ie/household-charge-defeated-in-court/
It’s the morning of the 6th, this was yesterday. Give it time
For safety reasons, I don’t think I’ll start holding my breath yet Charles!!
It’s too late most people have paid and they will not get their money back.
nice if they defeated the property tax as well,any chance?
Direct democracy Ireland is a great idea if it wasn’t closely tire to Christian politics and the likes of declan ganley
They “defeated” nothing. I just read that article. Absolute rubbish being told both legally and in general terms. I wouldn’t advise anyone to waste their time going to revenue expecting to collect a refund cheque.
Do you want to explain further Alan? I’m only going on what I’ve read in that article, and it seems that Mayo council dropped the case.
Why did they drop it? I can guarantee it’s not because the council feared it was “unconstitutional” as the article suggests. Also, the judge will have just struck the thing out when asked to do so by the plaintiff, in this case the council. It’s no indication of what the Judge thought of the merits of the case. Also Mary Devins is a District Court judge, not Circuit. Also, the law underpinning the household charge has a presumption of constitutionality and only the high court can overturn that now. Also, even if the judge did find, for some reason, that the household charge was a defective piece of legislation, that would not bar any other court from deciding otherwise as decisions of district court don’t cause legal ‘precedent’ to be set and aren’t binding on any other court. So this was no “test case” as the article suggests. Also, the man involved in this case isn’t “protected by law” going forward regarding the supposed “unenforceablility” of the charge. Nothing in this case was determined one way or the other, the thing was just withdrawn, for what real reason we don’t know. What’s in this article is utter drivel and I hope no gullible people end up thinking they’re saved by it.
Well going by what you said above, and very well put I might add, it’s a case of wait and see. If the charge was water tight, I believe the council would have fought it. There must be some flaw in it, and no doubt will be changed to avoid any further cases like this. I’ll be interested to see what happens going forward.
Have to agree alan. Well put I was going to argue it but to be fair you put it better than I could :)
His expenses far out weigh his wages believe me .. The days of expense accounts for TDs has to end . Every body else pay there way to work on a fraction of what TDS get .. It’s a joke
I wouldn’t let the clown on jobsbridge!!
New tie! fair play
Not tight enough, and the knot could do with an alteration…
He is not worth €3500 a week or even €500 a week.
Oh but he is – to the hidden snakes who suck on Irish eggs !
Fionnuala Kenny just worked for Charlie Haughey – she didn’t pick up any habits or anything at all at all …
Charlie loved tapping phones and manipulating people – His friend Been Dunne took Cocaine and partied with prostitutes ….Birds of a cuckoo will still be a cuckoo no matter what bird rears them !
The reason why there’s deflation is because people have been taxed and cut to the bone by the government and now they don’t have money to spend so prices fall causing deflation, in most economies this happens because people hold onto their money saying sure it might be cheaper next week but in Ireland paddy says sure if I save for a few months I might have money to buy the child that toy she keeps asking for! It’s not that we are all holding onto our money it’s that we don’t have disposable income to spend
It’s the usual isn’t it. The squeezed middle are basically told that they don’t understand economics. Kenny has probably convinced himself that his wage is justified based on “trickle down”. And many economists with an open mind have been willing to look at this trickle down notion; many now see that “you don’t understand” is an easy way to not admit that when middle classes are comfortable, the economy is comfortable overall.
He dose not lead this country or make any decision
He is just puppet that is told what to say and do just like Higgens
Cut his pay again ….by another 40% ….
And he is still NOT worth it !.
He’s brazen out. ….
Haven’t watched the video yet. He’s talking a serious amount of rubber.
Ah Bill, it’s less than a minute. At least give it a watch before commenting.
He says he’ll take another pay cut if he’s asked same as anyone else. Well im asking him to take a pay cut here and now. Can you forward my request to him Journal? You have more access to him than i do
Will you take a pay cut too? Just askin’ like…
Paycut? Why not do it on jobsbridge?
Mines been decimated as is and still i contribute to both his salary and his pensions
I’m sure you’re worth it Enda.
(To your inbred, psychopathic, demonic, elitist, puppet masters)
Its drivel
Hugh – Answering that question alone, this man is not in the real World .
If he was in the private sector , running a business or a corporate , on his inept performance alone , judging his huge level of porkies and faux pas , he would have been fired from his job long ago.
It’s a nonsense to say that he would be earning anything like this salary – none of us that are running our own businesses, are drawing a fraction of this – otherwise, it would bankrupt our businesses !
This man has never really lived in the real World – has he ?
Why is Enda also telling us porkies claiming he took a 40% reduction in salary ? Or is he just useless at Math or simple Sums ?
Tell us 5 points why you deserve that salary?
Of he took a 40% reduction in salary I think that that woujd be more like it along with the rest of them in there. Salaries should never have got that high. Sure I could do that job with so many advisers around me, he just does and says what they tell him to – puppet ….and those telling him what to do aren’t even Irish!
The salary thing is the perfect red herring for an interview like the one we’re going to see. It gives the impression that Hugh will be giving a hard hitting interview, but Kenny knows exactly how to answer it. And while we all focus on his pay, we will miss all the things that we should be focusing on.
Enda the only pay cut I want you to take is to resign and turn down the pension.
Well Hugh with you and your inability to be unbiased I doubt this interview will give Enda a hard time …therefore I wont watch it as it will probably make my blood boil.I’ve no doubt your from a long line of FG supporters , how can you still condone this joke of a man and his gov , you should move to RTE , with the rest of the reporter’s who dont give a toss about their people …past , present or future or about their country …if you feel the mood of the public your mad to keep writing like you do !!.
Well Una…..today’s journalists only write stuff puts bread on the table. VB was right when he called them cowards.
Well Una, you should at least watch it before passing judgment. It’ll be online at 1pm.
Why 1pm Hugh? You must have a lot of footage if it’s taking that long to edit. I look forward to seeing all the different camera angles
You try living on that measly wage with a sh!te load of advisors
When he does an interview with Vincent Browne that’s when people will give him respect.
Maybe he will do Vincents peoples debate when it comes Mayo
I have a lot of time for Vincent, but not “the people’s debate” – a big shouting echo chamber mess.
So you like controlled media but not the public having a say – Just as I thought Search !
Nuremburg would suit your tastes this time of year !
You should take a trip over !
“So you like controlled media but not the public having a say”
I like it when Vincent Browne briefs himself and exposes people who don’t know what they’re talking about. The whole appeal of VB is that he has generally done his homework and fact-checked whatever bilge comes out of the mouth of a spouter on his show.
I don’t like it when a group of people either start shouting over each other or ask loaded questions, then clap when someone spouts some meaningless vacuity that chimes with whatever personal vendetta they’ve brought with them. Sadly most “audience participation” debate shows fall into some variation on that theme.
We don’t take you seriously either, Enda
Dear Journal, the real story is not one man on 3500 per week. From the day he took office his main job has been keeping as many of the golden circle of bankers, lawyers, accountants, pr firms, hsc mgmt and civil servants on as much over 100k pa as they can swipe from a bankrupt country. End of job, end of story.
I am more concerned about the level of pension he will receive from the state when he can no longer claim to be contributing anything.
It’s a disgrace that people who are paid huge salaries from public funds should then receive huge pensions from public funds. Let them receive the basic state pension on retirement: they can contribute to a pension fund from their own resources while working.
I can remember enda driving by me in his “mammy wagon” a few years ago. I remember saying to herself there’s that FG chap he seems like he might be a decent leader…….. I’ve learned a lot since then.
He is worth €2000 a week if even that.
I would be surprised if we see an incisive, probing interview asking tough but fair questions. Thejournal has shifted over the last few years (the most recent low was the interview with the IW representative, but I think this interview will top even that one). Warning signs are its release being delayed by so long and the clip that we have where we can see what seems like a nearly rehearsed answer.
Thejournal don’t really care, though. They want clicks for their story as they can charge higher ad rates.
Every td should have to publish their p60
THAT COMES IN A BROWN ENVELOPE AS WELL LOL.
He’s just a catamite for EU big boys. EUnuch Kenny!
Go away, Kenny, you are a thundering disgrace!
This story has 11,438 views but according to youtube the video has only 7 views,says it all really.
Please take a pay cut.
Michael D Higgins and John Delaney would make a more interesting article.
With the toxic mindset in Ireland against all politicians you could pay 20,000 a week and most people would still not want the job.
Yet I haven’t heard any party say they cannot attract potential candidates.
odd that they are already selecting candidates for the next GE if its that bad so john….
That’s why he said ‘most people’
Politicians should earn the average worker’s wage. If they find themselves unable to live on that, then it’ll show them how normal people live. They can always get a job in their community or a charity to supplement their income if they really need to.
They call themselves public servants, it’s absolutely farcical. They leech off of the money that we earn, we are their servants, they just pretend otherwise.
Indeed. However, politicians are merely the top of the pile of leeches. The banks need no real explanation, but the majority of the problem with our budget comes from, for example, engorging our teachers will world-class salaries for mediocre education, puffing up the management layer of an already bloated HSE, and the cost of our welfare system. All while the people who actually fund this largesse, are cut to pieces with 51% taxes on every single penny above ~35k.
Search – It was a political decision to attack the history of our heroes in school – and don’t think I have missed the Roman lie being perpretated through the National Schools !
€3,500-a-week salary for what to appease bondholders, banksters, to bring in new taxes and charges like USC, A HEALTH CHARGE, a bin weight charge, a property charge, water charges and a talk about a charge for abandoned buildings on farm land and all the government spin is a cut in normal taxes and yet there is going to be a cut reported in the single mother payment in July.
Why would anyone be worth €3,500-a-week salary and then there is T.T.I.P.
His pension is more of a concern to me!
TEACHERS OR GOVERNMENTAL PENSION?
There’s not one of them clowns in the Dail worth the money they get
The man couldn’t answer the question when it was proposed to him originally! Sending him off to sit down with highly paid advisers to give him a scripted response to the same question only sums up the fact the man is overpaid incompetent and useless and this video is a waste of Internet space.
If he was good at his job no-one would care what wage he’s on.
“We’ve all taken cuts” – that’s what all politicians say and shrug their shoulders when they’re being told that little babies are being turned away from life saving hospital treatments because they don’t exist here…..remember that and vote with it in mind.
Is he Bertie in disguise !!!
The F iddlers G reed party have destroyed and divided the Nation. I drove from Kerry to Dublin this past week stopping off at various towns and the number of empty shops, hotel/B&Bs and pubs is staggering.
One particular retail outlet in Roscrea that I do business with opens weekends and Thur/Fri afternoons only.
The extreme right are looking after the extremely wealthy and leaving the rest of society behind.
Will the government give us back our €100 household charge(or in my case €200)as this charge was defeated yesterday in a County Mayo court?
That explains every thing…
The fact that his wage has been cut twice sums up the entire Irish political problem here.
Shameless. Gerry Adams is brought in and dragged over the coals and asked if he goes to Confessions while Enda is brought in and asked why he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Shocking stuff from Hugh O’Connell.
As CEO of Ireland limited I think yes it should be well paid position
Limited he is
Sound.
Would anyone commenting like to do his job instead?
yup. piece of pi$$.
Would he like to do his job Marcus?
I meant Mark….
With that money surely d fook he could get a decent haircut and stop getting his tánaiste to do it
In fairness to him, one of the first things he did when coming into power was cut his own and all other politicians salaries almost in half from what the FF boyos were paying themselves. In terms of being worth it, for a political salary in comparison to other countries it’s definitely at the higher end of the scale (still, even after the cuts), but on the flip side of that, he’s the CEO of a multi billion euro economy and earns a fraction of what CEOs of large private companies would earn.
Anything over 100,000 euro in this country is considered “too much”, which is why we encourage our government to actively destroy the incomes of such people.
That said, I would like to see if Mr Kenny could get a similarly-paid role in the private sector.
Lads I’m not a blue shirt, I support no party but the country is recovering.. I notice I’m starting to get bit more work .. I’m self employed!! Get up off your couch & start working , stop thinking everyone should take a pay cut to pay u to sit at home .
The Ushers in Leinster house, on salaries of 24,000-34,000 per yr, have just had cuts of 5.6% imposed on them. How about that for a “recovery” . A Lab TD drives an extra couple of miles to claim 25,000 in travel expenses alone. Try justifying that caprtain.
Good boy captain, bend over
See what happens if you or one of your children gets really ill (as a self employed person I am sure you know the dangers captain), god forbid and I am not wishing it on you or anyone – I commend your enthusiasm to do an honest days work but do not be blinded because a little but of work has come you’re way.
@dave .. I agree that this expenses scam needs to be tackled , across the country ordinary ppl travel to work & get no expenses .. It should be the same for TDs . SF are the worst at claiming expenses justifying it cod they don’t pocket all their salaries., it would make more sense for SF to take all their salary & canvass to get rid of expenses
@ally .. I just noticed the country is recovering a little , but also the poorest are getting poorer.. This has to be tackled .
@ally … This government tried to bring in free GP visits to all children under 6 , as a dad of 2 , this was brilliant & a relief but the GPs put a block on it cos they are happy to take €50 from you & I per visit . I don’t blame the government for not getting this through!!
I would like if the Media would ask Enda and other Ministers how many hours per week do they spend with their families ? as this would also be a very relevant question. I also wonder why our Media will not tackle and report more on the issue of all our Hospital Consultants who earn twice as much as our Taoiseach
Utd fans ask if Rooney n falcao are worth half a MILLION between them every 7 days.
Is Man Utd’s income greater than their expenditure?
Actually Kenny reminds me of Beckham. Smiley, vacuous, neat haircut, overpaid, prefers set pieces, and taking free kicks , penalties, and potshots, to the hurly burly of general play. Dodges the tackles, likes mixing with, and the approval of, the rich, and powerful, and doesn’t like hard questions.
They aren’t – but two wrongs do not make a right, footballers and in general those considered “celebrities” are paid way too much, creating a much wider gap between those who have and those who have not. Valuing people is all well and good and paying them a well deserved wage is fine, but these are supposed public SERVANTS we are discussing here, and they really should be practicing what they’ve been preaching to the “have nots” for the last 7 years.
have your say