Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

A protester at the Occupy Wall Street event in New York John Minchillo/AP/Press Association Images

The Daily Fix: Wednesday

In tonight’s Fix: Aviva staff hit back at job cuts; Westlife call it a day; and which presidential candidate will be on your pumpkin?

EVERY EVENING, TheJournal.ie brings you a round-up of the day’s main news – as well as any bits and pieces you may have missed.

In the race for the Áras…

Artist Mark Mcnamara carved each of the seven presidential candidates into their own pumpkin, at the Fallon & Byrne store in Dublin (Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

In the day’s other news…

  • Staff at insurance giant Aviva are set to vote on industrial action after the firm announced a worse-than-expected 950 job losses earlier today. The employees say they are being given little information about how and where the jobs will go.
  • Boyband-turned-manband Westlife have split up after 14 years in the ballad business. Saying they had spent their entire adult lives together, the group’s four members announced plans to go their separate ways – after one last tour.
  • Nama has come up with a list of 300-plus unused apartments on its books, which it says could be used to rehouse families evicted from the Priory Hall complex in north Dublin. However, it said some are not quite finished.
  • France and Germany appear to be at loggerheads ahead of a crisis summit of European leaders this weekend – which some had hoped could come up with measures to tackle the Eurozone’s debt crisis.
  • “We were right to spend the money” – that’s former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s view of the economic boom, as given in a new radio interview. We’ve picked out the best of the other Bertie-isms from the the full transcript.
  • Did you think Ireland was boring? Well, not on the weather front – at least not according to this video slideshow of our, er, variable autumn climate.
  • There were violent scenes today as attempted evictions at Dale Farm finally began. Bailiffs clashed with residents amid smoke and flames – we’ve got it all in photos.
  • The Irish media has not shown solidarity with dropped radio presenter Sam Smyth, according to a Labour senator. Smyth is reportedly set to lose his show on Today FM, which is owned by telecoms magnate Denis O’Brien.
  • Will you be painting your face for Halloween? Be careful what you put on it, says the Irish Medicines Board – which warned today some children’s face paints contain high lead levels with potentially toxic effects.
  • And finally: if you were a crocodile, would you really try and eat an elephant?

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
6 Comments
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute DaMoons
    Favourite DaMoons
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:07 PM

    Again, the media pedal the Government story on average income being 51k. The most accurate statistic includes in the same report showed the median income (which represents 90 percent of the population) being less than 24k per year. A hell of a distance from the 51k figure the Journal and government are spinning.

    279
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Favourite Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:47 PM

    @DaMoons: while I agree there is a discrepancy, the figure quoted above is household income compared with your figure of individual income. Household income often combines 2 or more individual incomes as it is calculated based on total income divided by number of households, and not individuals.

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute DaMoons
    Favourite DaMoons
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 8:15 PM

    @Brian Ó Dálaigh: Well, 2 incomes from the 90 percent quoted above still wouldn’t reach 51k. So it obviously points to 3rd and 4th earners living in the same household. Would it be a stretch for me to suggest that it is probably down to adult children not being able to afford somewhere to rent? FG were so proud of this statistic this week. Think about it.

    73
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Favourite Brian Ó Dálaigh
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 9:00 PM

    @DaMoons: I’d say you’d be pretty bang on the money (no pun intended) with that comment. The slightest bit of analysis into the figures and you’d wonder why Fine Gael would be proud of it. And, remember, these are average figures and not median figures which would far more accurately reflect the reality for the vast majority of people.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Manbackonboard
    Favourite Manbackonboard
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:03 PM

    Constantly broke.

    79
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute StillNotNews
    Favourite StillNotNews
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 8:00 PM

    @Manbackonboard: Same, Keep the recovery going, For TDs.

    34
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SC
    Favourite SC
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:06 PM

    With an average rent of 24k and childcare for one child 12k, that is just about enough for a small family. It’s not enough for two children.

    And assuming that’s the median, half of households have less. Is it any surprise we have a birth rate below replacement now?

    75
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Finbarr Barry
    Favourite Finbarr Barry
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:20 PM

    @SC: and they are quoting disposable income… I. E income after all expenses such as mortgage/rent, utilities et. Etc are paid…. What a load of BS

    110
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Finbarr Barry
    Favourite Finbarr Barry
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:23 PM

    @Finbarr Barry: https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/cso-figures-show-mean-disposable-income-is-now-almost-23000-967144.html

    CSO figures show average disposable income in 2018 was €23,000; 9.6% up on 2017

    15
    See 4 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sos
    Favourite Sos
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:32 PM

    @Finbarr Barry: disposable income is income after government tax has been paid. Discretionary income is income after bills have been paid. Given the very high cost of living here I would expect that to be a lot less.

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Peter Hughes
    Favourite Peter Hughes
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:42 PM

    @SC: I’m delighted, we deserve it we keep voting for it……keep the rippoffs going lads there are legions of suckers who are stuffing your pockets full of cash and keep voting for you……dumb is an understatement.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SC
    Favourite SC
    Report
    Dec 1st 2019, 10:24 AM

    @Peter Hughes: the government has no power to interfere with the economy because it goes against EU rules in most situations (we can’t borrow to boost housing stock, we can’t subsidise rural industry to take pressure off the cities and keep our language alive etc) so it doesn’t make a difference who you vote for.

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute keano
    Favourite keano
    Report
    Dec 1st 2019, 10:37 AM

    @Finbarr Barry: no Finbarr I believe disposable incoming is your Income after Tax. Before Rent, mortgage, heat, light, etc etc. which would make it a lot more realistic figure and nothing to be proud of !

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anastasia
    Favourite Anastasia
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 8:06 PM

    Spin spin spin the average wage is 20000 euro for a 38 hour week or am I working in the wrong place

    42
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute DaMoons
    Favourite DaMoons
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 8:36 PM

    @Anastasia: 90 percent of the people working in Ireland earn less than 24,000. This figure from the Government is pure spin.

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brian Clancy
    Favourite Brian Clancy
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 9:06 PM

    @DaMoons: that’s rubbish anyway for a start

    26
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John fitzpatrick
    Favourite John fitzpatrick
    Report
    Dec 2nd 2019, 8:57 AM

    @DaMoons: so you are saying 90% are on minimum wage? Or are you saying that a huge portion of people are part time. What are you saying. What ever your saying it’s BS. But go , keep on plugging the SF agenda, 13% of the people believe you.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Harry Trafford
    Favourite Harry Trafford
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 10:36 PM

    I work 50+hours a week. I’ve a wife and 2 kids. Council house and a car loan, I’m sure like alot of other houses. All I see is the weekly shop getting more expensive, insurance through the roof, more taxes. I’m not seeing any recovery around here. I’d dream of have 51k disposable income. I call bs on the whole thing. This ff fg government are a joke and need to be shown that we are done being fed lie after lie and tax after tax.

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ro-your-nan
    Favourite Ro-your-nan
    Report
    Nov 30th 2019, 7:43 PM

    All the poor-mouths on here – every pub in the country always seem rammed with people swallowing their disposable incomes down their fat necks. Drink less Irish-alcos and you might feel a little better off. Now I’m off to the pub

    53
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute SC
    Favourite SC
    Report
    Dec 1st 2019, 10:26 AM

    @Ro-your-nan: I don’t think spending a few hundred a year on drink and a few hundred on electronics explains why people can’t afford ten thousand for childcare or 24k for rent… And my car insurance has nearly doubled even though I’ve never even had a penalty point so we’ll all be paying another grand for that soon enough.

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ro-your-nan
    Favourite Ro-your-nan
    Report
    Dec 1st 2019, 1:11 PM

    @SC: move out to Wicklow and don’t have a kid and you’ll be grand. Reckon people are dropping easily €10k a year (€200 per week) on booze. Look at all the snowflakes eating / drinking in town but they can’t save for a deposit.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute CJ Stewart
    Favourite CJ Stewart
    Report
    Dec 1st 2019, 10:28 AM

    ..well somebody must have disposed of my 51k without me seeing it !

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michelle Keeley
    Favourite Michelle Keeley
    Report
    Dec 1st 2019, 8:20 AM

    https://www.thejournal.ie/rish-workers-earn-an-average-of-e23-an-hour-4677090-Jun2019/

    According to the CSO, the average full time wage is approx €48000 and average partime €17000.

    6
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Luap
    Favourite Luap
    Report
    Dec 1st 2019, 9:41 AM

    51k DISPOSABLE income? Hahahaha

    6
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds