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THE FIRST PART of Budget 2012 has been delivered in the Dáil today by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin.
Howlin has outlined the cuts to public spending of €2.2 billion, with €1.4 billion cut in day-to-day spending, as part of an overall adjustment of €3.8 billion. Minister for Finance Michael Noonan will announce taxation measures of €1.6 billion tomorrow afternoon.
The pre-budget leaks:
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There will be increases of up to €35,000 however in some departments.
The main points of Brendan Howlin’s announcement: F**k the children, the youth and the old & vulnerable.
They didn’t cut half enough, More should have been cut from all the mentioned departments, Social welfare should have been directly cut to €170, Rent allowance should be abolished and no-one in the public sector should be getting more than the Taoiseach.
Take it your not unemployed then jesus? They have just cut my benefit by €70 a week because my wife works a 3 day week! They turned my special needs daughter down for Dom care allowance, I’m 6 months waiting for someone to look at my application for a medical card and carers allowance, ffs I paid more in tax most weeks than I get now I’m unemployed. I’m applying for jobs left right and centre there’s nothing out there.
Jayzuz you twit, people are trying to work, want to work, have families to support. Crawl back under your rock you heathen arsehole
What we know so far is that this government is made up of the same bunch of wan***s as the last.
The same style that make sure their advisers get nice increases in the wages
I want to remind people that while this budget is pretty awful, there have been many bad times in the past If you dont remember the 80′s talk to someone who does), and despite what the media seems intent on preaching, not everything is bad. It really isnt.
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Please Please Please can we be a lot more positive. At least try and find the good
Nice sentiments Dave and I admire your positivity, but in the 80′s there wasn’t nearly as much hoarded wealth in the country as there is now. Bottom line: they don’t give f**k who they bleed so long as it’s not their own crony-paymasters. And the sad reality is there are many thousands of our fellow citizens who have no positivity left to draw upon.
It’s glaringly obvious that bankers around the world, who own politicians, are forcing the governments to raise taxes on citizens. Why should citizens continue to pay taxes for egregious and unlawful behavior of world bankers? Where is the justice in this civilized world we call the great capitalist nations in the West? Let the revolutions begin..!
Why did they not means test or have a cap on earnings per household for child benefit??
It’s a disgrace that people earning hundreds of thousands are still entitled to these benefits, only in Ireland!
The would mean morality in politics – not is this country.
They’ve ruined the country. Its going to take at least 20 years for this country to turn around.
If we keep voting for FF/FG/Labour it will take a whole lot longer – unless it happens by accident..
good point val, but i don’t think the govt are running it anymore. they’re more a crowd of puppets now on the end of imf&ecb strings, but because they all have irish accents we accept them as ‘those in power’.i’m sure if enda started leaving more ‘und’s and ‘et’s in his addresses to us, we’d soon get the point!
I see that the government have thir supporters on this site already, giving thumbs down to any commentary complaining about cuts in allowances for 2-3 year old children …. Pretty sad really … This not the Ireland that Pearce, Collins Connolly etc gave their lives for …. What we have had in the last 10 years as a Govrnment in this country, is as far right from centre, as any country in the world. A banana government with as much foresight as a lemming leaping from a cliff.
Correct me if I am wrong, but didn’t the people vote for the previous and present governments? Am I imagining that Irish people voted yes in the Lisbon treaty to give away the Independence and Sovereignty that5 Pearce, Collins etc gave their lives for? Frankly I think Ireland and the Irish get exactly what they deserve.
Magic, The Ivory Tower parties have the media in their pockets … Indo, RTE … They use the media to put the fear of god into people against voting for anyone other than the establishment parties … These same parties sold us a duck on Lisbon etc … Yes, SF and some of the independents voiced an anti-lisbon view, but the media were unflinching in their support of Lisbon, the media were also unflinching in their support for either FF/FG/Labour coming into the last General election … How many articles did you read stating that SFs economic policies were crazy … How dare SF even suggest increasing all income over 100k by 2 %… How dare SF cap public-sector wages at 100k (including the Taoiseach) … How dare SF say that they would 100% refuse to pay off unsecured debt (even though in an article on this very web-site last week from the Head of the IMF that came into Ireand (Chopra) stated uncategorically we should NOT pay the 3,200,000,000.00 Euro the current government plans to pay in February (6 weeks from now) to faceless unsecured gamblers in French/British/German banks.
We do have choices … we are being lied to by the mainstream media … thankfully, we now have social media like “Journal.ie” and Politics.ie that are not afraid to air the truth …. People will realise, the Ivory Tower Establishment will only look after themselves …
They should realise that ‘people are like water’ … ie capable of carrying them safely through their term in office, but they must remember that the people are also 100% capable of rising up and pulling their great-ships down.
Other than sites like this one, and Politics.ie, the establishment parties cntrol the media… Does anyone remember that muppet from the ‘Daily Star’ on Vincent Browne (after the presidential debate)? He insisted that Gay Mitchell had won the debate outright that night and that Gay Mitchell was almost guranteed to be the next President of Ireland….
Does anyone remember articles from the ‘Indo’ stating as a headline “Do not vote for McGuinness” as their editoral headline in election day?
Give me a break …
The current crisis is partly because we half-baked our monetary integration into Europe. I would voluntarily give up some sovereignty to actually have adult oversight from EU, which is much more left wing than our state.
I agree with you entirely Cal…… not forgetting the lazy electorate would prefer to be told what to think rather than using their own cognizance abilities, to date I fear they (electorate) are repressed closet masochists most likely as a result of catholic conditioning……..
I meant JeasusBigBalls is a twit, sorry if where my comment landed in the list implied I was calling Vincent a twit.
Thanks Saffron for pointing that out
I am trying to be positive Dave! Be easier to stomach the cuts and stealth taxes if I was earning the same as enda and co!!
i hear ye brother
Sorry there kid, please stay positive yet your calling fella bastards etc above. Your one clown. And so what if the job seekers is cut from a 6 day base to 5 day base? Do you to get something for Sunday too? How about get out the door & don’t stop looking till you get a job, then we could all spend less time
reading your shit.
And so what if the job seekers is cut from a 6 day base to 5 day base Ray?
So you’re hours have been cut in a job you want to do full time and now the government takes a third of your dole from you?
You call that shit Ray? You call that fair?
You cant see past your own nose.
Sorry, do you even understand what your moaning about? A person gets cut to a three day week, fair enough thats bad luck, but why in the name of Jesus should a person be entitled to claim the dole proportionately for Thursday, Friday & Saturday? Why should you have the benefit of a Saturday that 99% of people wont have worked prior to being reduced to a 3 day week? Who do you expect to fund that?
And also, that person will also have the benefit of wages earned for the Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. Are you sure now Dave that you wouldnt like a few pound for a Sunday shift as well? Take note of John Maguires comment below, stop bitching and stop waiting for things to change.
Cutting education funding for two and three-year-olds is incredibly short-sighted. All the academic research on investment in education shows that the greatest returns (both to the individual and for society) are to investment in early childhood. (For a recent example, see this Mother Jones article: http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2011/11/two-year-window ).
Their cutting back to school allowance for 2&3 yr olds, 2&3 yr olds don’t go to school so it makes sense
tom… is it not just clothing allowance they are cutting…???
All preschool children get their free preschool year….I don’t see why they should get a back to school allowance when they don’t go to school aged 2 to 3…. FYI I’m not a supporter of any party
…yet the countries (scandinavian) with really good education don’t start formal school until much later.
Different cultures produce different results.
Not to mention our education was much better 20 or indeed 30 years ago, with higher pupil teacher ratios. Is it a case of lesser quality teachers or less commitment or the inability to keep discipline or something else?. Do kids not go to school less hours now than they did 30yrs ago? I remember being in primary school 9 to 3pm way way way back……
Everyone has the ability to change their lives. Whether you are unemployed or not. If you have to change career to get a job then do so. A job doesn’t define who you are, it pays the bills and defines your lifestyle based on your salary of course. There are (free) courses online that can teach you what you need to know to make a better life for yourself. It’s time people took control of their own life’s and welfare and stop waiting for things to change.
I couldn’t agree more with you John.
Ah c’mon do you really think its that easy John? You probably tell people with clinical depression they should just cheer up.
your message is positive but somewhat naive, im sure many people out there who thought they might get somewhere with fas courses were severely let down by the lack of job opportunities available. Doing a course does not equal getting a job.
There are no careers out there !
‘Jobseekers benefit will be based on 5 days instead of 6 days’ – can anyone translate?
Eg: if you work for 3 days a week….currently you are entitled to 3 further days of allowance =6 days.
Now you’re only entitled to 2 days benefit =5
Saffron, the Citizens Information website has info on this:
For example:
“If you are a part-time worker and your days of work are reduced temporarily the social welfare week is based on 6 working days. For example, if your working pattern is reduced from 3 days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) to 2 days (Monday and Tuesday) per week, you will get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the other 4 days once you satisfy all the conditions.”
So I guess you change that from “6 working days” to 5.
You need to search that page for 6 as there are several references to it.
Surely that means paid for not working 5 days instead of not working 6. Doesnt that just mean theyve cut a big chunk out of jobseekers allowance ? Why didnt they just say that? Did they think we wouldnt notice?
How Can People Survive on Such A Cut?
Bustards.
I want to kick them and kick them and kick them
If you work three days and claim JSA for the remainder, this will now be 2 days welfare payment rather than the current 3.
To clarify, this will save 5.9 MILLION not billion as is stated in above article.
this simply means that if you are working part time and just for arguments sake earn exactly the same as you would get if you were on Jobseekers. Then your income has taken a cut of 1/6th.
Now lets see the politicians, thier advisors and semi state body CEO’s take a cut of 1/6th in their pay.
The long term implications of this is that if you are unemployed you will, probably in the next budget loose the days payment too, so jobseekers will be down 1/6th of too. Its just a stelth way to reduce unemployment benefits this year and then next year.
Vincent don’t give up – my dh found work after a couple of years trying, we were thinking he’d never work again – it took us moving away from kerry but it was volunteering that got him out of the hole in the end.
Thanks wayne – why did I get a thumbs down for asking a question. My dh is a carer with only four days work one of which is only an hour and the other three days two hours – unless the agency can pull more hours out of the air we will be worse off with him working. I really thought they wouldn’t put in disencentives to work.
Reading through all these comments, has the time not come to do something? How much more of this do we need to put up with before we are willing to make a stand? Today’s instalment of the budget proved without a shadow of a doubt that this government are no better than their predecessors. Proportionately, taking into account all the stealth taxes and charges that are to be announced tomorrow, the most vulnerable members of society will pay much more than the wealthy. We need to do what Greece did, and last week the public sector in the UK and get out and let them know that they can’t walk all over us anymore. For too long, we’ve just shut up and put up with whatever was thrown at us. Well I’ve had enough, I didn’t cause this mess but yet I’m expected to live in further hardship while they pay billions of our money to unsecured bond holders who took a gamble.
What are you going to do?
Well said Derek, just reading your previous comment,made me laugh. Olwen, as much as I agree with you,too many people are content to work/dole get by on fuck all and sit watching sky + on their 32inch tv. People aren’t on edge yet….it might come to a head
I don’t think there’s much I can do on my own but there’s power in numbers and I will join any protests that I can as well as never voting for FF, FG or Labour again. I agree that too many are just willing to survive on benefits but having worked all my life until 6 months ago when I was made redundant I am now existing on social welfare with no standard of living compared to what I had and no prospects of it improving with the current lack of jobs. The pensioners proved that it sometimes pays to shout when they made FF do a u-turn on the medical card cuts that they made.
Ah now Olwen, I was out of work for over a year during the good times and professionally unemployed between March 2008 and June 2011( I did get part time work here and there during those yrs doing anything from IT, Landscaping, cleaning, event management, health and safety). It takes time to be re-employed and 6 months does not constitute a crisis. At least it shouldn’t if you were working all your life(how long is that?) and saved some money. I can relate to what your going through, but I can’t imagine you have anywhere near felt the many many others have over the last few years. John Maguire below makes a great point that your destiny is your to determine. Don not rely on others to change thing for you, and waiting for someone else to start a protest you can join is a bit of a cop out. I wish you luck but I hope you have the will to take your destiny into your own hands and make things happen.
….the pain many others……
Sinn Fein have made drastic cuts to the budget in the north, don’t be fooled by their lies, we have a budget deficit to make up and unfortunalty cutting and extra taxes are the only way to do it in thi9s current cmimate.
Fianna Fail bought votes by increasing social welfare, childrens allowence and the biggest crime of all benchmarking which will cost more than the bank bail out, the bank bailout is once off, benchmarking is the cash machine that just keeps giving, we are the only country in the world where retired politicians are on more now than when they were serving. this government are not perfect but at least they are realistic and trying.
I do,nt really understand how the Irish people put up with this.
Let’s be clear you are responceable for the state of things, but at the other side banks threw money at people very irresponsibly. Every one knew that the party would end.
On the other hand after the Haughy government you would think that people would be more critical of there government.
Cut backs in education is the worst thing that could happen to a nation or the future of a nation, why are there no mass protest,s. What is wrong with the nation? Where is the fighting spirit.
Many families are on the bread line and again no mass protest, my god send a message to Europe and storm the Dail buildings.
Are we so sedated that a government leader can go on television and say its not your fault but you have to pay.
Ok you get what you vote but some how the accountability is being ignored.
What would happen if the nation said no we are not paying. What would happen????
Will it take another Larkin or Collins to wake people up, to get people to understand that they have a right to dignity.
I,m not a stupid socialist and of course if your in the club you have to abide by the rules, but even at that club members can say no.
Can any one shed a bit of light on this????
Well I’m not protesting because I think my time can be better spent at other things, but that’s just me. I would be interested to see a poll asking if people want to protest in general, or over something specific or not at all. I still maintain that the majority do not feel the need to protest as they would prefer to focus their energies on providing for themselves and their families. A poll may show me otherwise.
It’s not about just protesting, it about how much do you have to take from an elected government. Just because you have won a democratic process does not mean you have a free hand. The question is who is the Irish state, is it the elected government or is it the people of Ireland.
The biggest challenge facing us today is how do we make it better not just for the future but also for future generations.
Do we stand up and be counted or do we be happy with the scraps the speculators leave us or leave us in….
Are we the generation who lets our grand children’s future to handstand mercy of an over Burocratic Brussels or to incompetence in Dublin.
Is Ireland prepared to be the poor house of Europe again…. Should we allow this or is it time to face the responceable and those who stood by and watched.
One thing should be clear to every one Brussels new what was going on, Dublin new what was going on and worst of we knew it too.
So what’s to happen do we wait for Berlin, Brussels or Dublin to decide or faith….
Did it work before…. Referendums, burocracy, jobs for the boys…. One inquist after the other……
???????
is the reduction to a 5 day week applicable to jobseekers allowance as well as job seekers benefit?
I wouldn’t say so Sean – your stamps are owed to you – your employer already paid them.
ty
Dave – unfortunate where your comment turned up – looks like you are calling Vincent a twit when surely you meant Jesus – expect loads of thumbs down!
One protest march won’t change policy. Neither will 2,3,4…..These guys are in wether you like it or not – until the next election. They have the mandate. The biggest protest tool we have is the most powerful one – our vote. Sinn Fein will get my next vote. What other option is left? Putting Sinn Fein “warts and all” in charge is the only feasible chance I can see of effectively taking back control of our country and shifting power back towards the people. If they are good enough to represent our neighbours in the north then they should get a shot at this mess. Come next election though you can’t get away from that sick feeling that the Irish will just vote FG/Lab back in or also as likely Fianna Fail. They say you get the politicians you deserve!
doesn’t matter who you vote for, if the money isn’t there and we’re spending 16b more than we’re taking in, any government is going to have to make cuts. sinn fein or anyone else aren’t going to make the money magically appear.
What strikes me,during the bertie years, and they were increasing the wages in-line with their european counterparts for politicians etc, was that Ireland was a smaller country to england, france. How could we afford that?i thought its all good spending money, and keeping up to date with infrastructure, healthcare and all the rest,but how could we compete with less money coming. Im all for ireland improving its services, but punching above our weight also rings true
Does anybody know if the changes in Children’s allowance affect the extra payments given to twins, triplets & quads ??
as far as i read… no it doesn’t affect twins etc…
Twins get 1.5 times the payment & triplets get twice (€280 per child per month)
Have to say its hard to swallow as my very well off neighbour, both are on over €200,000 per year each have triplet boys….€840 per month for 3 kids…..surely this is not right….
Ray Mullins
I am moaning about the fact that the unemployment benefit is being significantly cut and the people and their families who are affected by this will suffer significantly. It really doesn’t matter by what subterfuge the government has used to affect these cuts.
These are not welfare spongers that are being penalised, they are people who are working.
You obviously have no empathy for people who by no fault of their own have had their hours reduced and are really struggling to make ends meet.
The rent supplement savings would buy outright at least 1000 NAMA properties for social housing, probably closer 1400. Transferring families into these properties would free up their current private rent supplement which could be used to employ people on fit outs of the NAMA properties. It is not perfect but if you follow the thread there must be some upside to the state in doing this. The country needs to take few chances in creating even temporary employment.
Agreed paul- did anyone see channel four news, france, germany, the netherlands all threatened by a credit downgrade – Faisal Iislam said that is going to make it harder for them to raise the money they need for countries like Ireland and Portugal.
Can i ask in a non taking the piss way…what do the opposition in government actually do? what actual power do they have. i am aware that if they didnt exist, we’d have a monopoly party in govt and that doesnt work either. it seems we vote in particular parties and people and over the course of 4 years, yes they can do good things, but when they mess up, they’re still in power and there’s nothing we can do. i don’t advocate dictatorship, monarchy or military rule, but the last few years have really let democracy down. surely the lisbon treaty(treaties!) made this clear.
We are in dire financial straits so we know government must make drastic cutbacks.Most of us were prepared to accept fair cuts if they were made equally across society but that did not happen yestetday.Instead we targetted the disabled, most of whom will never have access to employment.Equally , we hit Widows, Home Fuel Allowance and further stressed demand on hospital beds.As someone who respects the difficulties facing government and wants to support the budget I cannot condone increases in expenses for staff in the Taoiseach’s office and salary increases in the Minister for Finance”s department.The call for national solidarity has been rendered a farce when those at the top set themselves above the people.I am so disappointed because I support the Institutions of Democracy.The economic divide has now widened further and I fear for us all.
have your say