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LABOUR TD COLM Keaveney said today that commentary from some ministers and other senior party members on his recent decision to oppose aspects of the budget contained in the Social Welfare Bill is “only serving to bring politics into even further disrepute”.
Keaveney, who this week voted against the government on the cut to the Respite Care Grant said comments by ministers and other party members amounted to “little more than a cynical attempt to distract from the problematic issues contained in the budget, particularly in relation to elements in conflict with Labour’s core values”.
He said it was also an attempt to distract people from the Labour party’s core promises to the electorate going into the last general election.
“On the level of political principle I cannot consent to any budget that will result in such a regressive impact on the welfare and income of low and middle income households,” he said. “In particular, I cannot consent to decisions that will, in my view, leave many families struggling to secure the welfare of their own children.”
Earlier this week Keaveney said he was determined to remain as Labour Party Chairperson but Labour Leader remarked that it wasn’t “tenable” to have a chair outside of the parliamentary ranks.
Today he said lessons must be learnt and changes made for future budgets so that the concerns of party TDs are taken on board.
“Cynicism is running rife in political commentary in Ireland and in the attitudes of our citizens to politics and politicians,” he said.
“Personal attacks on politicians who attempt to articulate a principled position serve only to deepen this cynicism, as does a flippant attitude to the keeping of political commitments made during budgets,” he added.
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Keaveney’s calling it correctly. Gilmore seems to have forgotten that the previous party chairperson wasn’t in the parliamentary party for a whole year and sought re-election.
This guy stood up against cuts that effect the weak and he got expelled by the pigs in government! But nobody will stand up for this TD, the same way nobody stood up for rosy shorthall when she challenged the same pigs. No wonder the government are unstoppable, anyone who stands up against them is threw out to rot.
Cl 1 Mooney. Is he authorised to call the type of meeting you suggest . I thought he was Chairman of the Parliamentary Party and not of the Party itself.
The behaviour of Gilmore, Rabbitte and that muppet Emmet Stagg over the last 48 hours has been shameful and arrogant beyond words. The vitriol between the courageous former members of the parliamentary party and the front bench is palpable and there is now a real prospect of the party imploding.
Why isn’t Moanin’ Joan, challenging the leadership and now is a good time to kick ass Joan!
Nooooooooooooo. Spare us moan burton
The Stagg in the park!! is and always (at least should not be in the labour party) will an embarrassment,where as Keavney has Proved he respects the people who elected him
O’Reilly, Labour were voted in on the promise of preserving childrens allowance rates, along with a multitude of other promises. Some of these promises were made on National Television. They have broken those promises to the electorate, so the electorate do want to see them forced from office before they cross the pension finishing line. Your suggestion by inference, is that the people are happy with the Governments performance. Either you are so out of touch with reality that you do not realise the anger people feel towards the government, or you just don’t care and will continue to spin the lies and propaganda to cross that February finishing line.
Labour have proven beyond a doubt now that they are a Party of Fine Gael lapdogs and have no morals or backbone.
So true. It never ceases to amaze me what people will do to get their hands on power. For the Labour Party to shaft the most vulnerable in this way and to trample their own principles in such a blatant barefaced way beggars belief.
With 5 Labour TDs now in Opposition, against the Govt of the rest of the parliamentary party are a part, genuinely don’t see how, unless either Keaveney or Gilmore back down & resign, a formal split isn’t inevitable at this point…
@ O’Reilly, Is that you James? Anyhow, you’re on your own with that opinion I’d say and it must be cold all alone?
It’s 19:53. I’ve been frying 3 sausages for about 10 mins. I’ve christened them Enda, Eamonn and Michael. It’s been a brief but intense relationship. But I know by 20:16 none of them will ever be heard of again. Yesterday’s men.
Dear o Reilly may I ask are u a labour supporter? I don’t think just accepting that the Labour Party spoofed their way to be in the coalition in the first place is okay or acceptable? I wouldn’t pay for a BMW and when it gets delivered it’s a Ford??? What exactly is the point of even a mandate going into an election if that’s not what they provide when they are elected???? Need I even go on??
That was exactly what I thought when I saw him moralising on the news the other night. In most countries he would have been out on his ear the day he was caught. Here the government got it swept under the carpet and he not only got re-elected but has somehow become the chief whip for the Labour party. I suppose it sums up the morals of those in the Labour parliamentary party that he got it.
Nobody likes to see these cuts brought in or household charge brought in but these things must happen. It’s the price we pay for electing Fianna Fáil 3 times.
This guy is just opportunistic and I have no time for this popular ‘side with the people’ line. The same goes for Shane Ross. Man of the people while he pockets a few different incomes from all the jobs he holds. Hypocricy. The easy thing is to walk away from these cuts. If we don’t cut then how do we recover. And please don’t give me the line of we spend our way to recovery.
Hit the red thumb by accident!! I completely agree, unfortunately we need to undo the damage of 3 successive FF terms of office!!! Their “buy a vote” strategy his given a lot of people the opinion that they deserve way too much from the state.
Also People need to change career path if they cannot find a job in their “chosen” one.
Accepting a lower paid job than the one you had in 2008, before you spent 4 years unemployed, is not admitting defeat but starting the rebuilding process and deserves credit!!!
Welfare should only be available to those who deserve it and not people who feel a specific job is beneath them!!
STOP GOVERNMENT PENSIONS NOW BEFORE THE FEBRUARY DATE.
Cal,
that is probably the dumbest thing you’ve said and that’s saying something. Your contention that the whole country want to see this government fall just so ministers can’t collect their pensions is the real measure of your intellect. Grow up FFS…
I reckon emmet is a dab hand with de ould whip
Cal, the country is in shite. Labour are in coalition. So they can’t deliver on some commitments made – that’s life. The budget would have been significantly worse were they not in government. Those labour TD’s who stay the course are the ones to be commended. Not the cowards that jump ship to save their ass…
Looks like the rats are jumping from the sinking ship. More will follow over the next few months. They realise they have more chance of getting reelected as an independent that as labour.
One may disagree with Stagg on political issues but we do ourselves no favours by hitting below the belt on a personal level. Stagg was re-elected on 2/3 occasions since then.
I do not stand with budget cuts to the most vulnerable, I can assure you!
The only cynicism here is coming from Keaveney. He is in a four seat constituency which will become a three seater after the next election, he is merely looking after himself and trying to save his own bacon. In the porocess he is portraying himself a martyr and by the looks of it several on here are falling for his opportunistic vote.
Also just 12 hours before he voted against the Social Welfare Bill he stated that to do so ‘would be a futile act’. Now there is a man of conviction……..methinks perhaps not!!!!!!
@noel you my friend are spot on…Keaveney is looking to save himself and the idiots are falling for it, he’s a clever man, I’d have more time for a politician ready to make unpopular decisions than someone who ‘runs with the hare and runs with the hounds’ can someone fill me in on the following: how much property/council tax do they pay in UK? How much dole do they get? How much children’s allowance do they get? Do they have rent allowance? Back to sch grant? How much do carers get? And do they have a respite care grant?
# Terence Reynolds. If i may i will answer a few of your questions re: UK. I live in ROI but work in UK. They pay on average £600-700 home tax, people on low income/benefit qualify for exemptions or reductions. For this the recieve bin collection and septic tank cleaning if they live in the country. They recieve £55 per week dole with this they recieve rent allowence free doctors and their benefits are increased if they qualify under certain criteria. They recieve £81.20 for the first child pm and £57.80pm for each additional children BUT they also recieve FREE BOOKS IN SCHOOL and in certain circumstances FREE UNIFORM AND TRANSPORT and when they get to school they get FREE MEALS AT SCHOOL and i dont mean a packed lunch i mean a FULL DINNER AND DESSERT. They do qualify for Third Level Grants and student LOANS and contrary to popular belief the DO NOT have to pay back the grant its means tested but the loan has to be repaid only if they reach a certain income level in access of £15,000+.FAMILY Carers get 58.45 pw which is £3039.40 per year and qualify for all the secondary benefits i.e. reduced home tax etc etc and what i find in the UK is that people are hired by the government to care for people in their own home even if they already have family carers the current rate for home carers are £7-10 per hour, based on the level of care required. GOOGLE IT IF YOU LIKE. Anyone require a lift to the UK.
@Kathy I’m most DEFINITLY looking for a lift over!!! This country is a disgrace !
Well informed answer there
Thank you for putting income into the context of the welfare state, as it operates in Britain. We do not have the NHS in R of Ireland. We have a two-tier health system, public & private. Increasingly, people cannot afford private health contributions & so are left at the mercy of a diminishing quantity of quality public health care. A higher tax rate is utterly acceptable in a society that provides the decent basics. Here, there is a cut in taxation AND public provision. It is called austerity, but I call it heartlesness….
You might be taken a bit more seriously if you didn’t resort to playground name calling..
Mr. Foley, get a sense of humour would you!
This should make comment of the week!!
Drove by local Citizens Information Office today and there was a big sign in window which read: ‘Know your Entitlements’ Problem with this country right there
What’s wrong with people knowing what they are entitled to?
Where were labour looking when the greens drank greedily from the Fianna Fáil cup, are they not feeling the Deja Vous. Full marks to this man for being honest to his constituents.
Did I hear right that Emmett Stagg say his position wasn’t tenable.? What a hypocrite!
Maybe he meant the missionary position.
He was on the missions to the rent-boys to convert them from their sixty-nineable positions.
Julie, you are right. But the problem is every other party has done the same. Not one of them would know the meaning of honor or integrity. Keavney is a case in point, he says one thing the night before & then does the total opposite & then has the neck to accuse others of cynicism.
Shinners have a new pet I see. They aren’t just for Christmas ya know…
O’Reilly, did you read the column on the Journal re the case study on the impact of the respite care grant? Does your heart not go out to the families that are chosing between heating and eating?
Instead of making this about the ‘Shinner’, why not address the reason Keavney went against the Government. Tell us, do you think he should have voted in support of slashing the respite grant to the same families that are saving this country billions in in-patient costs?
It is typical FFG/Labour strategy to attack the messenger rather than the message. Grow up and start representing the people that voted you in.
They have no respite care grant in UK and carers allowance is £80 a week
A lot cheaper to live in the uk, also if u check out the services that the uk provide for people with disabilities especially the services for children with learning / social disabilities you’d be amazed!
The Uk has a much Cheaper cost of living/ Property Tax is done on a case by case basis, as is extra welfare entitlements, and all the other public spending by government… and most importantly they bring politicians, bankers, developers who bailed on their customers and those that made the mess accountable, not just arresting them for the photo opp’s, but actually charging them, jailing them, MAKING them pay what they owe or letting them take the hit on the GAMBLE they took with thir manipulation of the financial regulator, totally different dynamic happening in the UK, so no comparison can be made.
@christian spot on!
Cal1 it’s pretty clear that Reilly doesn’t have a counter argument so has to resort to 1 liners that just look foolish.
I remember reading in the Phoenix magazine a couple of years ago about how gilmore would end up leader….people would be shafted to satisfy business….them folk in the west bank and gaza would end up sold out….enough to make thatcher and the rest of the british tory party sign up……welcome to New Labour (irish style)
To be a patriot in this country you need to be a team player with a focus to the end of game which in this governments Time is in three years.
To become a Mick, Ming or Clare is a the choice for those who want to.be self centered and self important and he has now just joined them ..
Ah Jerry that’s over simplistic. I think it’s much more patriotic to chose your principles over your pension.
Bull jerry total bull, team player = not worth electing. Why elect some one if they are just going to follow the herd blindly?
Political Heat and deceit must be getting too hot for Goebbels Gilmore to ignore the implosion of the Labour Party under his leadership can’t be ruled out.The chance of a snap election and Labour’s demise both as a party and loss of TD’s similar to FF at the last election seems to gain credence with various rats in the labour ship scurrying to save their political careers.
What a crock of sh*t
Not at. All I am sure the labour party members would love the Opportunity to have a meeting and their views taken into account and possibly a vote
We will have to agree to differ on the substantive issues in our discussion because I believe the issues you refer to are personal matters. I stand shoulder to shoulder with you on regressive social welfare cuts.
At a personal level, I very sincerely wish you & your’s a very happy Christmas & 2013. :-)
@ Maura.
I didn’t use mr stagg’s sexual orientation at all. I made no refrence to LBGT at all.
I stated the use of rentboys which in it’s self is illegal and quite dangerous to a person’s partner.
I respect your views and hope we both agree to disagree.
Wishing you and your’s a happy,peaceful and safe Christmas.
I stand by my statement. I do not believe in using a person’s sexual orientation as a way to get at them, no more than I believe in home help cuts or Child Benefit cuts. The latter are patently heartless and unjust. But, it matters to be principled in the manner of your argument.
have your say