The increases were one of the first items of business after the politicians returned to work after their forty five day Christmas break. Why don’t we get FORTY FIVE DAYS holidays at Christmas? The long parliamentary holidays are a hangover from the time that aristocrats had to take long periods off to supervise the harvest, evict peasants, get gout doing the ‘Season’, organise the looting of colonies, etc. Also this was before cars, planes and mass transport. What is their excuse now?
If you add up annual Dáil hours they would be equivalent to 18 working weeks a year. And of course as anyone who has seen it on the telly knows most of the time there are less then 10 of the 166 TDs there. Many of them are far too busy being publicans, auctioneers and company directors. Of course they claim they are also busy in their constituencies.
What this really means is that they are busy trying to get re-elected. Instead of advising people to use Community Information Centres the TD will invite you to his or her clinic, where you will get the same information — but will be made feel that the TD pulled some strings for you. (If you are a property developer or big business person the TD will call to you).
The Buckley Report argues in favour of the increase for Ministers on the basis that "the business of Government is now more complex and demanding than ever before". Economic, political and social changes had imposed "enormous demands" on Ministers and "current salaries… provide very inadequate compensation for the workloads borne by them". How much more of an incentive do they need to line their own pockets?
Meanwhile 6 county ‘term time’ workers in the education system have been fighting for payments during school holidays. And who has been explaining to them that ‘the money just is not available’? None other than the Stormont MLAs, the politicians whose first legislative act was to vote themselves a rise of almost 30%. Presiding over this were David Trimble and Seamus Mallon, who both also draw an MP’s salary from Westminster.
When they next tell us to be "moderate" and "responsible" with our wage claims, we should tell them to stuff it. And tell them loudly.