Well I knew there would be some kind of dictatorship coming out of this disastrous government in the Republic of Ireland. But what a smartly crafted web they have spun to do the maximum damage and then sit back for five years while the people have to take punishment they have meted out but which will be blamed on a new Government to be elected in January. The FF Green Coalition have done a deal with the IMF and the European Commission and Central Bank for a five year cruelty plan (austerity). Then Fianna Fail will be politically destroyed in the election due within seven weeks. But their plan must be implemented by the new government over the next five years. The type of adjustments in the budget for the first year is a sign of things to come. The first attack was on the blind. I know. I need to repeat that. Brian Lenihan's first item in his budget was to take €8 a week minimum off blind people. Second was disabled children. Will I say that again too? Disabled children. A person on a welfare benefit with a disabled child will lose €8 a week from their benefit and also €10 from child benefit. If they are working and on a minimum wage they will have a reduction of 12% in their income because the minimum wage is being reduced by €1 per hour. And they will for the first time be brought into the tax net. By the way the government also announced a maximum wage in the civil service of €250k a year. How kind. And so that these highly paid, highly skilled layabouts don't leave the country their income tax will not be increased but low paid and middle income people will have tax increases. At the beginning of this year this government sacked 2,000 classroom assistants who cared for disabled children and kids with learning difficulties in Irish schools. Now many of those kids cannot attend school because they need one to one help with both their learning and such things as toileting, mobility and feeding. There are many, many more ways which Brian Cowan and Brian Lenihan have attacked and abused children, the blind and disabled. The poor. Ireland has had a terrible history of child abuse and state elderly abuse by church and state institutions. Now the government have joined in to abuse them all with deprivation of education, food, heat, clothing. Even the white stick is going to be stolen. Abuse is abuse lads. The level and the different variety doesn't make it any less harmful. Meanwhile the rich have a little more cream poured on their strawberries. I'll keep up dating this budget blog. And if the government is abusing someone in this society I will report it without favour.
One good thing that came from this budget was the reply of Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty to the Finance Minister's budget speech. Such an eloquent contribution. Such humanity. If I wanted to make a comparison this man reminds me of Michael Collins. If Pearse Doherty were to join Fine Gael or labour he would lead them in one year and be Irish Premier within two years. Watch this space for a new legend in politics. He will be the making of Sinn Fein if people can forget the past. But he will make a mark in Irish politics starting in 2011. You read it here.
One good thing that came from this budget was the reply of Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty to the Finance Minister's budget speech. Such an eloquent contribution. Such humanity. If I wanted to make a comparison this man reminds me of Michael Collins. If Pearse Doherty were to join Fine Gael or labour he would lead them in one year and be Irish Premier within two years. Watch this space for a new legend in politics. He will be the making of Sinn Fein if people can forget the past. But he will make a mark in Irish politics starting in 2011. You read it here.
