Madam, - Taoiseach Brian Cowen, speaking at a business conference organised by the Economist, said: "Ten per cent of the cost of every teacher, doctor and nurse is paid for from borrowing" ( The Irish Times, October 30th).
Has this man learned nothing from the shambles of a Budget his Government produced recently? Having insulted the sick and infirm, the disabled and elderly, the young children of this country, he now tries to lay the blame for our large borrowing at the people who care for these vulnerable members of our society.
Perhaps he might tell us the figure he borrowed to pay the salaries and expenses of unnecessary junior ministers, the fees (some in excess of €1,200 a day) paid to advisers, the salaries of managers in suits swanning around department offices wondering what exactly they should be doing, the cost of flashy official cars and the jets and helicopters to fetch and carry ministers on their various junkets, the maintenance of useless electronic voting machines and the cost of shifting them from here to there to be stored.
How is it that the plain people of Ireland know where the cuts should come and that an intelligent, experienced politician like the Taoiseach does not know? Ag Dia féin atá a fhios! - Yours, etc,