Do you believe State pensions and unemployment benefits should be cut, as as proposed by 'An Bord Snip Nua'?

54% YES 46% NO

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Your Reaction

• No. Cutting the 'pay' of the weakest members of our society just about sums up the culture fostered by years of Bertie and Brian. Ireland is now a worse place ('spiritually') to live in than Thatcherite Britain. No doubt there will be a lot of spin leading up to these cuts about how Ireland has the highest dole in the world/Europe etc and how everyone must share the pain. 1) Ireland doesn't have the highest dole in Europe - it is above average but so too is the cost of living in this country 2) the newly unemployed have already suffered severe pain with massive cuts in income on losing their job and unable to find a new job in the current climate. However, the government will continue to produce this 'divide and conquer' spin to justify it and to get public support and will say untrue/bent facts things on TV in the papers that will largely go unchallenged as the unemployed odn't have the same access to the media aqnd journalists/tv presenters are far too tame to seriously challenge them (or actively support them anyway as we've seen with the IT letters page in the past two days printing several pro-Yes to Lisbon letters and zero No's). More below
  Joseph  Ireland
• I am on disabillity allowance and the last two budgets have reduced my income from 204euros to 173 euros. If I could work I would do anyhhing in my power to do so, unfortunately I can't, it is now virtually impossible for me to get my weekly shopping without exorbitant taxi rates which reduces my income by another 30 euros something is rotten in the state and not the state of Denmark. Hit the little guys first, it's worked in the past and history is always doomed to repeat itself. The people that are now claiming impoverishment will be close to the top rung of the ladder, not if, but when things improve. P.S Why can't I write to your letter page?
  Mikey Ennis  Ireland
• AFFIRMATIVE. THE RECESSION PAIN MUST BE ENDURED BY ALL. EVEN THE BENEFIT BLOKES! From what I witness day in and day out are huge numbers of people living on public welfare and entitlements. I've always had to laugh at the term: "entitlement". It's, in fact, a false premise rooted in the Socialist "human rights" ideology. Somehow, somewhere there is an extra-planetary power that deems everyone is entitled to these monetary benefits. Sort of like a huge garden of Eden where everyone lays around and all of life's material goodies are placed at their beckon and call. Sorry kiddies. Subsisting on social welfare isn't meant to be a viable lifestyle. It is a social control device utilised by government to keep the swarming masses placated. What those masses don't realise is that the pleasures they derive from the handouts are simply siphoned off and recycled back to the government through stealth taxation. High tax on booze, cigarettes, cars and petrol are the price the peasants pay for their daily trip to the dole office and their monthly visit to an Post. Now the economy is on the rocks it's going to be hard for those politicians who depend on the dole patronage vote to tell their constituents they must tighten their belts and join the hard working taxpayers in the bailout ballroom. I'm here, rolling on the floor laughing, at the quagmire that the great Socialist plan has developed into. Good luck Biffo and pals. Now go out and break the bad news to the punters. Tell them they'll have to cut back on their trips to the pub and betting parlours. Tell them they'll have to ditch their mobiles and go back to writing letters. Tell them they'll have to cancel their Algarve holidays. Tell them that Honda civic with the turbo charged and chipped motor is off the table. Then go back to your Ivory towers and await the baying mobs. HOO RAH!
  eddie- the Aggravator  Ireland
• Now lets consider 'cuts to income' in the public sector - An Bord Snip was excluded from considering this and haven't. Other than some talk of maybe some allowances (not classed as income) being cut and jobs going by 'natural wasteage' the government will go nowhere near actually cutting the pay of PS workers across the board or tackling the problem head on and cutting jobs.. They know that (unlike the unemployed) the PS will bite back - so against all the advice from top economists in this country (and outside it - see yesterdays ESRI report) they will tiptoe round this one while cutting the income of the unemployed and elderly. They are a disgusting, venal crowd of cowards who only strike at those unable to resist (and I include your average PAYE worker and their tax hikes in that too). As for cuts in income in the private sector - it is clearly government policy to encourage this and has been happening for some time now. Cutting labour costs is only one small part of becoming 'competitive' but this government seem to think it is all they need to do.
  Joseph  Ireland
• Absolutely. Cut cut cut. Average income per head will be at 2001 levels by next year; ergo, welfare and Civil Service pay and pensions must follow. Reverting handouts to 2001 levels would cure the budgetary problem in a jiffy if Cowen had the testicular fortitude to do that. But Cowen is a Clown, as we all know.
  Forensic Dog (superhero)  Aruba
• Why not just shoot the old and ship out the downtrodden in coffin ships and then you could charge their estate for the bullets and seafare ,why , you could add an ammo tax and travel on that ,thin about it ,then you save it all, as I see it its the christian thing to do ,For more than 100 years, workers have fought and died trying to gain some measure of fair ,respectful and safe treatment .All along the filthy rich among us have tried to keep the working stiffs down by means of their social ,political and economic influence as I see it we now travel backwards in time to the bad old days of feudalism. Jesus wept
  paorach  Canada
• Why isn't aggravating Eddie rewriting the bible?
  Mikey Ennis  Ireland
• Joseph and Mickey - snap! Long odds there I tell ya! Is it a case of "great minds" or.......anyway Frankly Mick, you should only be getting 130 euros if you are to share my pain - and no, I don't accept special pleading.
  Forensic Dog (superhero)  Aruba
• I wonder if Messrs Cowen and Lenihan coud pay the bills, the mortgage, feed and clothe the kids and themselves and spend money on going to interviews (if you are lucky enough to get one) on €208 per week? And then have it cut to an even lower level. Given the massive rise in the newly unemployed, the lack of jobs out there for them and those still in employment who are really fearing for their jobs at the moment.... you really might see people out on the streets over this one. Especially if the government is seen to be doing little in the way of real cuts in the public services sector. These (unemployed) people have already taken big cuts in income due to government policies and mismanagement of the economy and to hit them with a double whammy and cut their dole too would be pretty harsh I think. I'm all for having a hard look at the less newly unemployed though - those that make a career out of the dole ..........but don't mix them up with those who have been turfed out of work and want to find a job (the vast majority). As for the elderly, they've already demonstrated (medical cards last year) that they are prepared to get out on the streets. I hope they do. I hope something happens to get this government out. What's the betting that they don't actually announce the cuts until the middle of winter in the hope that the cold weather will reduce the numbers turning up for demonstrations? However, I've no doubt the uncaring majority on this BB will be all for smashing the unemployed as long as it means any cuts don't affect them. I wonder if they (the Brians) will also cut all the tax reliefs for the well off? Or their own enormous salaries and expenses and pensions? I do of course have a vested interest, being unable to find work. Here's a reality check for you (and it is absolutely true). I only have dinner every other day so that I can feed my family properly. On the bright side, I can now wear clothes that haven't fitted me for ages. And I know of worse cases than mine.
  Skerries  Ireland
• Rare event alert: I made an error. Of course we'd have to adjust for inflation; so 200 euros would be about 160 rather than 130. My bad as the kids say.
  Forensic Dog (superhero)  Aruba