Why not pool all our State cars?

REARVIEW:Irish taxpayers have shelled out €11 million over the past two years on State cars. In an economy that is supposedly fighting for its very survival, this would appear to be an unaffordable extravagance.

Our politicians are extremely well-paid by international standards. This unnecessary expenditure simply fuels the culture of entitlement that has so imbued Ireland’s political culture.

All those people on the dole must be delighted to know that Bertie Ahern, who has so much to answer for, is being ferried about at taxpayers’ expense. Especially if he gives them a cheery wave as he passes the dole queue.

If our Government – so fond these days of warning citizens to tighten their belts and gird themselves to impending austerity measures – want to lead by example they should fund a substantial part of the cost or take public transport instead.

If they were to do that, they may garner a greater understanding of the pressures their subjects are under. If nothing else, the rest of us would get better trains and buses. Of course, Ministers will argue they need to be kept apart from the public over fears of attack from disgruntled members of the public. They may have a point. But whose fault is that?

Why do they need a car each? Why not pool them? The whole Cabinet is hardly on the road at once. And if it is, who is steering the ship? The majority of State cars should be decommissioned. While the relatively small savings won’t have much impact on the economic burden Ireland is facing, it would go a long way to restoring the proletariat’s long-lost confidence in the integrity of our political system.