Higgins gives TDs an account of day in the life of `Ansbacher man'

The Dail was treated to an outline of the day in the life of "Ansbacher man" by Mr Joe Higgins (Socialist Party, Dublin West).

"It would involve breakfast with Des Traynor, where one would discuss the Ansbacher account and getting a loan which could be written off against one's taxes.

"This might be followed by morning coffee with the bank manager to discuss a few bogus non-resident accounts, Ansbacher man being prudent not to keep all the golden eggs in one basket, that is if Ansbacher man was not a director of the bank himself and had all the information to hand.

"Ansbacher man may then be a guest speaker at a prestigious business lunch, attended by the minister for finance, where he would dwell on two themes, namely the need to drastically cut public spending and the absolute requirement for workers' wages to be held down.

"The minister would probably flatter Ansbacher man, with an eye to the generous political contribution he hopes his political party will get on foot of an obsequious letter sent by his general secretary to Ansbacher man and his firm.

"Ansbacher man would wheel and deal perhaps in the afternoon and might then head for the Bahamas for the weekend where he would join some of his other Irish millionaire friends, who do not spend as much time in Ireland because their sense of patriotism is such that they are tax exiles from the country.

"No doubt their conversation would revolve around the forthcoming national wage agreement and the absolute priority of hammering wages down to the very minimum and increasing productivity."