A chara, – While sitting idly by, I was moved by a man’s story on the radio. He cares for his incapacitated wife 24/7, claiming he has only a half-hour every day of assistance from a carer. I learned that such carers take home only €2-3 more a day than those on the dole.
I’m on the dole, and have at least a half-hour a day to spare. Would the Government not consider making some type of voluntary work mandatory for those claiming financial assistance (where appropriate), be it care work, visiting the elderly, tidying towns or helping disadvantaged children with homework?
It would appear that we have hundreds of thousands out of work and presumably wallowing in boredom, anxiety or even depression. Surely a basic scheme of “earning” one’s allowance would contribute to a sense of capability and achievement? It might even help us to remember how lucky we are to be in a position to help others. Hopefully the sentiment is not wearing too thin by now, but we do need to pull together through this time and not forget about those worse off then ourselves. — Is mise,
AISLING NORTON,
Dublin 3.
Madam, – Vincent Browne gets to the heart of the matter (March 25th) when he says that in the debate about the current economic crisis the idea of the national interest is essentially bunkum. Quite simply, there is no such thing.
In a capitalist system such as ours, there are only vested interests. And everybody knows this. So why are most Irish people and union representatives behaving so passively in the face of this blindingly obvious fact? Is it a form of fatalism? Don’t we care that we are being cheated, lied to and subjugated in this way?
Surely the facts, as presented by Mr Browne, are sufficient to demonstrate our plight and warrant immediate action? Why do we blithely accept the spurious, superficial justifications proffered by our mealy-mouthed politicians? Not only should there be a day of protests, there should be a week of protests, followed by the demand for a general election if something drastic is not done immediately to rectify matters. –Yours etc,
NEIL FORSYTH,
Rossberry Lane,
Lucan, Co Dublin.
Madam, – There were two inaccuracies in Vincent Browne’s column of March 25th. He referred to last Sunday’s The Week in Politics, quoting me as saying, along with others, that there should be “balance” in respect of the budget and contrasting this with Michael Fingleton’s pension and bonus arrangements. The reference implied I wasn’t aware of what “balance” really meant.
I wasn’t on The Week in Politics on Sunday. I was, however, on Questions and Answers the following night, where I made the point that it was indefensible that Michael Fingleton was getting a €27.6 million pension to which he probably didn’t contribute, while at the same time a public servant on €20,000 was being asked to pay a pension levy on his or her pension. Equally, I said it was disgraceful that the taxpayer probably funded several millions of Mr Fingleton’s pension as a result of Government policy allowing big tax reliefs on pensions for the rich.
May I also correct Mr Browne in relation to social welfare amounts. Jobseeker Benefit entitlement has already been lowered – in the October budget – by reducing the duration a person can claim. It is now a maximum of nine months for a person with less than a five-year contribution record, so many unemployed people are not now even getting the annual figures which he quotes. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Gerry McCaughey’s decision to resign from his positions as chairman of two State bodies was a noble one. What would have been even nobler would have been a small cheque to cover the capital gains tax he legitimately avoided. Such concrete tokens tend to impress the proletariat much more than efforts to avoid being a distraction. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – As the Irish Nationwide is having difficulty getting a new chief executive, might I propose Mr Eugene McErlean for the job. He seems to know how to walk a straight line when it comes to banking and the regulator. – Yours, etc,