Hogan's Heros: shock and awe brigade to be deployed from the 1st April

[PaddyJoe]

The Household Charge is dead in the water and Hogan has lost the run of himself.

ENVIRONMENT Minister Phil Hogan (http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Phil_Hogan_%28politician%29) has ordered city and county councils to set up teams of staff to call to the homes of people who refuse to pay the €100 household charge.

The councils will have to redeploy hundreds of staff to undertake the massive clampdown -- but it is unclear how this will work.

The Government has not allocated extra funding to employ workers on a part-time basis, and figures published last night suggested that hundreds of thousands of house visits are likely to be needed.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/council-staff-to-knock-on-doors-for-100-house-charge-3060116.html

[goatstoe]

In all seriousness I believe it is a national imperative for the moral of the people of this country, that they put that eejit Hogan in his place, and en masse refuse to pay this household charge point blank.

[PaddyJoe]

It's unlikely that this idea will ever get off the ground. There will be huge resistance at the lower levels in the local authorities. Interesting to see how the public service unions deal with it as well.
There's a air of desperation when half baked ideas like this are being thrown around.

[antiestablishmentarian]

I think this is desperation from Hogan more so than anything serious, to be honest. His political career will be badly damaged by the sheer scale of the non-payment and his position will be undermined, if not untenable. Ergo, he's been reduced to stunts like this.

[homer]

Councils employ revenue collectors to knock on doors to collect council rents and rates ( in that capacity they succeed ratepayers.

Other officials will tell you that because of the recruitment embarge that they are understaffed in their various sections and that they cannot spare the time for knocking on doors.

I doubt if this idea will work

[ZeroWedge]

When these tax collectors are in an area, we need to follow them around and counter their spin with spin of our own. They should not be allowed to make a coercive sales pitch to people without the counter argument being put.

[Dr. FIVE]

absolute lol

[Kid Ryder]

It's unlikely that this idea will ever get off the ground. There will be huge resistance at the lower levels in the local authorities. Interesting to see how the public service unions deal with it as well.
There's a air of desperation when half baked ideas like this are being thrown around.

That's what struck me too when I first saw this news on the web. Whatever Jack O'Connor and other quislings may think, most public sector workers will not repeat not wear this. Hogan is spinning the noose which will hang him and his government.

[Kid Ryder]

When these tax collectors are in an area, we need to follow them around and counter their spin with spin of our own. They should not be allowed to make a coercive sales pitch to people without the counter argument being put.

Better still, lets be imaginative and ask these unfortunate soon-to-be-press-ganged workers to do a little subversion and tell people not to pay the household tax while on the govt. dime. At least 80% of the population won't even think of telling their bosses. I can guarantee you this may be a runner, and with a little tact and imagination a local authority worker so minded could get away with it easily. Long past time for mutiny in so many public sector workplaces I'd say...

[PaddyJoe]

Household charge protest meeting in Dublin is the first item on the Irish language news at 17.45 on RTE. Joe Higgins with a few focals.:)

[Griska]

This is a desperate measure.
Council employees aren't tax collectors and the unions, I imagine, will give this idea short shrift.
The next step would be to emply outside contractors to do it.

[Baron von Biffo]

This is a desperate measure.
Council employees aren't tax collectors and the unions, I imagine, will give this idea short shrift.
The next step would be to emply outside contractors to do it.

The Croke Park agreement means that any public servant must do pretty much anything they're told to do.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Oh don't worry Biffo they are well trained in how to avoid that scenario. If the government got tough and ordered the civil service to go out collecting door to door they'd go sick with stress in most cases on the first day and not come off the doctor's certs until that policy was rescinded.

Irish civil servants trudging door to door in the rain? Jesus, they were after a million pound covered walkway at government buildings for going between two office buildings they are so delicate.

No chance at all of this happening up and down the country. Hogan isn't so stupid as to go head to head with the indolent civil servant who doesn't want to be the Poor Beast Out In The Rain.

Sure- where would they take their tea-break? They wouldn't be offered tea at many houses I would say.

[morticia]

I'm afraid they'll have to go back to the ESB bill plan, I'd guess.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Wonder would there be a way of going off the ESB bills as well? Looks like another good reason to go self-sustainable in terms of heating and cooking and so on. Can't add it to a bill you don't get.

[morticia]

Wonder would there be a way of going off the ESB bills as well? Looks like another good reason to go self-sustainable in terms of heating and cooking and so on. Can't add it to a bill you don't get.

good luck with that. Showering with cold water never appealed to me, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too far a stretch of the imagination for them to go after the gas bill as well/instead. then, how do you cook?? Using wood/coal/bbq is far less efficient and would cost far more in the long run.

[riposte]

I think this is desperation from Hogan more so than anything serious, to be honest. His political career will be badly damaged by the sheer scale of the non-payment and his position will be undermined, if not untenable. Ergo, he's been reduced to stunts like this.

I don't know if the household charge fiasco would have brought him down ....... but this idea of getting inspectors to knock on doors means he is deadman walking.

[Griska]

I don't know if the household charge fiasco would have brought him down ....... but this idea of getting inspectors to knock on doors means he is deadman walking.

Shame Big Phil won't be knocking on my door.

[barrym]

Come on, we all know that it is a last throw of the dice by Hogan.

OTOH, in another thread Hogan is portrayed as Inda's guru, so, what will Inda do? Back him of course.

So, they'll soldier on with the fiction that it is the law of the land and you must pay. They might even tie it to the referendum. (BTW, I simply cannot understand why the polls are for the fiscal fiction and agin one of the (many) taxes that spring from it)

The only way they'll be forced to back off is the sheer volume of work in prosecuting a million householders. IF they go that far. The other problem is that the potential €160m to be collected is a drag on the finances, so bumbly Noonan may come up with a compromise....he'll say we have breathing space by fudging the Anglo promisary note.

I did say on PW that I had registered, it was a calculated decision, based on personal economics. I still think that a fair property based tax is the way to go.

[C. Flower]

This is a desperate measure.
Council employees aren't tax collectors and the unions, I imagine, will give this idea short shrift.
The next step would be to emply outside contractors to do it.


This feels more like an FF stroke than an FG one. Throw a rake of cash at local authority staff or other favoured unemployed/retirees to take this on. No chance whatsoever of it being done without extra money, and any attempt would be likely to fuel outrage in the public service, with possible strike action.

There is some element of cunning in it - if he does find cash for it - Phil Hogan was a local authority councillor for at least 20 years so he knows this scene pretty well. But the impression of panic conveyed will give much confidence to everyone who has decided not to pay.

[C. Flower]

Another Councillor from Phil's parish - Press release from Malcolm Noonan - Green Party.



Council Staff should not be sent out to clean up Hogan’s mess.

Local Authority staff should not be asked to call to households in the state to register them or collect the household charge. The Green Party has severely criticized Environment Minister Phil Hogan for suggesting that Local Authorities would be called upon to clean up a mess of his creation. ‘Local Authorities throughout the country are already under strain due to understaffing and expecting these authorities to allocate officials to register households could put staff in danger due to the level of anger that exists about how this charge was devised’ said Green Party Spokesperson for Environment, Community and Local Government, Cllr Malcolm Noonan.

‘Minister Hogan has drastically cut the Local Government Fund in 2012 and now expects Local Authority staff to call door to door to collect revenue to keep them in a job. This is an appalling indictment of the scant regard Minister Hogan has for the work of Local Authorities’ he said.

‘The Green Party is in favour of a more sustainable and equitable means of funding local government, particularly one that is decoupled from property development. However the household charge will not bring in anything close to targeted revenue largely because of a failure by Government to inform the public about the importance of local authorities within local communities; library services, fire services, community development, economic development. It’s not just about roads, water and waste management. Revenue collected locally should stay within that local authority area. If targets aren’t met, then services at a local level will be cut and Local Authorities will have to bring in supplementary budgets’ he said.

Cllr Noonan maintained that scaremongering by the Anti Tax campaign as well as by the Minister himself, has frightened many old and vulnerable people and is leading many others to believe that the Anti Tax campaign will protect them from penalties and interest. ‘This has been one of the most divisive campaigns in recent memory and Minister Hogan’s position will be untenable if revenue falls well below target as now seems most likely. His Report Card is already registering an ‘F’ he concluded.

[PaddyJoe]

It's just not going to happen. Morale in local authorities is already at rock bottom and plenty of staff oppose this charge. There is zero chance of local authorities workers cooperating with this.

[ang]

Don't look like the Unions will be Backing Phils idea of turning local authority staff into debt collectors ?:-

@RayKennedyHack

Union leader Mick O'Reilly warns against council workers being asked to collect household charge, and why Unions must stop this. RTE 6.1.

[Saoirse go Deo]

Council workers don't want to do it, it will take a mountain of cash to get them to even think about doing it.

This is desperate stuff from the government.

[Baron von Biffo]

This feels more like an FF stroke than an FG one. Throw a rake of cash at local authority staff or other favoured unemployed/retirees to take this on. No chance whatsoever of it being done without extra money, and any attempt would be likely to fuel outrage in the public service, with possible strike action.

There is some element of cunning in it - if he does find cash for it - Phil Hogan was a local authority councillor for at least 20 years so he knows this scene pretty well. But the impression of panic conveyed will give much confidence to everyone who has decided not to pay.

Croke Park?

Under the CPA the job description of a PS worker is whatever the boss wants and the pay is whatever the government offers. There's not a hope of them being offered extra money.

Still, it must be 3 or 4 days now since we had a bit of PS bashing.

[Baron von Biffo]

It's just not going to happen. Morale in local authorities is already at rock bottom and plenty of staff oppose this charge. There is zero chance of local authorities workers cooperating with this.

If they were instructed to do this and they refused, Howlin would scrap the minimal promises in Croke Park and we'd have open season on PS workers.

[Baron von Biffo]

Another Councillor from Phil's parish - Press release from Malcolm Noonan - Green Party.


‘Minister Hogan has drastically cut the Local Government Fund in 2012 and now expects Local Authority staff to call door to door to collect revenue to keep them in a job. This is an appalling indictment of the scant regard Minister Hogan has for the work of Local Authorities’ he said.



If he wasn't a member of a party that twice voted to unilaterally slash PS pay we might almost say his concern for local authorities was sincere.

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

Get your old High Nelly out of the shed there Biffo. You lot are about to get out and about to meet the people.

Wrong side of the new Land War, baby. Mind yourself now. Keep the clips on and the bike pointed towards the street.

[barrym]

Get your old High Nelly out of the shed there Biffo. You lot are about to get out and about to meet the people.

Wrong side of the new Land War, baby. Mind yourself now. Keep the clips on and the bike pointed towards the street.

... and send us a photo.....:D

[Andrew49]

Almost 9,000 families need to register AN HOUR to pay the charge if Saturday's deadline is to be met!

SB Post (http://t.co/SLsOM5Hr)

[ang]

If he wasn't a member of a party that twice voted to unilaterally slash PS pay we might almost say his concern for local authorities was sincere.

Whilst agreeing with you :) I also agree with the sentiment of the "Green" comment:D

[ang]

As anticipated by some:-


Bogus council workers attempting to collect household charge - report

Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/bogus-council-workers-attempting-to-collect-household-charge--report-545148.html#.T3IbLThjCcw.twitter#ixzz1qLif9jY8