Burton puts the boot into the poor. Again.

[Spectabilis]

And when they remove the fuel allowance, they can take out the baths they were storing the coal in and sell them for scrap. Loadsa money to be had out of the poor.

[gfmurphy101]

The last time cuts like these were implemented it was in the workhouses, where children were refused shoes and socks!!

[morticia]

If these "Labour" politicians were normal human beings, they would have nightmares about what James Connolly would do to them.

Regards...jmcc

They're already having nightmares about what Europe would do to them if they didn't.

Frying pan....fire, Scylla...charybdis....devil, deep blue sea.

And in fairness, while we still have an externally funded deficit, forcing us to balance our books within the year would mean a lot more cuts than those that are outlined here.

There are those that would argue that it might be worth it to get rid of the Troika, the problem is that I suspect we'd get rid of our FDI at the same time.

The decisions that led here were made years ago. Principally by those who thought the Euro was a good idea, and those that invented the tracker 110% mortgage.

[fluffybiscuits]

The Troika must have told our Joan " cut or else". Is it possible that Labour are possessed by the demons of FF in the past? The exceptional needs payment is not abused, its there to serve as a means to bridge a gap to people who are struggling to pay for funerals or fuel (http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en..._payments.html). I would suggest Minister for Lifestyle choice tell the Troika to go and ***** themselves on this one. She can have the shirt of my back if she wants but no danger of her finding things tough up there in her ivory tower..

[Dodoe]

we have very hard times now here in this country and it makes me sad to see it I worry a lot for loads of people now who cannt cope with much less than they had before and its a very much a hardship on the children of people as well also

[Baron von Biffo]

Burton's department is using its discretionary powers to withhold payments such as domiciliary care allowance and carers allowance.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...ts-198791.html

We are frequently told that our politicians are too 'clientalist' but it's this sort of thing that causes the problem.

When government departments operate on the default assumption that claimants are (a) not entitled to whatever it is they're claiming, or (b) are actively seeking to defraud the state, it becomes inevitable that the citizen is forced to use a TD to get their legitimate entitlement.

[Monetpenny]

Slightly different matter but didn't want to start a new thread just for this.

I heard Micheál Martin on the news criticising the government for cutting MIS (Mortgage Interest Supplement) in instances where mortgage payers are in arrears.
I also recalled he was lauding this payment before the last general election.

I was in receipt of this payment (MIS) for 2 years as I was in a car crash & sustained injuries that required surgery & was unable to work.

I was paying a mortgage in excess of €1,700 per month.
The MIS payment I received was €20 per month.
That would have been welcomed, but when I got the MIS for €20 some other social welfare payment was cut by €20 per month so essentially I got nothing.

Another anomaly of the welfare system is I got less in Occupational Illness Benefit when we had our 3rd child (my wife was pregnant before I was injured) than I received when we had 2 children.

Before our 3rd child I was getting €26 each for 2 children (€52) & when the baby was born it was halved per child so I got €13 each for 3 children (€39).
When I queried this I was told it was because we were married.

At the same time a man younger than me who has fathered several children with different mothers & doesn't have any of them living with them was receiving €139 per week towards his €150 rent.

I just want to say to Micheál Martin that your payment is worthless & that you Micheál are the only that has ever received any value out of it by mining it for political capital.

[Baron von Biffo]

Burton's changes to the dole whereby it will now be paid on a 5 day week basis rather than 6 days come into effect form today. As dirty little strokes go it's one of the dirtiest and will hammer those who only get a few days a week at work.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...ut-202153.html

[C. Flower]

Burton's changes to the dole whereby it will now be paid on a 5 day week basis rather than 6 days come into effect form today. As dirty little strokes go it's one of the dirtiest and will hammer those who only get a few days a week at work.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland...ut-202153.html

It will surely push more people into the black economy.

[Baron von Biffo]

It will surely push more people into the black economy.

Absolutely. It's diametrically opposed to all the twaddle about 'incentivising' people back to work.

[Mao]

Larkin and Connolly would be proud.

I stopped to read the Irish Proclamation recently,which was hanging on the wall of the Primary School I attended. How on earth would a teacher explain it to a child today. Children don't understand hypocrasy. The behaviour of the Government towards its "ordinary working-class", decent citizens flies in the face of what our 1916 leaders died for. They have turned on the people they are supposed to be proctecting to pander to like-minded political leaders who are only proctecting their own interest. God help us!
'

[Ephilant]

God help us!

She's no good at that, you've got to help yourselves!

[Baron von Biffo]

I stopped to read the Irish Proclamation recently,which was hanging on the wall of the Primary School I attended. How on earth would a teacher explain it to a child today. Children don't understand hypocrasy. The behaviour of the Government towards its "ordinary working-class", decent citizens flies in the face of what our 1916 leaders died for. They have turned on the people they are supposed to be proctecting to pander to like-minded political leaders who are only proctecting their own interest. God help us!
'

Welcome to PW Mao.

Perhaps if we'd relied less on God to protect us and looked instead to protect ourselves, we wouldn't be in quite such a mess today.

[Baron von Biffo]

The Minister for Lifestyle Choices has given us a little gem of her wisdom on the subject of lone parents:-

"The gross rate of fraud in lone parents was very high"

http://www.independent.ie/national-n...d-3182673.html

So now you know why we have 10 times as many people checking for welfare fraud than for white collar criminals.

[Andrew49]

Who is the Minister pandering to?

From the CONSTITUTION OF THE LABOUR PARTY Emphasis added

The Labour Party was founded in 1912, by the trade union movement, to provide a means by which working people could bring about social and economic justice. The aspiration of the party’s founders, James Connolly and Jim Larkin, to “close the gap between what ought to be and what is” remains valid today. Despite Ireland’s economic wealth, class divisions continue to exist and many of its citizens continue to experience, from childhood, major inequalities in wealth, health and life chances.

SHurely Shome Mishtake Here!