Eamon Gilmore Labour/ICTU Leader

[Actin The Sham]

From Eamon Gilmore's address to the ICTU conference in Tralee:

Mr Gilmore said increasingly he was hearing from Fianna Fáil that the solution to the fiscal crisis was to cut public expenditure.

He said the leaking of the report of An Bord Snip represented “the longest ‘softening-up’ exercise in the history of the State”.

He did not see why the report should remain secret. “Let’s see it! Publish the report, and let’s debate it.

“And let’s debate too the notion that we can only deal with the public finances by cutting social spending.

“Even in the worst days the late 1980s social welfare rates were not cut. They were indexed in line with inflation as part of the first social partnership agreement.”



****


What if inflation is minus 4.5%?

This guy has no idea what he is doing, and unfortunately if he gets anywhere near the controls anyone not in the public sector will be completely screwed.

[Cliff Barnes]

From Eamon Gilmore's address to the ICTU conference in Tralee:

Mr Gilmore said increasingly he was hearing from Fianna Fáil that the solution to the fiscal crisis was to cut public expenditure.

He said the leaking of the report of An Bord Snip represented “the longest ‘softening-up’ exercise in the history of the State”.

He did not see why the report should remain secret. “Let’s see it! Publish the report, and let’s debate it.

“And let’s debate too the notion that we can only deal with the public finances by cutting social spending.

“Even in the worst days the late 1980s social welfare rates were not cut. They were indexed in line with inflation as part of the first social partnership agreement.”



****


What if inflation is minus 4.5%?

This guy has no idea what he is doing, and unfortunately if he gets anywhere near the controls anyone not in the public sector will be completely screwed.

You will find if you look into Gilmpres entertaining eloquent speeches that there are very few facts or proper spending estimates.

[jd26]

It's a strange thing, but because of his background, Gilmore has to pander to the unions more than other Labour leaders have.

Gilmore is former DL and that wing of the party have always felt that they've had to go out of their way to keep traditional Labour happy, while someone like Ruairi Quinn who came up through the Labour ranks was more able to tell the unions some unpleasant truths.

[Actin The Sham]

It is very hard to choose the right option on who to vote for in general elections, the way that the political landscape is made up.

Richard Bruton, and George Lee in Fine Gael might sound like they are talking sense on economic issues, and even Leo Varadkar has his moments, but then if they get into government we would end up with Joan Burton and Eamon Gilmore dictating economic policy.

If we can agree that Mary Coughlan and Brian Lenihan should be fired at the next election, who can we elect to replace them?

[i_didnt_do_nawtin]

So the Irish people will have to choose between corruption or stupidity?

[Lostmeringtopaddypower]

From Eamon Gilmore's address to the ICTU conference in Tralee:

Mr Gilmore said increasingly he was hearing from Fianna Fáil that the solution to the fiscal crisis was to cut public expenditure.

He said the leaking of the report of An Bord Snip represented “the longest ‘softening-up’ exercise in the history of the State”.

He did not see why the report should remain secret. “Let’s see it! Publish the report, and let’s debate it.

“And let’s debate too the notion that we can only deal with the public finances by cutting social spending.

“Even in the worst days the late 1980s social welfare rates were not cut. They were indexed in line with inflation as part of the first social partnership agreement.”



****


What if inflation is minus 4.5%?

This guy has no idea what he is doing, and unfortunately if he gets anywhere near the controls anyone not in the public sector will be completely screwed.

In the world of MANDATE, you can only benchmark UPWARDS.
Benchmarking downwards doesn't exist.

The average civil servant earns €50K whilst the average private sectors employee earns €40K - most of these will already have been affected by a drop in income on some level.

The public sector salaries have remained untouched (the pension contribution scheme is a joke - it's basically a savings scheme for their own pensions - guaranteed by the irish taxpayer, mind - something which Joe private has had to pay all along - alas, without any guarantee that anything will available to pay out)

So, as deflation kicks in and the salaries of the private sector remain untouched, this is de facto an INCREASE in pay for the public sector.

It's wholly unfair that the public sector receives 20% more pay than the private sector.
I reckon it's unprecedented in the entire world.

[Cliff Barnes]

It is very hard to choose the right option on who to vote for in general elections, the way that the political landscape is made up.

Richard Bruton, and George Lee in Fine Gael might sound like they are talking sense on economic issues, and even Leo Varadkar has his moments, but then if they get into government we would end up with Joan Burton and Eamon Gilmore dictating economic policy.

If we can agree that Mary Coughlan and Brian Lenihan should be fired at the next election, who can we elect to replace them?

Joan Burton is actually very very sharp and smart but way to left of centre.

[jd26]

Burton isn't too bad actually, once you can get over her voice. She has accounting and economics qualifications for good measure.

You also get Ruairi Quinn, but they've been keeping him out of the limelight on economic matters, because his brother's former position would have left him a hostage to fortune.

I don't really understand Gilmore's popularity. Compared to most of the Labour front-bench, he strikes me as a lightweight.

[Actin The Sham]

Burton isn't too bad actually, once you can get over her voice. She has accounting and economics qualifications for good measure.

You also get Ruairi Quinn, but they've been keeping him out of the limelight on economic matters, because his brother's former position would have left him a hostage to fortune.

I don't really understand Gilmore's popularity. Compared to most of the Labour front-bench, he strikes me as a lightweight.

I accept that they are intelligent and everything, but they are also quite old. Micheal D. Higgins, Liz McManus, Ruairi Quinn, Pat Rabbitte, Joan Burton, Kathleen Lynch etc.

Leo Varadkar, George Lee, Lucinda Creighton, Simon Coveney look fresher and smarter, and are probably more in touch with what is going on in the real world.

The old "vote for us because we aren't Fianna Fáil" slogan needs to be reworked. Fine Gael seem to be coming out with some decent economic policies, but who is to say that Labour would allow them to implement those policies after the election?

And finally: that idiot who looks like a wino and is Fine Gael's health spokesman is a liability. He ends up making Mary Harney look as if she knows what she's doing.

In an FG-Labour government Kathleen Lynch should have health, and FG should have Richard Bruton as Minister for Enterprise, with George Lee as minister for finance. Simon Coveney should be minister for Foreign Affairs, and Eamon Gilmore should be minister for the Environment with labour also having minister for Social Welfare.


After that, who knows? But at least Cork would have two ministers. :lol:

[Ageless (H)]

He likes his own voice id say, with all the shouting and roaring he does theres nothing behind it all.

[Cliff Barnes]

Last Updated: Thursday, July 9, 2009, 11:00Inflation rate falls 5.4% in June
DAVID LABANYIThe annual rate of inflation fell by 5.4 per cent in June, according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Prices have been falling since January and the cost of living, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), declined by a further 0.3 per cent last month. This compares with a 4.7 per cent annual drop in May.

The monthly EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which strips out the impact of mortgage rates, was flat last month, but is now down 2.2 per cent compared to June 2008.

The most significant declines over the year was a 25.6 per cent fall in housing costs and a 12.2 per cent reduction in clothing prices.

Services prices fell 5.6 per cent in the year to June while electricity, gas and other fuels were 1.6 per cent lower.

Any answers to the above Jack O'Connor or David Beggs ?

[Ageless (H)]

Last Updated: Thursday, July 9, 2009, 11:00Inflation rate falls 5.4% in June
DAVID LABANYIThe annual rate of inflation fell by 5.4 per cent in June, according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Prices have been falling since January and the cost of living, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), declined by a further 0.3 per cent last month. This compares with a 4.7 per cent annual drop in May.

The monthly EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which strips out the impact of mortgage rates, was flat last month, but is now down 2.2 per cent compared to June 2008.

The most significant declines over the year was a 25.6 per cent fall in housing costs and a 12.2 per cent reduction in clothing prices.

Services prices fell 5.6 per cent in the year to June while electricity, gas and other fuels were 1.6 per cent lower.

Any answers to the above Jack O'Connor or David Beggs ?

with the salaries these guys are on ,there detached from reality ffs.

[Lostmeringtopaddypower]

Last Updated: Thursday, July 9, 2009, 11:00Inflation rate falls 5.4% in June
DAVID LABANYIThe annual rate of inflation fell by 5.4 per cent in June, according to data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Prices have been falling since January and the cost of living, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), declined by a further 0.3 per cent last month. This compares with a 4.7 per cent annual drop in May.

The monthly EU Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices, which strips out the impact of mortgage rates, was flat last month, but is now down 2.2 per cent compared to June 2008.

The most significant declines over the year was a 25.6 per cent fall in housing costs and a 12.2 per cent reduction in clothing prices.

Services prices fell 5.6 per cent in the year to June while electricity, gas and other fuels were 1.6 per cent lower.

Any answers to the above Jack O'Connor or David Beggs ?

And yet the asking price for houses has dropped 4% this year.

Anyone putting in an offer for a house these days should offer 40% under asking price.

[Ageless (H)]

And yet the asking price for houses has dropped 4% this year.

Anyone putting in an offer for a house these days should offer 40% under asking price.

hear hear

[quincytwo]

Burton isn't too bad actually, once you can get over her voice. She has accounting and economics qualifications for good measure.

You also get Ruairi Quinn, but they've been keeping him out of the limelight on economic matters, because his brother's former position would have left him a hostage to fortune.

I don't really understand Gilmore's popularity. Compared to most of the Labour front-bench, he strikes me as a lightweight.

Well your judgement on other politicians isnt any better either so maybe you arent cut out to be a political commentator.:(