Eoghan Harris, the unelected "senator": what are his expenses?

Rebelheart

Does anybody know how much this guy is costing us?

According to Fionnán Sheehan in that Independent rag, all senators are given (as opposed to earn) a salary of "at least €70,000" per annum. The average expenses which these parasites claim, according to Sheehan, is €47,000.(Story here: http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/fionnan-sheahan/the-seanad-needs-to-start-giving-value-for-our-money-1874211.html)

However, they each can claim up to €100,000 in expenses every-single-year. That is on top of their salary of "at least" €70,000. One Offaly senator, one Patrick Moylan, received €219,715 in "allowances and expenses" this past year (http://www.offalyexpress.ie/local-authority-reports/Offaly-Senator-Pat-Moylan-tops.5607500.jp).

I hope I am not the only one who feels physically sick at this stage?


Now, I really do want to know what this Harris guy, this apologist, this arch defender of Patrick Bartholomew Ahern, takes off the hardworking PAYE members of this society, the truly decent people. For years Harris has been ranting and raving and moralising about Irish society and generally wrapping himself up in a cloak of self-righteousness and moral superiority.

Where can I find a breakdown of this unelected individual's salary and expenses as a member of the utterly pointless institution known as Seanad Éireann?

NewDubliner

Rebelheart wrote: »

Where can I find a breakdown of this unelected individual's salary and expenses as a member of the utterly pointless institution known as Seanad Éireann?

Priobably not in the 'Indo'.

Pride Fighter

Harris is slime of the highest order. Would not surprise me if he claimed more than anyone.

BroomBurner

Why don't you put in an FOI request, or get your local TD on to the case?

Fulton Crown

Hmm Harris is an interesting Dude..had sticky leanings some good while back.

Now born again right wing based on his Sindo musings.

Big defender of The Bert all right,,,,which in itself is v suspicious.

Expnnses could be ...interesting.

Hmmmmm ?

maxwell smart

Contact Senator Shane Ross, he usually does some great work on expenses in the Sunday Indo.........oh hang on.....maybe not

Darragh29

The senate position in Ireland is the moral equivilent of the UK heriditary peer that was done away with a few years ago...

How on earth we have a situation where UNELECTED people get into a house of the oireachtas is literally beyond me...

prinz

[quote=Darragh29;6244186
How on earth we have a situation where UNELECTED people get into a house of the oireachtas is literally beyond me...[/quote]

Most of the senators are elected. Just not by everyone

The PD's proposed scrapping the Seanad and well we saw how the Irish people supported the PD's in the elections. Perhaps we should invite them back?

jank

The PD's had a lot of good ideas (remember Cafe bar's) but they didnt pull the plug on FF so the country didnt transfer to them.

Darragh29

prinz wrote: »

Most of the senators are elected. Just not be everyone

The PD's proposed scrapping the Seanad and well we saw how the Irish people supported the PD's in the elections. Perhaps we should invite them back?

You have "universities" electing candidates, mind you, those associated with IT's or other academic institutions cannot apply for election through this route. You also have politically appointed candidates, appointed by the Taoiseach, as Eoghan Harris was, an absolute disgrace in 2009, it belongs back in the Victorian era.

prinz

Perhaps it's time for them (PD's) to make a come back. A clean start, once they promise to stay away from FF for good. McDowell IMO is exactly the sort of leader we need at the moment, thick stubborn head on him, but at least he'd get things done, and done quickly.

prinz

Darragh29 wrote: »

You have "universities" electing candidates, mind you, those associated with IT's or other academic institutions cannot apply for election through this route. You also have politically appointed candidates, appointed by the Taoiseach, as Eoghan Harris was, an absolute disgrace in 2009, it belongs back in the Victorian era.

Important to note the select nature of the universities too. The one I went to doesn't entitle me to a vote.;).11 appointed by the Taoiseach.
Then 43 are elected from various panels representing interest groups and civil society sectors.

It could do with a drastic overhaul for sure. That or disband it altogether.

dRNk SAnTA

The real crime here, and it doesn't get enough attention, is the butchering of the FOI act.

You want to know who much Harris gets? It could cost you hundreds of euro to retrieve.

pablomakaveli

I despise Harris. His shameless sucking up to Bertie is cringeworthy. The fact he's getting paid to be in the Seanad is worse given the only reason he's there is because he's Berties fanboy.

I'm not supportive of the elitist Seanad either. It should either be done away with or make the senators take a big pay cut.

Red Hand

He has written in the Sindo that he took a paycut and wanted other public servants to do likewise.

Nodin

Darragh29 wrote: »

The senate position in Ireland is the moral equivilent of the UK heriditary peer that was done away with a few years ago...

...

Actually no, as they had some power. It's more like a well publicised quango devoted to the public perception of the Irish weather.

gurramok

I've no vote(say) for it like the vast majority of the populace so i want it scrapped!

Ask any joe-soap where the Seanad sits and bet you will get most not having a clue.

bullpost

Those type of incomes are outrageous in these recession days and should be severely cut back. I'd reckon most senators have additional income as well - in Harris's case his journalism.
Schools are struggling to get by and could well do with an extra 200,000 .

kmick

He got the job directly after appearing on the Late Late a week before an election and doing a MASSIVE u-turn on Fianna Fail saying they were the most honest, god fearing, Ireland loving, disrespect for their own welfare party that ever walked the face of the earth. Prioir to that point he hated them in every column he ever wrote. It was noted at the time it was not the first time he had switched ideologies.

He then had the gall to say afterwards that it was unrelated he landed a political appointment to a job worth up to 150k a year for having a bit of a lively debate every now and then.

Like most columnists in the independant he has about as much integrity as fox in a henhouse. Rotten to the core.
This is dated but gives a good outline of the EH modus operandi.
http://neilmichael.wordpress.com/tag/eoghan-harris/page/2/

Rebelheart

maxwell smart wrote: »

Contact Senator Shane Ross, he usually does some great work on expenses in the Sunday Indo.........oh hang on.....maybe not

Completely off the record here, lads, but I have it on very good authority that the "investigations" by Shane Ross and other "Independent" journalists into state bodies have a direct correlation to Anthony O'Reilly's relationship with the bodies in question. In particular, I know of one prominent state body which refused to bail Anthony O'Reilly out in the Waterford Wedgwood debacle and within two weeks they had a whirlwind of FOI requests for the company accounts.

We are not even touching the reality of things in this state at the moment.

Rebelheart

PS: And it is good to see a wife-beating prostitute-visiting journalist finally finding moral superiority. There's hope for us all!

Nodin

bullpost wrote: »

Those type of incomes are outrageous in these recession days and should be severely cut back. I'd reckon most senators have additional income as well - in Harris's case his journalism.

...or whatever he calls it.....

spadder

jank wrote: »

The PD's had a lot of good ideas .

Getting into bed with FF wasn't one of them. Letting Mcdowell out of his cage wasn't great either.

old boy

so was having mary harney as head of the anti obesity campaign