TONIGHT With Vincent Browne

AOwannabe

JonathanAnon wrote: »

In fairness to Fionnán, it's takes some effort to still look the same as you did when you made your communion..

I have an irrational fear of his hair

Koloman

Vincent should of asked Garret what he thought of Leo Varadka.

http://www.herald.ie/national-news/varadkars-garret-slur-2109366.html

"Destroyed the country" he said. There's a lot of competition for that award I would've thought.

bernardo mac

JonathanAnon wrote: »

I dont mean to be cruel, but I think Garrett is not well enough in mind to be interviewed..

Garrett is quite well intellectually!

JonathanAnon

Koloman wrote: »

Vincent should of asked Garret what he thought of Leo Varadka.

Certainly one of the most bizarre moments of the year alright.. loved the "boring old articles in the Irish Times" comment... Where's Brendan O'Connor to ask the nuclear question when you need him?

scargill

Garret fairly squirmed when asked about his very nice pensions and 24hour state car. All these guys talk about having to increase taxes, but when it comes to cutting their own benefits they duck and dive with the best of them!

scargill

can't take the ginger choirboy seriously at all since he had the run in with McWilliams over the cement truck at the Dail.

scargill

i'm an hour behind on SKY+, talking to myself....

JonathanAnon

scargill wrote: »

All these guys talk about having to increase taxes, but when it comes to cutting their own benefits they duck and dive with the best of them!

No I'm still here. Agree with you completely on that point.. Ivan Yates was exactly the same the other night....basically says (paraphrasing) "I dont make the rules, the rules are wrong, but I'll certainly take the benefits of them rather than protest for change (or just simply return the pension)" The lack of moral courage to just say "no", to money that they clearly dont need, is astounding...

Elmo

Drastically cut Higher Civil Servant wages and pensions (and those in the public service). Reduce TD wages drastically. Get rid of ridiculous expenses, get rid of expenses for people on over 100,000. TDs, Ministers and Senators pensions to be paid on the 65th birthday and to be drastically reduced. There are lots of savings to be made just by getting rid of expenses. Do you think they will do it?

Am I being mean? I know that it wouldn't reduce the amount to run the country as much as going after people on 17,000 or 25,000, but Every little Helps.

JonathanAnon

The practice of ANY ex public servant receiving a pension while taking up new work opportunities needs to be done away with... Ex public servants either need to be categorised as i) completely retired, in which case they receive their pension or ii) taking up other working opportunities, and not in need of a pension, until they do actually retire... they could be given a small payment to help their transition from public to private working life (as is being done with McCreevy, not that he needs it)

But nobody should be in receipt of a state pension while making a good living privately..

Elmo

JonathanAnon wrote: »

But nobody should be in receipt of a state pension while making a good living privately..

Get rid of the old age pension for those on high Private pensions I would say ANY but I do understand that many people retire from low paid jobs only to find themselves having to work in their later years, obviously people like McCreevy and McDowell shouldn't be getting any pensions. Are Ahearn and McDaid getting ministerial pensions?

JonathanAnon

anyone watching lads? Good show tonight. Vincent really putting it to Mike Soden.. I'd love if he questioned him in more detail about the reasons that he left the Bank Of Ireland, and whether he considered it to be a serendipitous event in hindsight.. (in light of what has happened to the banks since, and how those who were in charge are now viewed)..

Elmo

JonathanAnon wrote: »

anyone watching lads? Good show tonight. Vincent really putting it to Mike Soden.. I'd love if he questioned him in more detail about the reasons that he left the Bank Of Ireland, and whether he considered it to be a serendipitous event in hindsight.. (in light of what has happened to the banks since, and how those who were in charge are now viewed)..

IMO he set himself up to leave BOI before the crash and it seems to be working out for him now.

JonathanAnon

Elmo wrote: »

IMO he set himself up to leave BOI before the crash and it seems to be working out for him now.

From BOI's wiki page:

Michael Soden.
Michael Soden abruptly quit as group chief executive on 29 May 2004 when it was discovered that adult material that contravened company policy was found on his Bank PC. Soden issued a personal statement explaining that the high standards of integrity and behaviour in an environment of accountability, transparency and openness, which he espoused, would cause embarrassment to the Bank.

You must have missed this one Elmo, but it's fairly well known.. They found that he had been looking up escort agencies, and considered this grounds to force him to resign.. Personally, I think there must have been an internal campaign to get rid of him... That's the reason I described it as serendipitous, as it was never his "choice" per se, but probably saved his reputation in the long run... He now gets to pontificate about how the bank's balance sheet doubled in the period after he left...

It always seems to be the one singular topic that is out of bounds for every interview, as I have never heard him being asked... even by those likes of Vincent Browne...

JonathanAnon

Sorry lads, missed the start .. where was it that Enda Kenny spent 1200 for a hotel room and the Taoiseach spent 1800 for his hotel room.. ??

Big Mouth

Another discussion about politicians expenses. YAWN!

It seems people would think it more important to cut politicians salaries rather than dealing with the broader economic problems. Spiteful small minded thinking.

Yeah the politicians were putting themselves in top hotels (Who wouldn't have at the time)......and yeah they have messed up this country very badly but come on people look at the big picture.

I suppose if you were a minister you would have cycled around Europe and stayed in Travelodges and payed yourself 18k a year:rolleyes:

AOwannabe

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Sorry lads, missed the start .. where was it that Enda Kenny spent 1200 for a hotel room and the Taoiseach spent 1800 for his hotel room.. ??

Italy I think, I have not been paying much attention tonight.

AOwannabe

Good on ya Vincent! Stuck it to the Labour TD on Croke Park agreement and Labour party indecision.

JonathanAnon

God the Labour people are absolute cowards when asked a direct question about cuts, Croke Park agreement, dealing with the unions, reform in the public services..

Elmo

Big Mouth wrote: »

Another discussion about politicians expenses. YAWN!

It seems people would think it more important to cut politicians salaries rather than dealing with the broader economic problems. Spiteful small minded thinking.

Yeah the politicians were putting themselves in top hotels (Who wouldn't have at the time)......and yeah they have messed up this country very badly but come on people look at the big picture.

I suppose if you were a minister you would have cycled around Europe and stayed in Travelodges and payed yourself 18k a year:rolleyes:

Looking at the amount of expenses and the pay, of not only politicians but also higher civil servants, I don't see why people should not ask that they also take huge cuts in their pay and expenses.

Yes, during times of austerity (as they like to spin it) they should fly coach (as the Americans say), they should go to cheap hotels and they should see their pay packets reduced significantly.

Higher Civil Servants and Politicians need to feel the pinch just as much as the rest of the people an that cannot be done on salaries over €150,000 per year before Expenses.

Then it might be easier to bring in cuts when thousands of cuts have been made to expenses and pay in higher paid sections of society, (that includes the banks).

Sorry, if that sound petty but that is the times we live in if a 1billion has to go from the HSE budget, then a 1billion has to be taken out of expenses, higher pay and sundries.

JonathanAnon

Elmo wrote: »

Higher Civil Servants and Politicians need to feel the pinch just as much as the rest of the people an that cannot be done on salaries over €150,000 per year before Expenses.

I used to work for a company who paid you expenses AFTER you showed the receipts.. If the person did not have the funds, they gave you an advance (modest) payment to your account.. and if you a) couldnt vouch for it or b) went over the assigned money without justification, it was taken out of your future wages..

It's the same as Vincent's point about the state car... People become accustomed to being treated like kings and living as such... Their attention need to be drawn to the amount of money they are spending, and having it come out of your own account certainly focuses your mind.. For this reason, none of us could claim back the drink we had in the strip club in Warsaw..

Elmo

JonathanAnon wrote: »

For this reason, none of us could claim back the drink we had in the strip club in Warsaw..

I blame the strippers they are just unwilling to give you a receipt.

JonathanAnon

Sarah Bourke really letting her union mask slip on this issue...

The middle guys idea about getting the public service management to reduce costs within their sector or they themselves are punished 50% of their wages is a good idea... having accountability would never get it past the unions though...

The reason nothing is ever done to reform public service is that the people who CAN change things are far too safe & comfortable with their huge wages and conditions, and would rather make the decisions that make life easier for themselves (personally) rather than having the moral courage to make the right decisions for the sake of the country..

GoldenEarring

Vincent keeps saying there is a liveblog being run on politico.ie. I can't find it. I used to be able to access it. Has something changed?

JonathanAnon

GoldenEarring wrote: »

Vincent keeps saying there is a liveblog being run on politico.ie. I can't find it. I used to be able to access it. Has something changed?

Yeah, I head ya... I tried it a few nights and could never find it ... or else it just wasnt working ... You think if the website was getting a huge plug on a national TV station, the least they could do was make sure that the thing was working..

Koloman

Willie O'Dea is on tonight. Should be some fireworks.

AOwannabe

Willie O Dea on the programme tonight.

JonathanAnon

ah jaysus, was watching the IRA/UVF program on RTE, .. it's very good.. but have to watch this..

AOwannabe

Pathetic excuses there from Willie, blaming Lehman Bros and the single currency for the country's woes.

JonathanAnon

Dropping such a controversial and conflicted figure in to such a high profile (and already floundering) trial has to be one of THEE most naive and stupid decisions ever made.... I thought these people were meant to be clever..