A vote for Labour is a vote for SIPTU

CDfm

Flashgordon197 wrote: »

Trade unions have got a bad press lately. I know many friends in non union employment . Some are treated fairly but those who aint are treated quite poorly because they have no official channels to complain or back them up in a dispute.

The Unions have been a player.

In the old days we needed unions but we do not need unions dictating government policy or manipulating industrial disputes for political motives.

The Unions are not apolitical but are party political.

They also have benefited hugely financially thru FAS etc.

That is hardly ethical.

A lot of anti-trade unionism is simply jealosy that you dont have a union to protect your interests.

Actually no. A lot of it is that people who are not elected by the people and accountable to parliment have no mandate.

The Trade unions did not create this mess. They played a part but by far the largest culprits are developers and bankers. We already fund Parties in part.

The Public Service regulated the banks and advised the government.

Do you want to stump up for political parties -yes or no?

I think yes -but with very limited donations.

CDfm

Flashgordon197 wrote: »

Parties cost money to run. Its that simple. You -the tax payer pay or a vested interest does. You don't seem to grasp this. Not an attack-just trying to clarify how you think they will pay staff/research? Especially an opposition party. Not fair to zero in on Labours links to SIPTU alone. Given a toss up between liberty hall and the Galway Tent-I take the Union shilling any day.

If you reduce vested interest money then taxpayer must fill the void.

But the Unions have taken the public service shilling & its not shillings & it belongs to the taxpayers, its millions.

Sarannej3

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

1. Labour (as Fine Gael) want to renegotiate the IMF/EU bailout do that Ireland can have a fairer deal. They want to reduce the interest rate on the loan and extend the period to pay it off. In essence they want a less cribbing deal. Labour don't necessarily want to burn the bond holders (that's more of a United Left Alliance approach) but they believe that they should incur some losses. The strategy is basically to create a fairer deal and have it negotiated in such a way that will not hinder the countries ability to borrow money in the future. To clarify Labour doesn't hold the ULA's stance on the IMF/EU bailout.
2. Labour want to increase the tax for people earning over a €100,000. I don't know where you are getting these figures from, it's more like 40-45%. Also, to clarify, it's not going to be 40-45% of your total income if you earn over €100,000. Let's say you earn €120,000, you will pay a higher tax rate on the amount over €100,000 which in this case is 40-45% of €20,000.

Killer Pigeon

May you would check current tax rates with the Revenue Commissioners- I am on a marginal tax rate of 55%, in 2010 and 2011, and plus 10% takes that to....work it out!

Labour say they want to delay the correction for 1-2 years- that means borrowing more that in the IMF/EU plan- not a good way to squeeze better terms, as far as I can see. I also think that it is immoral for one generation to borrow and spend, and the next to pick up the bill- we need if anything a more rapid correction, not a delayed one.

Tim Robbins

Killer Pigeon wrote: »

Dear Lord, for the last time Labour have a relationship with BOTH PRIVATE and PUBLIC sector Unions. You're just incurably bitter towards the public sectors, it's actually incredible, you're even taking it out on school teachers who are members of Labour and pointing that out as an extreme connection to the public sector.

The have extreme connections to unions - you can't really refute that.
They also have extreme connections to the public sector you can't refute that either.

I am not bitter about the public sector, I just think the majority of them live in a different world and don't have a sense of how the real economy works.

The real economy works where you compete and you get paid by providing something that is worth the money. The public sector (not all of them but huge swathes of them) don't live in economic reality. They think they should get paid what they think is fair and are prepared to hold us all to ransom if they don't get it.

Not saying the other parties of perfect; it's scary the amount of teachers in the Dail however, I just see these problems way worse in Labour.

Joan Burton - Spokesperson for Finance.
- Educated at UCD
- Qualified chartered accountant, worked
with Price Waterhouse before becoming a
senior lecturer at DIT.

Joe Costello - Spokesperson for Transport.
- Educated at St. Patrick's College, Maynooth
and UCD
- Former secondary school teacher.

Michael D. Higgins - Spokesperson for International affairs
(albeit former)
- Educated at NUIG, Indiana University and
Manchester University.
- Former lecturer at NUIG.

Brendan Howlin - Spokesperson for European Affairs,
constitutional matters, law reform and human
rights.
- Educated at St. Patrick's College, Drumcondra.
- Former primary school teacher.

Ciarán Lynch - Spokesperson for Housing and Local Government,
- Educated at WIT and UCC,
- Former Adult Literacy Organiser with ALO and
Cork VEC.

All public sector.

Liz McManus - Spokesperson on Communication, Energy & Natural
Resources,
- Studied Architecture at UCD,
- She is an author and wrote weekly columns for the
Sunday Tribune.

Private

Brian O'Shea - Spokesperson on Defense and the Irish Language,
- Former teacher,

Public

Jan O'Sullivan - Spokesperson on Health,
- Studied at Trinity College, Dublin and UCC.
- Former montessouri teacher.

Ruairi Quinn - Spokesperson on Education and Science,
- Studied Architecture at UCD and later educated at
the School of Ekistics in Athens, Greece.
- Worked as an Architece but was an active member of
the Labour Party since his University years.

Private

Seán Sherlock - Spokesperson on Argiculture & Food,
- Studied Economic & Politics at NUIG,
- Worked as an assistant to Labour Party MEP
Proinsias De Rossa at the Eurpean Parliament.

Neither.

Roisin Shortall - Spokesperson on Social & Family Affairs,
- Educated at UCD and St. Mary's College of
Education, Marino.
- Former teacher of the Deaf.

Emmet Stagg - Labour Party Chief Whip,
- Studied at Kevin Street College of Technology,
- Worked as a Medical Technologist at Trinity College,
Dublin.

Public

Joanna Tuffy - Spokesperson on Environmental and Heritage,
- Educated at Trinity College, Dublin and DIT
(Legal Studies)

Neither

Mary Upton - Spokesperson on Arts, Sport & Tourism,
- Educated at NUIG and UCD,
- Former lecturer.

Public

Jack Wall - Spokesperson on Community and Rural Affairs,
- No University
- Former Electrician.

(The following are Seanad Éireann Sokesperson running for Dáil
seats)

Private

Ivana Bacik - Seanad Spokesperson on Justice, Arts, Sports and
Tourism.
- Educated at Trinity College, Dublin and the London
School of Economics (LLB & LLM repectively).
- Practising Barrister and teaches classes in
Criminology, Constitutional Law, Feminist Theories
and Law.

Private

Dominic Hannigan - Seanad Spokesperson on Commuter Issues,
Environment & Local Government, Foreign
Affairs and Defense.
- Studied at UCD (Engineering), City University
London (Masters in Transport) and University
of London (Masters in Finance),
- Engineer.

Private

Phil Prendergast - Seanad Spokesperson on Health & Family Affairs,
and Party Spokesperson on Older People.
- Worked as a Nurse and later as a Midwife.
Brendan Ryan - Seanad Spokesperson on Enterprise, Trade and
Employment,
- Educated at DIT, UCD and DCU (Degree in Chemistry
and Masters' degrees in Food Science and Business
Administration).
- All his working life he has worked in industry
in the private sector, mainly in the technical
and operations areas, and in senior managerial
positions. He has worked in the Food and Chemicals
sectors of industry.

Public

Alex White - Seanad Group Leader and Seanad Spokesperson on
Children,
- Educated at Trinity College, Dublin and the King's
Inn.
- Barrister.

Private

Ok so you have 11 Public Sector and 7 Private Sector.

And even within the private sector very few have good commercial experience. For example, something where you have to compete internationally.

I just don't see enough real world experience in the front bench. Not saying the other parties are perfect though!

Tim Robbins

Flashgordon197 wrote: »

Trade unions have got a bad press lately. I know many friends in non union employment . Some are treated fairly but those who aint are treated quite poorly because they have no official channels to complain or back them up in a dispute. A lot of anti-trade unionism is simply jealosy that you dont have a union to protect your interests.

It's because people want to get on with things and are fed up listening to people moaning and stopping them get their passport.

The Unions act like one big joe duffy phone show.

And people are sick of it.

What else are Labour polling so badly?

We have to decide as a nation whether we the tax payer want to fully fund political parties or not. If we don't want to fund them-then they will obviously look for funding from vested interests. The Trade unions did not create this mess. They played a part but by far the largest culprits are developers and bankers. We already fund Parties in part.

Do you want to stump up for political parties -yes or no?

Nonsense. Benchmarking help create the deficit crisis.

All the heat would be on the unions if the banking crisis didn't happen. Getting away with murder really.

CDfm

OK - if Siptu is not linked to Labour then surely it makes contributions to Joe Higgin's Socialist Party, or other left socialist groupings, such as the Green Party or FIS NUA.

Does it ?

Also, how does it treat the other parties.

Can the poster Liberty Hall, do they address union delegates at conferences etc.

What do these other groups think of the connection.