Our public representatives in Leinster House should get their own house in order before throwing stones about expenses and wasting money.
TDs enjoy some of the highest salaries in the world for sitting in the Dail for less time than opposite numbers in most other countries. These assemblies which operate for under two days a weeks are grossly over manned and hopelessly inefficient and ineffective due to archaic procedures and conventions.
TDs enjoy excellent allowances and related perks which are not necessarily taxed or even vouched for. On top of that, they have extraordinary pension deals and are free to employ relatives at the taxpayers' expense. They throw patronage around like confetti by creating non-jobs for many Minsters of State and Committee chairpersons and appointing friends and camp followers to the boards of hundreds of quanoes which are often used to shield them from accountability.
If our representatives were paid on the basis of results, they would now be hugely indebted to the taxpayer.
Maybe, they would reflect on their own value-for-money during the forthcoming six-week Dail recess.
This letter was published in the Irish Times on 28th November 2008.
