Do you think those people who voted Fianna Fáil for the past ten years will be proud of themselves today ?

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Priscilla Duck

Some of the brightest and the best semi-independent bodies are about to lose their autonomy and will probably fall foul of the bureaucracy and ineptitude of our creaking civil service:
The Office of Social Inclusion & the Combat Poverty Agency are being vampired by the Dept of Social and Family Affairs, the National Council on Ageing and Older People and the Women’s Health Council are being cannibalised by the Dept of Health; The National Cancer Screening Service, the National Cancer Registry Board, the Crisis Pregnancy Agency and the Drug Treatment Centre have all fallen victim to the HSE.

Basically, important organisations and services that showed initiative or offered criticism of the government have effectively been silenced. Scary stuff. If they wanted to improve health services now was the time to put the entire HSE staff on notice and start again from the bottom up, paying the most critical staff first and giving the scraps to the executives. And do the same with the rest of the civil service while they're at it.

I can't believe they've halved children's allowance for the over-18s. Halved it. Another blow to the lowest-income families trying to put their kids through college. That €80 a month paid for my brother's utility bills and travel. He's going to have to work an extra 2 evenings a week to make up for it - not good when the slightest blow might persuade him to leave and get a crappy job with no prospects.

And a levy of 1% on all income below €100,000, and of 2% on income over that? How about leaving families on a combined income of under €60,000 alone, put 1% on those between €60-100,000, 2% on €100-150,000 and whack 5% on everyone over that?

And as for the €1.65 billion they're planning on using as incentives for people to keep buying overpriced houses, that is completely immoral. The prices NEED to come down - artificially propping them up and encouraging people to go into debt in a time of economic crisis is irresponsible and reprehensible. I don't care if it means losing jobs in the construction industry - who the hell are they building for anyway? Our population is likely to go into decline in the next 20 years.

As the perennial floating voter my options have been narrowed today - no chance will I be voting for FF or their Green b!tches after this. FG are already out due to their very dodgy immigration policy ideas. It's looking like Labour - I never thought I'd see the day...

Queen of the Jungle

I feel physically sick at today's budget. What a farce. Prop up the lads in the tent and let the rest of us suffer. Anyone who voted FF, PD or their Green puppets should be deported to Leitrim.

Trust me I'm a Doctor ♥

Couldn't agree with you more. My b/f is an excavator/heavy plant driver and has been out of work for 10 months because the housing boom has ceased and the proposed new bypasses aren't being built. Try getting through Castleisland or Macroom in a hurry, We need proper investment in road infrastructure to cope with all the cars driven by all the people that are living in the new houses that are littered across our countryside.

B/f also has a EC Class 1 licence but many driving jobs only pay €500 a week that's for a 10 hour day, by the time you drive 30-40 miles to work and back each day its hardly worth going. What is this average 30K salary a year, we don't see that where we live. Lucky we have a smallish mortgage and can manage for now on my income, I dread to think how the young couples starting out will manage.

Don't even get me started on hospitals. There is a brand new A&E lying idle at the Mercy Hospital in Cork because there is no money for staffing. At Cork Uni Hospital you wait hours and hours to see a consultant in outpatients and all the time the meter on the car park it ticking, the longer you wait the more you pay, I think its a conspiracy.

Old Bertie knew what he was doing getting out when he did, perhaps they had a fortune teller in the the tent at Galway races ?

Tribbles

You'd think that they would have learned from the Haughey era wouldn't you? Well not that that Kenny eejit would have done any better. Personally I don't trust one party in Ireland nowadays. But now after this fiasco of a Budget, they are getting us more and more into debt by borrowing another 11 billion to run the country! Sure, isn't that how America is in so much trouble with their economy? And we are going down the same route borrowing like they did. An Air Travel tax of €10 for fecks sakes! 1% levy, 8 cent rise in petrol.... 4% motor tax, wine up 50cent, medical cards gone for over 70's...protecting the "vulnerable"? Personally I think they are trying to abolish the middle class altogether and like you said, widen the gap between rich and poor.
And there is talk that the Budget next year is going to be more severe... watch this space for carbon tax.

peter h

Today's budget was a flop. Protecting the vulnerable yeah right they are all a bunch of greedy fat cats who feel we ordinary folk are not worth a damn in getting us through this economic mess

DuB

We'll be happy to take you kids under under our wing in Canada if yous two are planning on going West...

Although after today's election, you might want to go to India instead.

V.

janus

I never Voted for Feel and Fall nor my Family either down through the Years, The Graft and Corruption Party. I agree with Pricilla Duck what she has to say that Levy is Kack Handed Punishing the Working Class, it will make them Suffer without touching the Rich much at all. I did give a Vote to The Greens but never again , all they do is Follow the Coat Tails of Fianna Fail not one Word of Protest. I am very Upset at the 50 Cent on the Bottle of Wine it is Dear enough without that. You Noticed they never said anything about getting rid of their Big Cars and getting on a Bike the big Fat Wasters, they should get smaller Cars.

POCKET JOKERS - THE DARKSIDE

Who's going to run the country then?

Do you honestly think Enda Kenny would do a better job? Crookery is in politics camp whether its FF, FG, Labour, Greens, etc. They are all crooks and they'res nothing we can do about it so get over it and make the best of what you can. Harsh but true.

Ella's Mamaí

how can some of you be happy with Fianna Fáil ? look at the state of the country, whats up with you ? idiots

dollymix (now geeky for a month)

I can't vote, but my parents aren't voting for them now. They brought up the number of pupils in a classroom, when they promised to take it down. It's a ridiculous number to have in a classroom.

Flying mop dog

Yes I'm very proud because I know we'd be worse with Fine Gael. I have never heard Enda Kenny actually give an alternate to anything Fianna Fail do.

Tommy2cans

I believe Fianna Fail have taken the neccessary steps to get the economy back on track i have no problem with payin a 1% levy. I don't think Brian Cowen is a good Taoiseach but overall i'm happy with Lenihans Budget and Fianna Fail in general

The Imperialist

And I hope you enjoy yourself in your new life, because I'm going to stick it out and continuing my support of Fianna Fail.

diamonds

well emigrate then...answer is no & it is people with your attitude that caused many problems in the first place so we will be glad to see the back of you...have a nice journey into your new country

have a nice day, have a nice life...but please - get over yourself!!

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