But Kev if this is a carve out from a company, are you sure that all the costs needed to run the business are charged against it? Like to what extent could there be hidden overhead/costs needed to run it on a standalone basis. Was it subsidised like?
Apparently our new IMF overlords had not seen/endorsed yesterdays plan and could yet make big changes(more cuts) to it. Ohli Rehn just said the document was a “sound basis for negotiation”.
So it’s basically going to be “nice document mon ami, now rip it up and here is what you do…”
Who is the father?
I don’t want to sound petty but could someone not have come up with a better background image on those screens yesterday than?
Ireland
Jobs &
Recovery Plan
Looks cheap and thoughtless which is fairly representative of the government at the moment I suppose.
Richard Bruton gave a good account of himself on Morning Ireland this morning when debating with Micheál Martin. I cannot stand FG and most of their TDs but he was clear on a couple of changes that FG would make:
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FG will re-increase the minimum wage by €1. Martin made a fool of himself on this point, he kept pointing out all the analysis that says we need to widen the tax net and spread the tax burden and Bruton just kept replying that he agreed with all that but that lowering the minimum wage makes no difference to any of that and may reduce tax. He seemed quite unequivocal that this is something they would not accept from the 4 year plan.
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FG believe the senior bondholders should get a discount on the value of their bonds to share the burden. Maybe they’ve been saying this clearly for years but I haven’t heard them as definitive on the issue before.
I’d say the IMF were pretty strong on the minimum wage reduction. What minimum wage jobs are there in Ireland anyway that actually declare tax? Seems to me that it will artificially keep zombie hotels open for a bit longer.
The bondholders bit is to be welcomed.
I was thinking the same. It was like something they got a young lad on co-op to come with because “he’s good on the computers”.
I can kinda see a bit of logic in cutting the minimum wage if it is acting as a barrier to job creation/business survival but the dole would need to be cut by more.
Someone said last night that only 4% of workers are on the minimum wage. So makes no big difference to employment levels, unless there is a cunning plan to cut social welfare by a lot in the New Year.
I heard that 4% figure too actually. Sounds very hard to believe.
Wouldn’t the majority of retail and service outlets just be paying the minimum wage?
Would have thought so, unless labour shortages a few years back forced to pay over the minimum.
GARDAI had to be called to a meeting of Roscommon County Council after a furious row erupted over the disastrous state of the economy.
As the row boiled over, one councillor stormed from the chamber and erected a black flag alongside the tricolour to symbolise “the death of the nation”.
At the start of the monthly meeting at the courthouse and council offices in Roscommon town, Mayor of Co Roscommon Cllr Luke Ming Flanagan proposed the national flag be flown at half mast.
The flag flies alone over the building and Cllr Flanagan suggested it be lowered to half mast as it would “signify that the country is falling apart”.
Sinn Fein Cllr Michael Mulligan seconded the proposal and then suggested that a black flag be flown alongside the tricolour. Cllr Mulligan urged that this would be more appropriate because of what he termed "the death of a nation by that crowd of rotten, filthy, corrupt crowd of Fianna Failers.
"They are worse than the blinking Mafia. We need new policies to get us out of this mess.
“The black flag is appropriate. This is a black day for our country. They have sold us out.”
Cllr Mulligan stormed out of the chamber as Fianna Fail Cllr Paschal Fitzmaurice attempted to table a counter-proposal, urging that the national flag not be touched. A war of words then erupted between Cllr Fitzmaurice and Mayor Flanagan.
Desecration
Fine Gael Cllr John Keogh said the proposal in respect of the tricolour was “an absolute disgrace”, while the suggestion that a black flag be flown “desecrates the symbol of our nationhood”.
By now Cllr Mulligan had erected a black flag alongside the tricolour. When he returned to the chamber the row became even more heated with insults traded across the floor.
Order was restored when four gardai, led by local Supt Paul Glynn, entered the chamber after apparently being alerted by a Fianna Fail member of the council.
Cllr Fitzmaurice made his way out of the building to where the black flag was flying and cut the drawstring, thereby lowering the flag.
- Brian McDonald
Irish Independent
Anarchy is rising outside the pale it seems.
We’ve reached 9% on the 10 year bonds, an all time high. That 4yr plan doesnt seem to have convinced the markets.
Did Ming get cannabis legalised in Roscommon yet?
I was only watching this last week
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6683124943448353514#
Some lad from Landsdowne just rang me there to conduct a survey on current events.
Some shot of Mary Coughlan on broadsheet.ie during the 2 Brians press conference :unsure:
- Please wearing eye protection when viewing the following content.
- Do not stare directly at the image.
- Please seek medical advice if you feel a burning sensation to your eyes
Richard Bruton said this morning that it’s only 2%. It will make no difference to revenue and no difference to job creation. It just increases the hardship on people who will suffer plenty of other costs too.
Cutting the minimum wage and those salaries alone is idiotic and scandalous.
What’s the big deal here? She’s a milf…
Won’t top the Mary Coughlan picture for shock value, but all the same:
Some fella attacked Batt O’Keeffe as well and tried to strangle him with his tie.