Coveney comments - Use actions, not words

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney would like to see bankers in the dock, and argues that those senior politicians who were collectively responsible for destroying the Celtic Tiger economy should lose their massive pensions. Many people will undoubtedly empathise with those views.

Those bungling politicians were already paid handsomely at the time for their incompetence, and now they are being rewarded — continually, for the rest of their lives — with exorbitant pensions. Why, because they decided that they should be so rewarded?

The kind of action Mr Coveney would like to see would require thorough investigations by both the gardaí and the likes of the Oireachtas committee on banking. He realises he is going to come in for some stick in the coming year, because EU payments to farmers are going to be cut by nearly €40m.

Mr Coveney acknowledges that people want solutions rather than just having him “bitching politically” about the previous government. It is not enough to talk about what he would like to see happen; he should act by taking distinct initiatives to ensure that his colleagues get the necessary process going.

Otherwise, his comments on these matters will be little more than empty political bitching.