‘I’m angry, not for me, for everybody’
Mr Chavanne says part of his treatment was cancelled because of budget cuts.
Impassioned pleas from a terminally ill cancer patient, hungry families, unemployed people and pensioners were among a barrage of letters sent to the Taoiseach after he intervened to secure a €35,000 pay rise for a special adviser.
The decision to bump up Ciaran Conlon’s salary to €127,000 sparked a political storm and an angry backlash from the public who said the move smacked of “Fianna Fáil and the Charlie Haughey of the ’80s” in correspondence released to the Irish Examiner under Freedom of Information legislation.
One of the most emotive of close to 100 letters was from Yves Chavanne, a terminally ill father-of-three, who claims a lack of follow-up treatment for his cancer and the continued cuts to the health budget caused his relapse.
He wrote: “To think that this amount could pay the salary of a nurse for a year in a ward threatened by closure or an assistant teacher for children with special needs... But why should they care? Cronies have to look after cronies and the common people will just have to shut up and pay.”
He told Mr Kenny he was a stage IV cancer patient who could not get follow-up treatment because he claimed “a budget for it had already been spent”.
Speaking from his hospice bed as he battles cancer, the 61-year-old former Fás worker, who has lived most of his life in Ireland, claims crucial treatment never went ahead after surgeons attempted to permanently remove a 17cm tumour from his throat.
“I’m very angry, not for me, but for everybody. That they [the Government] picked on the most vulnerable, who are the future of the country.”
The healthcare cuts in question took place under the previous administration, but Mr Chavanne is disappointed that Mr Kenny’s government is continuing with drastic cuts to the healthcare budget while sanctioning six-figure salaries for several ministerial advisers, and he believes other patients will suffer as a result.
He wrote: “I was hoping to change their mind. To say [to them] ‘can’t you realise or are you that blind or that greedy’.
“How did they have the gall [to do this]. I saw the story and decided that if enough people write in and emailed, there might be a conscience in the Government.
“Give it [the money] to the oncology department. Or even to keep a remedial teacher, to keep a bed open in a hospital so somebody doesn’t have to wait on a trolley. Or for the salary of a student nurse or whatever.”
Mr Kenny never replied to his letter. His office only acknowledged receipt of three letters from others and replied to just one.
Joseph Rossa, who has Parkinson’s disease and whose children have autism, wrote: “I am a father of four. I am unable to work as I have Parkinson’s disease. We have two sons who have autism and require services that we pay for out of our monthly children’s allowance. My 10-year-old son needs a special needs assistant in class but your govern- ment is denying him this.
“An SNA [special needs assistant] for Oisín would cost less than €35,000 a year and would be better value for money. We have had to cut back on some of the services we obtain for our children because of the cuts to the children’s allowance last year...
“We drive our son 15 miles to school because it has the only ASD unit in the area and your government is cutting the travel grant that is paid to cover the cost of this travel. I could go on but I am pretty sure you don’t care a damn so what’s the point.”
Deborah Dunne, a public sector worker wrote: “I cannot sit and watch one rule for us… and one for those who are deemed so important that they are entitled to an increase that could employ a nurse, teacher or garda.”
Mr Kenny defended the €35,000 salary increase during exchanges in the Dáil, claiming the Government had cut the number and the cost of ministerial advisers 30% since the end of 2009 from €4.7m to €3.6m.
* “I am 45 with a wife and 2 kids. I spent most of my business life trying to build a business, employing up to 30 people with money borrowed from banks. The business is now gone, [and] I owe the bank well in excess of [the] €127,000 that Mr Conlon will receive.” — businessman Conor Manning, whose family firm has gone bust
* “The fact that you yourself, as leader of this country, still obviously believe such behaviour is not morally reprehensible corruption, but some sort of justifiable perk of your office does nothing but expose the extent of the rot.” — teacher Patrick Ryan
* “I dread getting sick because if you close the public nursing homes, where will we go? I see us dying in our own back garden sometime.”
— Mrs J Cullen, a married pensioner who said the rise amounted to 20 months of their joint income
* “This type of deal is a disgrace. You got five votes from this house in the last election because I always saw you as a fair and honourable man, but really Enda, I cannot find any fairness in this decision.”
— Fine Gael voter Kathleen Keenan
* “I’m writing this email because I am disgusted, disappointed, and very much saddened by your behaviour in securing a pay hike for a friend. It smacks of Fianna Fáil and the Charlie Haughey of the 80s.” — Emmet Walsh
* “Well done Taoiseach on your address to the nation, it may have been believable except for the fact that you pushed for a €35k increase for one of your boys.”
— Margaret Smith
* “Mr Kenny, people will accept austerity if and only if we can see that it applies to everyone.”
— Eileen Gabbett, a retired prison officer
It has cost you respect and votes
I would say you should be ashamed of yourself but you obviously couldn’t care less. That 30,000 [sic] has cost you a lot of respect and a lot of votes for the future.
Paul Butler
The old routine of jobs for the boys
So it is the old routine of ‘jobs for the boys’. This is corruption and incompetence all rolled into one. And you dare to lecture the nation on the need for austerity!
You are a hypocrite and a disgrace to the Irish nation.
Phelim Murnion
Greedy piggies think they are more equal
To paraphrase George Orwell, while all animals are equal there are always greedy little piggies who think they are more equal than others.
Maurice Curtin - Cork Fine Gael member
Raise is more than most annual salaries
I find it absolutely revolting and disgusting… Does the Taoiseach not realise that this salary increase is more than what a lot of taxpayers earn in a year?
Maurice Dee — who described himself as a sickened and disgusted taxpayer
Extravagant pay for the entitled few
I cannot sit and watch one rule for us… and one for those who are deemed so important that all they are entitled to is an increase that could employ a nurse, teacher or garda.
Deborah Dunne - Public sector worker
Some nerve to pay your cronies more
I think you have some nerve coming on TV and saying that we must bear the burden created by your predecessors when you have overruled two of your ministers and increased the salary of one of your cronies by 35,000.
Marie Murphy - Local authority tenant
Animal feeds store for oats to make porridge
For the last three weeks I have been laying awake at night worrying about the budget and what you are going to say in your address to the nation; any additional costs/taxes or cuts to my social welfare and my next step is to go to the local animal feeds shop, buy a bag of rolled oats 13.20 for a 25kg bag and mix that with water into a porridge to eat. I cannot afford any heating fuel this year, so hoping that it will be a mild winter.
And you tell me that it’s OK that Ciaran Conlon can have an increase of 35k, I presume he gets travel and expenses as well? Perhaps he could pick me up next time I go to the local village to look for work.
Sue Anthony, 53 - unemployed woman
Expensive pal will cost you my vote
As I write, you are on the telly, telling us about the hardship we are facing. I think you shouldn’t have the flag beside you, because to my mind, you have betrayed it, because you have betrayed the people.… He’s [Mr Conlon] an expensive pal — not just in terms of the outrageous salary but in terms of the votes you will loose as a result.
Lucy McCrohan - an 88-year-old relative of a former Fine Gael Dáil candidate
Your reputation is on the line Mr Kenny
Where is the 30,000 bonus coming from to pay him? Your actions in issuing any bonus payments, to anyone, are irresponsible, not good enough and disappointing. Your justification of it crosses into disgustingly disrespectful behaviour. Your reputation is on the line Mr Kenny. Stop it.
Pamella Patchell
Pain for us, gain for government adviser
Today and tomorrow we will find out just how much we have to pay for the greed and stupidity of others. That will be very painful for most of us but not for a government adviser with an extra 35k in his back pocket.
Seamus Condon
How can you tell us to suffer the cuts?
Mr Kenny, how could you come on national television to tell the people of this country about cuts, austerity, and any other words you would like to use to describe the budget after giving your mate a 35k pay rise? It is just despicable.
John Kelly
It is a new low in political cute-hoorism
On the morning that the nation is bracing itself for the Taoiseach’s address to the nation, and on the eve of two budget days that quite frankly has ordinary people scared shitless… It is a new low in political cute-hoorism.
Leigh Blackmore
Piling hardship on us, the small people
Have you just signed off on a raise of a 35,000 to one of your cronies???... while you pile more hardship on us, the small people, you give your friend a rise of 35,000.
Aideen McGarrigle - an angry teacher
One rule for us, another for your pals
I found it very hard to watch you preach from behind your desk knowing that you see one rule for the ordinary, hard-working people of this country and another for you and your circle of friends.
Pat Nolan - a Fine Gael voter
We don’t want Charlie Haughey-light
He’s not from the private sector, he’s one of us, a party hack and buddy of yours to boot!
Stick to the pay cap! Tis more than he’s worth.
His raise is equivalent to my salary before taxes and PRSI. Have some sense Enda, we didn’t vote for you to watch you become Charlie Haughey-light!
Pat Cassidy — a Fine Gael voter
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