Politicians look after themselves well while we’re feeling the pinch

AT this stage the turkey looks rather like the economy — skimpy and pared to the bone. But despite the fact that we are heading into 12 months of stringency and hairshirts, it is comforting to know that some of our former ministers are well able to lead the good life and will continue to do so, courtesy of the taxpayers.

Before we get to that, and to the extravagance of other ministers, just consider what the outlook for this country is.

Unemployment will rise again with 20,000 jobs set to go next year, according to the independent think-tank, ESRI. Separate findings by the Central Bank bear out Budget day warnings by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy that 2003 will not be a nice one. Both studies indicate sluggish economic growth, rising prices and growing dole queues.

The ESRI says unemployment will get worse before it gets better. By next year, the rate is expected to be 5.2% and could even go higher during the year before it falls back. They also see inflation staying stubbornly high and predict it could average 5.1% for the entire year, compared with a current rate of 4.8%, which is the highest in the eurozone.

Continuing with the gloomy predictions, rising house prices, education and services will continue inflationary pressures while the one per cent increase in VAT, courtesy of Mr McCreevy's Budget, also adds to the problem. Overall, the ESRI says 2003 appears uncertain due to the weak state of eurozone economies and concerns in the USA about war with Iraq.

Now consider what this country is paying in pensions to politicians, not all of them retired.

Last year the Department of Finance paid out £1.8m worth well over €2m in today's currency in pensions to politicians, some of whom are still in the Dáil and drawing considerable salaries and expenses.

Most galling of all is the fact that former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey got a State pension of £55,304, or €70,000, and that other beauty Ray Burke got £28,574 (€36,281). The two men who disgraced themselves while in positions of trust are still living off the taxpayers.

Ruairí Quinn, the former leader of the Labour Party, was handed a £17,393 pension for his time in ministerial office during the '80s and '90s. He is still a member of the Dáil and drawing a handsome salary.

So is Michael Noonan, the former leader of Fine Gael, who topped up his parliamentary pay with a pension of £16,459.

His party colleague, John Bruton, a former Taoiseach, was given £38,132 as a pension, while still drawing his Dáil salary.

A blast from the past, former President Paddy Hillery, got £77,239 for his sojourn in the Park, which is fair enough. But on top of that he also received a pension of £22,239 for his time as a member of the Cabinet. Between them, he notched up nearly one hundred grand.

Others who have tidy jobs bringing in substantial salaries, such as Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, benefited as well. She is now serving as Ireland's representative on the European Union's Court of Auditors, which is obviously a handy earner, but as a former minister she also collected a cool £24,274 pension from us.

Likewise, Mary Robinson, another ex-President, picked up an even cooler £77,329.

There is a very extensive list of former office-holders who are drawing pensions of varying sizes, some of whom still draw Dáil salaries, including Alan Dukes, Bernard Allen, Emmet Stagg, Michael D Higgins, Pat Rabbitte, and Enda Kenny.

Also included in our list of largesse are allowances and expenses paid to leaders of Government and opposition parties.

Between them Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour, the Progressive Democrats, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and the Socialist Party picked up a total of €4.57m.

There was also a payment made to the political parties under the Electoral Act 1997 which amounted to £1.113m, although the accounts do not reveal how much individual parties received.

So you see, the cost of politicians, former and existing, is considerably higher than you might think.

Then we come to the excesses indulged in by other ministers, revealed in a Freedom of Information enquiry by the Sunday Business Post.

What can only be described as an absolute squandering of taxpayers' money was the bill for car hire incurred by the Irish embassy in London to facilitate the former Minister for Tourism and Sport, Jim McDaid. While on his way to Toronto to celebrate St Patrick's Day, he took time out to go to Cheltenham to do a spot of racing. A Mercedes car was hired by the embassy at a cost of almost €2,000 to bring him from Birmingham airport to Cheltenham and back to Heathrow airport for his flight to Toronto.

When the former Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Síle de Valera, flew to New York just over 12 months ago, part of the cost included a car hire bill of €3,174 for a fleet of limousines for the delegation. Five limousines were hired to ensure their comfort. The total cost to the taxpayers was €8,659. And why was she in New York? To accept an award on behalf of John B Keane and attend a performance of Moll.

In the six months before the general election, she managed to spend €17,157 on foreign travel and subsistence. Obviously, she was prepared to go to the ends of the earth on our behalf because in the same month she travelled to Paris, Boston and Brussels.

Not too worried either about his own creature comforts was Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. Before last year's Budget he, Tánaiste Mary Harney and Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy had breakfast at Government Buildings costing €126 a head. You'd get a lot of bacon, egg, sausage and black pudding for that kind of money. In fact, too many families in this country have to exist every week on less than what it cost for one breakfast for them.

The Taoiseach's breakfast habits, however, are costing the taxpayers quite a lot of money.

He spent €2,405 on six separate ones for ministers at Government Buildings, one of which cost the Exchequer €636.

Farmleigh House was the dine-out on one occasion for an anonymous government minister and officials in June, whose gourmet tastes cost €405. A lunch for the media, hosted by the former Minister for Public Enterprise, Mary O'Rourke in Browne's Brasserie in Dublin, cost €2,030.

A State lunch for Rupert Murdoch, hosted by Bertie Ahern, cost €598. The man could well afford to spend several times that for his own lunch, but no doubt the Taoiseach felt it would be no harm to give a bit of nosh to the man who owns News International, and whose interests extend to the Sky and Fox satellite networks.

The sojourn by the Cabinet to Glenveagh Castle in Donegal after the general election set the taxpayers back €7,000 for just one day.

Possibly, the New Year may bring a sense of realism to those who tell the rest of to tighten our belts, but I somehow doubt it.