Big-bucks Bertie does only half the job of US and French presidents

WE have never had it so good and we have a Taoiseach who has been in power for 10 years, gaining enormous experience, and we expect him to live like the poor relation of those leaders with whom he has to mix.

Sure he has already had to go to his friends to ensure he had a roof over his head.

Enda Kenny noted the Taoiseach is earning more than US President George Bush, President Nicholas Sarkozy of France, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. But poor Bertie appeared to take umbrage at the highlighting of such irresponsible extravagance on the part of his Government: “Not only do most of these people have permanent and weekend residences but they also have holiday residences,” he told a stunned Dáil. “They have different rules where they are the beneficiaries of prolonged holidays, yachts and homes.”