‘Cowardly’ politicians were on board the public sector gravy train too

SHOOT the messenger... this seems to be the gathering opinion of our cowardly political leadership.

Economist Colm McCarthy got it right. It’s up to Taoiseach Brian Cowen to make the cuts and if he fails to do so, he should leave office. Research from the European Central Bank (ECB) found that between 1999 and 2006, average public sector pay in Ireland increased by 67% while in the rest of the eurozone it grew by just 22%.

Irish public sector pay has grown faster than any other country in the EU and actual pay levels have overtaken those in almost every other OECD country. In the six years between 2001 and 2006, public sector salaries rose by 59%. The increase in the average industrial wage over the same period was 19%.