Wreckers of the nation appear in a new guise

ONLY in Ireland could the people who destroyed the country find the nerve to depict themselves as responsible stewards of the nation in the build-up to the budget. I feel like a burglar is giving me advice about setting up a neighbourhood watch scheme.

I had to rub my eyes in disbelief when I heard Health Minister Mary Harney say she was considering the introduction of a prescription charge because too many items were being prescribed by GPs, and this was not good for the general health of the nation.

Am I going mad? Did I actually hear the Minister for Health explain she was relying on taxing the poor as a means of influencing health policy? The minister has more than 500 civil servants, and this is their cunning plan to control drug over-prescription?

Taking inspiration from the minister, can I suggest we tax children for not knowing their ABC by four years of age, 50 cent per unlearnt letter sounds reasonable? Social Welfare Minister Mary Hanafin boasts how she has cut down on massive welfare fraud. Again, only in Ireland can a Minister for Social Welfare get clean away with having to explain how all the fraud built up in the first place.

Minister Hanafin is no different to the arsonist who turns up at the scene of the crime to help throw water on the flames.

But the biggest and most successful of all spoofs has to be “we all lived beyond our means”. Comparing the poor sap who over-stretched to buy a flatscreen TV and Seán Fitzpatrick is to compare armed “tiger” bank robbery to not telling the supermarket cashier she mistakenly gave you two plastic bags after you paid for one.

I am now convinced leprechauns and pixies do exist and visit every one of us as we sleep to sprinkle us with “believe anything” pixy dust. Now if we could only tax that dust.

Declan Doyle

Lisdowney

Kilkenny