McDaid and Hanafin should try living in a real republic sometime

THE do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do style of leadership received a hammering this week. For the past couple of years the Government has been according politicians special privileges while calling on the public to demonstrate patriotism by accepting cuts.

Poor Máire Geoghegan-Quinn found herself in the political grinder over the past week due to her two pensions – a ministerial pension of €62,945 and a TD’s pension of €44,380. She was receiving pensions totalling €107,325 on top of her current EU Commissioner’s salary of €243,918.

She and other politicians have been collecting pensions while still working as public representatives. Is there any other job where people can draw a pension without actually quitting the job? This was untenable. In fairness, Máire spared us the usual political prattle. She did not try to defend the indefensible. She simply declined to comment on her pensions. “That’s a question that I’ve refused to comment on up to now and I will continue to refuse to comment on it,” she said.