Government in the wrong lane

I WISH you’d stop repeating the myth that replacing garda drivers with civilian ones saved money (Opinion, November 21).

All that happened was those who were in the government drivers pool were allowed to retire and had their pensions topped up to the maximum permissible level to “make up” for the perks they’d miss out and now those very same people have retired, with a full taxpayer-funded pension, and have been re-employed as drivers for the new ministers.

So it is not true that the move to replace garda drivers with civilian drivers saved any money, in fact it costs more because not only is the taxpayer now paying whopping pensions to the “former” garda drivers, it is also now paying their civilian salaries too.

The thought that time was spent at a cabinet meeting to discuss politicians being allowed to use bus lanes, at a time when those meetings were also used to find ways to take more money from the most marginalised and vulnerable in society is beyond disgusting. I wonder how long was spent discussing why pension tax relief was still being paid to people who are entitled to the full state pension, shouldn’t it be one or the other? But of course pension tax relief is mostly paid to middle class people who know how to make their voices heard, while child benefit and unemployment benefits are paid to those who can’t make their voice heard but Mr Kenny and Mr Gilmore should know there’s a tipping point when enough is enough.

This time last year who’d have thought a Tunisian policewoman hitting a market trader would have so enraged the other traders that it would have lit a spark that is still burning through the Middle East.

I wonder who’d dare predict when such a spark will be lit in Ireland or the reason.

Desmond FitzGerald

Canary Wharf

London

England