Quiet! Any of you Dáil TDs know how to get to Sesame Street?

As I watched the budget debate on TV it struck me that we, the Irish electorate, are a penny short of the full shilling with regard to the type of TD we elect. 

The Dáil had an allmost full complement of the 166 TDs in attendance and the shouting, jeering, laughter and general buffoonery would lead one to think this was an episode of Sesame Street.

Here we had some of the highest-paid politicians in the world sitting on their well-padded posteriors acting like a first-class school group on a day trip to Disney Land. We were told, before the last election by Enda Kenny, that there would be reform with a reduction of some 20 TD’s nationally (a promise) instead we will get a reduction of 8 (maybe).

Budget Day clearly showed that 40 or 50 less TD’s should be in order. The shambolic antics in during the budget debate leads one to inquire if the TD’s bar had a large turnover before Mr Noonan rose to his feet? Perhaps some reporter might find this out through the FOI system and let us know?

As the man says ‘ you get what you pay for’ but in this case I believe that we, the electorate, are being shortchanged. These are our elected representatives, who to my mind, should have some sense of gravitas in relation to the nation’s financial plans rather than indulging in farcical high jinks. The same goes for both sides of the house by the way. Disgraceful.

Denis Moloney

Tinkers Hill

Kilnagurteen

Macroon

Co. Cork