Politicians’ salaries to rise: Pay spleen fest built on fantasy

WE are, once again, indulging the kind of public spleen fest that underlines the disconnect with reality that does so much to keep this society pegged in a strange, backward land of wishful thinking where delusion and envy are too often indulged. 

War drums are being beaten loudly and disingenuously because, under the besieged Lansdowne Agreement, Dáil deputies’ pay will rise to €92,658 by April 1, 2018.

Context is everything and no more so on this hardy annual. The chief executive of the FAI is paid €360,000, RTÉ’s top earner gets €495,000, and all across the country relatively minor academics or medical professionals are paid six-figure sums. Against this background, the huge challenge of being a good parliamentary representative hardly seems a path to riches — unless you judge these things emotionally rather than rationally of course.

One of the constant laments in our public discourse is the dysfunction of our political system but, like it or not, that’s a different argument. And, does anyone really think that the solution to that is to reduce the pay offered to those who take on what, if it is done properly, is a terribly demanding and draining life? Compared to the behaviour of the one-in-ten public servants holding the country to ransom over pay “restoration”, the politicans’ position seems honourable and justified — especially as we can’t vote those who propose to break the law and demand special treatment out of their jobs.