“Too Many Pigs, Not Enough Tits to Nurse Them” – Former US President Abraham Lincoln once commented, referring to those who sought highly paid political appointments.
This morning we learned that pay rises, sought by powerless city and county councillors, many of whom ‘double job’, are expected to be recommended to be in the region of an €8,000 increase. However, they will only be allowed if they are backed by wider public sector pay talks in the coming year.
This comes from a background today, where a press poll indicates that only one in five of our elected TD’s know the true value of the current basic minimum wage.
We heard, with some hilarity, councillor representation claiming, in recent months on TippFM radio, that council work involved 24 / 7 dedication.
Mr John Paul Phelan (Minister of State for Local Government) is expected to inform TDs, at an Oireachtas committee meeting this morning, that any future councillor’s pay increases will have to compete with rival public sector demands.
An 18-month Government-commissioned report due to be unveiled next month, is expected to recommend a potential €8,000 increase to councillor’s salaries, latter who receive €17,060 per year, in addition to unvouched expenses of between €2,286 and €2,667, and vouched expenses of up €5,000.
There are currently 949 councillors elected here in Ireland, thus a predicted €8,000 pay increase could cost the taxpayer in excess of €7.5m.
One wonders if one of our Municipal District councillors could arrange to have fixed the two sets of traffic lights currently (and for some weeks), a health and safety issue, at (1) Cathedral Street Thurles and (2) the area close to Semple Stadium.
Regularly we highlight the waste by our own Tipperary Co. Council and its senior officialdom, latter devoid of an actual workforce, with regard to wasting taxpayer’s money. The list includes; unnecessary expensive High Court actions; failures with regards to ever recurring Health & Safety issues; overall neglect of our town of Thurles, and double jobbing, overpaid, powerless councillors etc.; we will spare you the details, since we have already shared same in the past.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who shall keep the keepers themselves?
One would assume that our present minority Fine Gael Government would have devised a proper system of cheques and balances to protect the taxpayer. However, governments down the years have successfully persuaded taxpayers that day to day spending comes gifted by that same government of the day and in no way should be associated with funding gifted by overburdened taxpayer.
How many people have read the report, today, by Irish Times newspaper journalist Mr Craig Hughes and were shocked by his revelations?
First rule of carpentry: Measure Twice – Cut once
Warning: Please be sure you are sitting down before you read further and Please Note: This is not a Joke.
According to Mr Hughes, the Houses of the Oireahteas (better known as the Irish Tax-Payer), spent €808.000 for a printer, before paying in excess of a further €236,000 to have it installed, because the original measurements forwarded to allow it to gain entry, were incorrect.
Because of these incorrectly measured dimensions, the Komori Corporation manufactured printer, (which has now been fitted), was unable to be installed for some 10 months, because the original measurements supplied failed to ensure that the machine had the necessary 3.1m(10.17ft) clearance required.
And no, the story doesn’t end there – There’s more! Not surprisingly public servants are now refusing to be trained to operate this state-of-the-art equipment, until they receive a pay rise.
Stay seated, there’s more! Due to the installation problems the printer was stored for free, initially, by Komori’s Irish agent, Portman Graphics, but eventually storage fees of €2,000 per month were charged. The printer could not be returned, because the purchase contract had already been signed.
The Houses of the Oireahteas, in May of last year, decided that the temporary removal of a door frame in Kildare House, should solve the issue, however the Office of Public Works informed them that a more substantial project was required in order to complete the installation.
Of course, we can’t truly blame our TD’s for this financial waste, same focus must now rest with the line management of public servants. In the private sector heads would roll, but in the public sector, tape-measure wielding employees are protected forever.
Well of course you could always accuse out elected representatives of being silent on the matter (Known in the Dáil as a ‘cover your arse exercise’).
One wonders will the Public Accounts Committee now become involved, embroiled even, in this inky mess and will this be followed by 50 Fine Gaelapologies.
Surprisingly none of the government’s opposition TD’s were aware of this problem, obviously they hadn’t used their fobs to sign-in on that particular day.
Never mind, taxpayers are looking forward to getting an improved swanky calendar this year, after all they will have paid for it.
Now you also can understand why Thurles will not get its long promised ring-road before 2040 at the earliest.
The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” [Isaiah Chapter 29 – Verse13.]
Hypocrisy – The practice of claiming to have higher standards or more noble beliefs than is really the case.
Readers will remember that in early July 2019, Ireland’s High Court granted Tipperary Co. Council an injunction, compelling members of the Travelling Community to vacate an area where their halting site was regarded as “constituting a public danger” to themselves and others. Another more serious, yet similar Health & Safety issue has once again reoccurred in our Cathedral Town.
I refer, of course, to the ever moving pedestrian crossing / traffic lights, outside of Thurles Cathedral. Here again, same busy crossing is “constituting a public danger” to over 600 school children, as they attempt to cross twice daily, getting to and from rural school buses, not to mention the several hundred church pilgrims and local shoppers; all pedestrians, going about their daily business here in Thurles, each day.
Pedestrian Crossing, on Cathedral Street Thurles, once again struck by a high-sided vehicle. [Picture taken on November 15th 2019, G. Willoughby]
We here at Thurles.Info have highlighted the issue of the constantly moving pedestrian crossing traffic lights, outside of Thurles Cathedral, at least five times in all, first on February 1st, 2018. [Almost one year and ten months ago.]
The problems associated did not need the benefit /advice of a qualified County Council Engineer. It was obvious to the dogs currently permitted to fowl our streets, that when two high sided trucks attempt to pass in a narrow space, then such manoeuvres are bound to result in something being adjusted. On this present occasion even the steel pole supporting these traffic lights has now become somewhat curved from its original and previous straight condition.
This issue, we highlighted once again, on July 16th, 2018; and yes, readers will recall that we highlighted this same problem for the third time on January 22nd, 2019.
On April 2nd, 2019, we highlighted this topic yet again, rightly accusing Tipperary Co. Council of wasting rate payers money.
On September 10th 2019, we did not highlight this problem, in the real fear that our readers would think that we were suffering from paranoia.
Today however, November 16th, 2019, in view of recent High Court actions relating to several Health & Safety issues, each constituting a public danger, here in Thurles, we feel we should draw attention to this serious concern one more time, before someone has to be scraped off our Cathedral Street pedestrian crossing.
We are well aware by now that our Templemore /Thurles Municipal district councillors are totally powerless, but in the case where same Councillors have now been made aware, once again, of this issue; keep in mind that the above photo and web post will enable compensation costs to be more easily collected from Tipperary Co. Council. After all, they were and are fully aware of this ever present danger.
Time now, after almost two years of continuous repairs, to finally move these offending traffic lights to a safer distance, apart from each other and to pursue the need for that long awaited Thurles Ring Road, thus removing 21st century, 18-wheeler, freight-carrying-trucks from our 12th century, narrow streets.
Having been completely failed by our current Fine Gael minority government and their supporters, with regard to the promised Thurles Ring Road, one wonders why we are presently bothering to up-grade Liberty Square next year or whenever.
So, it’s a certainty; An Post is moving to the shopping centre for definite; that’s despite the intervention from the most powerful in our community; namely the politicians, local councillors, those who would like to be local councillors and politicians and a disorientated, dying, Chamber of Commerce, all intent on riding a dead horse.
Together, however, they did have some success; mainly driving home a wedge; dividing Thurles town into two sections, instead of working to improve Liberty Square and Thurles Town as a single unit.
One wonders if the current 127 workers plus business proprietors / owners in the Thurles Shopping Centre, will now be rushing out to an upcoming local election, to vote for party’s like Fianna Fáil or the ‘Party of Protest’ (The Bully Party) and certain Independent representatives, all who attempted to directly affect very limited, local, yet available employment.
The Dead Horse Theory
The efforts undertaken by the “Save Our Square”[S.O.S.] committee had all the hallmarks of the “Dead Horse Theory”, so often attempted by Government TD’s and Local Councillors. Indeed, the tribal wisdom of the Dakota Indians, which has been passed down from generation to generation, clearly states, “When you discover that you are riding a dead horse the best strategy is to immediately dismount”.
Ignoring the fact that Tipperary County Council, of which many of the S.O.S. committee are card carriers; same are solely responsible for the decline of Thurles town centre and other towns in Co. Tipperary, through the introduction of Parking Charges. Again, ignoring this logical, simple fact the “Save Our Square” committee choose to attempt a new strategy in their dealings with An Post, the now dead horse:-
(1) They bought a stronger whip. (2) Changed Riders. (3) Threatened the dead horse with termination. (4) Appointed a committee to study the horse. (5) Discussed the feasibility of sending councillors to foreign countries to see how other riders rode their dead horses. (6) Provided further additional funding to improve the dead horse’s performance through the introduction of a dodgy “Dead Horse acquisition and refurbishment fund”.
Now, with election votes dangerously reduced, this dead horse is most likely to be promoted to a supervisory post, enabling it to hire a replacement horse.
The solution to the Thurles town centre decline, which will correct this imbalance, is simple; call a halt to the payment of parking charges, before yet more businesses are forced out of our town centre.
Tipperary Co. Council built six social houses at Cabragh, Thurles, at a cost of some €370 thousand Euro each. We saw recently the Peter McVerry Trust acquiring 25 social houses for €5million through a generous donation made by the Dublin Capuchin Day Centre. Do your arithmetic folks; €5 million divided by 25 = €2 hundred thousand Euro. These units were purchased in Dublin and Kildare (the most expensive accommodation areas in Ireland). It is my opinion that Tipperary Co. Council are simply burning taxpayer’s money and frankly do not need parking charges to fund local government.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” – St. Mark Chapter 4. Verse 9.
More advice for ailing Local Councillors and Politicians in our next news bulletin.
This morning, April 18th, 2019, nationwide, some four hundred and twenty-six patients are waiting for beds at hospitals in the Republic of Ireland.
Once again University Hospital Limerick, latter which serves North Tipperary, is the worst affected, with 58 patients on trolleys just starting the day.
Earlier this month, overcrowding in University Hospital Limerick was compared to that of a scene in a hospital, where a major national disaster had occurred, following 81 people found on trolleys on April 3rd last, with patient numbers jumping to above 90 as the day progressed.
A signed five page ‘Open Letter’ to the Mid-West Region, latter which includes North Tipperary.
Today, five Doctors, based at University Hospital Limerick, have written an open five (5) page letter outlining the continued serious challenges faced not just by hospital staff, but also by acutely ill patients unable to secure in-patient beds.
It is with profound regret, the five Doctors most justifiably claim that unacceptable numbers of elderly and frail patients are being left waiting, far too long, in their hospital emergency area, in the hope of a bed being located.
The open letter addressed to “the people of the Mid-West Region from the Clinical Directors of UL Hospitals Group”, can be read by clickingHERE.
The letter states that no matter how excellent an emergency department is “and the new one at UHL is a superb modern facility”, serious problems arise if there are not enough beds and enough access to staff, including doctors, nurses, diagnostics staff and step-down facilities.
Facts, stated in the letter, compare Beaumont Hospital in Dublin with University Hospital Limerick (UHL), thus further highlighting the vast urban / rural divide that exists in the Republic of Ireland.
Beaumont Hospital Dublin compared with University Hospital Limerick
[A] Beaumont Hospital Dublin has a whole-time staff of 3,728. University Hospital Limerick has 2,851 equivalent personnel. [UHL short 877 personnel]
[B] Beaumont Hospital Dublin serves a catchment area of 290,000 people. University Hospital Limerick, serving the Mid West catchment area, serves 385,000 people. [A difference of 95,000 people]
[C] Beaumont Hospital Dublin has 630 in-patient beds, while University Hospital Limerick has 454. [UHL short 176 beds].
[D] Beaumont Hospital Dublin had 52,856 new emergency department (ED) presentations last year. University Hospital Limerick had 63,850 new ED presentations last year, or 21% difference. [UHL admitted 10,994 more emergency patients].
Sorry “Mary for Tipperary” and “Garret for South Tipperary”, I suspect their remains no place for Fine Gael representing Tipperary dwellers in the next elections. This is despite your brochures showing that both of you were photographed beside An Taoiseach, Mr Leo Eric Varadkar and despite your weekly regular ramblings, broadcast to the Tipperary public on Radio TippFM. Perhaps you should set up offices in an area served by Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, if you wish to be in with a chance at that €94,535 basic TD salary, plus expenses.
The silence may remain deafening presently in Thurles and Tipperary in general, but the Ballot Box, no doubt, will confirm my suspicions.
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