Teaching cynicism
We had a budget a few days ago.
There is an election coming up early next year so everyone knew in advance, even without all the "leaks" that it was going to be a "giveaway" budget.
Sure enough, everyone got a few scraps off the plate [except smokers, naturally] and to listen to the gubmint, you'd think they were paying for it all out of their own pockets.
They cut a few taxes here and there and cut the "Universal Social Charge" [an odious tax on every cent of income]. They raised the minimum wage [which only costs small businesses] and we were all supposed to tip our forelocks and thank them for their largesse. What wonderful people they are – so generous – we must vote them back in again.
Having shown their extreme generosity in mugging us a bit less and giving a few cents of our own cash back, they sat back and waited to bask in the expected glory.
They went down in the opinion polls.
Dame Enda has gone into panic mode now. He has made the first of his Great Promises of the campaign. He is going to scrap the USC. In doing so, he will create 225,000 jobs and attract 70,000 emigrants back. Wow! Fuck me!!
I have a very simple question for our Grand Dame – if scrapping the charge produces such wonderful results, why the fuck didn't he scrap it in the recent budget?
Before the last election, Dame Enda came up with a string of promises. He called it his Contract for a Better Ireland, and stated that if he didn't fulfill all his promises that he would step down.
He has renegued on just about every single item and has broken just about every single promise. The only item that he brought in was "free" doctors visits for the under 12s which essentially means that the poorest are paying the doctor's bills for the wealthiest. Apart from that, crime is rampant; the health service is a joke; homelessness has reached crisis proportions and the country is in a right mess.
And now he expects us to believe another "promise"?
Is it any wonder I'm so cynical?
You know, the strange thing is, if he came out in the morning and announced he was scrapping the water charge he would get re-elected and a lot of Fine Gaelers too. People I meet every day are not complaining any more, they all have new cars on lease, there's a few bob around still. Labour on the other hand are fcuked.
You are probably right – it would be a huge vote catcher. However you must realise that when it comes to water charges the wishes of Brussels trump the voter any day. They have the final say, not the electorate.
Wellll he could scrap the 'water' charge to get re-elected then add it on to the property tax after! QED You can fool some of the people all the time. Hands up who remembers Garret Fitzgerald getting elected by promising to give every stay at home wife £9.60 a week? After the election he just took the money from the spouse's salary and 'gifted' it to the wife.