Running the country from the back of a van - Del Boy for Taoiseach!

Anger. Anger. Anger. We are certainly getting our fill of it at the moment. 

Am I angry at the state of our economy? Yes!

Am I angry that our political leaders seem helpless in the face of economic disaster? Yes!

Am I angry that we have to foot the bill to pay for developer and banker mistakes? Yes!

Am I angry that our future as a nation is dependent upon savage budgets for four years? Yes!

Our new Ministers' car and drivers.

I just wanted to set the tone for this next comment. 

I listened to "It Says in the Papers" on Morning Ireland this morning to hear that the Daily Mail takes issue with "out of touch Fianna Fáil" using their ministerial cars for the Cabinet Meeting in Farmleigh yesterday. The Irish Times has an irate reader, Allen Conlan of Co Meath, writing about the "sickening hypocrisy and disgusting irony of Government Ministers being chauffeur-driven to Farmleigh". Anger at our Government is plunging to new depths. OK - I too dislike the idea that a Minister sits in an expensive Merc telling us how health, education, and social welfare spending are to be cut. "Let them eat cake" comes to mind. If we were all to agree with Mr Conlan - our Government would be run from the back of a van, Del Boy for Taoiseach anyone? Perhaps Ministers could share a single Robin Reliant? Del Boy and Rodney can run an "Independent Trading" company with a Reliant - maybe we can run a country? Fuck.

Conlan goes on in his letter rant - "First cut? Ministers’ cars! I’m sure they all have their own cars and I’m sure they can all drive and I’m sure they all know where Farmleigh is. It wouldn’t save us €4.5 billion, but it would show we’re all in this together". Great idea to make us all feel better. But why stop at Ministers? I saw plenty of Mercs, BMWs, and Jags on the way home from work today - should they not be banned too? After all, would not the money spent on these cars be put to better use?

One thing a new Government next year will not do is "cut" ministerial cars. Imagine the embarrassment of Enda Kenny arriving back in Castlebar, after receiving his seal of office as the new Taoiseach, in a Reliant! What about the magician Eamonn Gilmore coming to Dún Laoghaire on a bicycle with his seal of office tied to his bicycle clips! What about Leo Varadkar thumbing a lift to Brussels for a Council of Europe meeting! 

Mr Conlan and all the other irate letter writers need to get a grip. If he (and others) want our politicians to demonstrate some leadership by giving up their cars - it implies that we should follow. Maybe we too should give up our cars. My prediction - we won't? If Ministers follow Mr Conlan's advice they will end up stuck in traffic on their bikes, or risk life and limb crossing roads full of Volvos, Mercs, Audis, and Jags - there are a lot of them about. 

Jaysus - I myself am ranting more than ever!