(No point in putting up all the budget coverage, Vincent Browne reflects
my anger anyway.)
Irish Times, Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Talk of protecting vulnerable is claptrap
OPINION: The rhetoric about looking after the poor masks consolidation
of wealth among the elite, writes Vincent Browne
SEVERAL TIMES in his Budget speech yesterday Brian Lenihan spoke of
"protecting the most vulnerable".
It echoed much of what Brian Cowen said last May in the course of those
glorious celebrations of his becoming Taoiseach. It is part of the
rhetoric of our political culture, part of our political claptrap. For
in reality it means nothing at all, aside from a mask for what is really
happening: the consolidation of the wealth and power of an elite and
yesterday's Budget was very much part of that project.
What depths of self-delusion does it take to talk about "protecting the
most vulnerable" when, at the same time, a levy of 1 per cent is put on
the incomes of even those too poor to get into the existing tax net?
When the entire Budget is deliberately calculated to doing nothing at
all about the scale of even consistent poverty? (There are at least
300,000 people living in consistent poverty, which means living in
income poverty and not being able to afford basic necessities such as
new clothes; not having the money to buy food such as meat or fish; not
being able to heat their homes; or having to go into debt to pay
ordinary household bills.) Even Fianna Fáil and Minister for Social and
Family Affairs Mary Hanafin acknowledge that consistent poverty is a
major problem! Some of those in consistent poverty will now be required
to pay the 1 per cent income levy.
How do they talk about "protecting the most vulnerable" when they slash
expenditure on education? Granted, the overall figures suggest an
allocation just above the rate of inflation, but how about the increase
in the numbers of people entering the education system?
Expenditure on health doesn't even match the rate of inflation. Expect
longer waiting lists, more people on trolleys, more premature deaths.
Already over 5,000 people die prematurely here every year because of the
scale of inequality in this society. People in the lower occupational
groups die prematurely of cancers, cardiovascular diseases and other
fatal diseases at a rate of twice, three times, six times, even 20 times
the rate of people in the higher occupational groups. This Budget means
the premature death rate will increase, killing them softly with the
words "protecting the most vulnerable".
However, they have rowed back on medical cards for the over-70s - and
what a scam that was. First proposed in the run-up to the 2002 general
election, without any consultation with the Irish Medical Organisation
(IMO), it was implemented at the behest of the caring profession
represented by the IMO (the GPs). And this was only done by way of an
agreement to pay GPs three times the rate for treating rich medical card
holders over 70 as is paid for treating poor medical card holders,
whether over 70 or not. And guess what happened? Those caring GPs
high-tailed it to the richer pickings of the richer areas.
There was no need yesterday for the austerity inflicted on "the most
vulnerable". We are a very rich society. The gross national income is
€162 billion. Say the State needs a generous one-third of this to supply
security, the justice system, policing, education, health care and the
rest (aside from social welfare). That would be €54 billion: way in
excess of what Brian Lenihan is proposing to spend, including social
welfare, next year and no budget deficits or borrowings. That leaves
€108 billion for the 1.4 million households, which works out at €77,000
per household. No problem. We can all live on that. No poverty, no
premature deaths because of inequality.
Some people that we need to stick around would, perhaps, sulk and leave
if they got only €77,000. Okay, let's agree to give 20 per cent of
people twice that figure on average. So, they get €43 billion and the
rest of us have to make do with €65 billion, which leaves us with
€58,000 per household. That's still okay, for the State would be
providing entirely free health and education and there would be lots of
public transport and housing.
All right, say they need more, three times the average, €231,000 per
household. This would still leave €43 billion for the rest of us, which
would work out at €38,000 per household. We could settle for that even
if 80 per cent of the population were getting only one-third of the
annual national income.
The problem is, such a scale of inequality is not enough for the system
we claim is "protecting the most vulnerable". The top earners want far
more than twice or three times as much as the average. And nobody thinks
this is at all odd.
There is one State agency that has consistently drawn attention to the
scale of poverty and inequality here. And guess what is to happen to
that in the "roll out" of the cutbacks, "going forward"? It is going to
be done away with. I am referring to the Combat Poverty Agency and the
spin will be that it is to be incorporated into the Office of Social
Inclusion, which is part of Mary Hanafin's Department of Social and
Family Affairs. As such it will lose its independence and will be shut
up. More of "protecting the most vulnerable".
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http://www.finfacts.ie/irishfinancenews/article_1014985.shtml
Irish Budget 2009 Analysis: Minister for Finance Brain Lenihan said in
his speech Tuesday on the Budget, that "it's a call to patriotic
action." Apart from evoking Samuel Johnson's most famous quotation:
"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel," while incompetence is
not incompatible with patriotism, it's rich indeed to be lectured about
such noble values, by people who used short-term political interest to
the detriment of the economy and many thousands of people.
The fallout from the toxic cocktail of self-interest, incompetence,
negligence and laziness, has been covered in another article this week.
Before moving onto economic analysis, it's interesting to observe how
Green Party has so seamlessly filled the shoes of the near-defunct PDs.
Like so-called "independents" who sell their votes for time security and
some baubles to impress constituents, small niche parties, such as the
Green Party in its present role, have zero impact on most areas of
policy but the priority is to have some crumbs to offer supporters and
copperfasten the self-interest of the leadership.
So Green Party leader John Gormley has highlighted what he called "Green
Party gains" including: a substantially increased budget for water
services; new funding for home energy efficiency and warmer homes
scheme; increases in petrol prices; the bicycle initiative; and an
increase in motor taxes.
The introduction of the €200 annual charge on second properties, was
described by Gormley as a "watershed moment" in local government funding.
Watershed or not, Fianna Fáil will always be happy for their support as
long as they stick to "saving the planet" but who saves Ireland?