We are sure you have all heard by now that the 31st Dáil was officially dissolved yesterday morning after the President Michael D Higgins along with the Taoiseach Enda Kenny officially signed the necessary documents to call time on the current coalition’s reign of power and set a date for the next general election.
Although the news may have many excited at the possibility of getting rid of Enda, Joan and the rest of their fellow TD’s in the hope of starting something new for the Irish people in the future, the departure of many retiring and outgoing TD’s and Senators will soon turn those smiles upside down as the Irish taxpayer will reportedly have to spend in the region of €14m in severance packages for those who chose to move on to pastures new.
Although the exact figure has not been revealed it is widely believed that 19 former TD’s such as Pat Rabbite, Eamon Gilmore and Joe Higgins along with a number of former Senators will receive a hefty sum on their way out of the Dáil front door. The staggering €14 million budget set aside last December for so called “termination allowances” will surely leave a bitter taste in the taxpayers mouths as the vast majority will be spent on backbenchers and TD’s who were put in place to challenge Fine Gael’s and Labour’s controversial policies introduced over the past five years, but largely failed to do so.
Even though the vast majority of us would be very happy to see the end of Enda’s reign, we will be still left with the harsh reality of paying over the odds for his yes-men to leave the Dáil.