Gombeen Passports: TDs 'facilitating' for people who are entitled to them anyway.

[Marathon Man]

I think you'll find that this is not the case....with FOI, C&AG's Ombudsman..etc

.....the point being??

Up to a point, I agree with csirl

...most public servants regard TDs as being like demi-gods to be accommodated....

These guys work hand in glove...a type of symbiotic relationship. If YOBRs point were true, then the councillors, TD's, MEP's etc would all be told where to go by the public servants and to take their applications back to their rightful place in the queue, etc.

The First Law of Politics is get re-elected. IMHO, the political gombeens have cultivated this type of environment where people feel they "have to get their TD etc" on the case. Because the gombeen's application gets preference/precedence, it becomes clear to everyone else that the only effective way to get things done is to go through the gombeens.
On the other hand, it is clear to the public servants that the gombeens' application must take precedence - no arguement!

Bertie is paid a higher salary than any other democracy premier. Do we need a public servant to be paid that well for filling out passports - for a businessman, who, one presumes, is well able to fill it out himself. He clearly wasn't arranging one of Charlie's passports for oil, as the guy was actually entitled to a passport. So why really? I don't buy the 'spin' on this one.

We know there were some 6500 odd passport applications last year. Add up all the other political representations and we have a huge industry to deal with applications that, one must presume, are already somewhere in the (already slow/inefficient) system.

Do we want TDs, paid nearly €100,000 (and a deferred pay rise), with expenses (for some) exceeding this figure. That's a hell of a lot of money for arranging passports/social welfare/planning/etc.

I totally agree with YOBR

The real question is here what do the people of ireland want their politicians to do?

Time and time agin we have voted for and put up with gombeenism...you get what you pay for..so just dont bother to ever complain again about public services...or planning or anything else...we have voted for and are happy to maintain this current wasteful crappy system....

You only have to look at those gombeens who have been through the tribunals and courts over the past 10 or 15 years. What happens? They don't just get re-elected!...they top the polls!!

We're in a loop here...........with no way out. It ain't gonna change until the electorate wises up...and it doesn't look like happening anytime soon.

Dev was right; "In England, you can say what you like as long as you do the right thing. In Ireland, you can do what you like as long as you say the right thing"

 

[Purple]

Marathon Man, the electorate has said they don't like this bunch but there is no real alternative. They have not said that they like this bunch.

 

[Marathon Man]

Marathon Man, the electorate has said they don't like this bunch but there is no real alternative. They have not said that they like this bunch.

Can't disagree. Mind you, the Government parties seem to think that they did.