Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom,
Boom, Boom, Boom,
Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom,
Boom, Boom, Boom

(1917 – S. Baldrick)

The National Recovery Plan was announced today with the collected visages of Brian Cowen, Brian Lenihan and John Gormley on hand for its delivery.

Some of the main points are austerity measures such as reductions in social welfare, reductions in public sector pay for new entrants, increasing student “contributions”, introducing a domestic water charge, a reduction in the minimum wage and other similarly belt-tightening measures.

So far, so austere. And understandably so.

This is an important event and, in order to provide evidence of their tireless work in putting this plan together, two documents have been made available to the public; the plan itself, comprising 140 wordy pages, and a two-page explanatory leaflet.

At first glance one interesting point might be noted.  Within these two documents there are almost 50,000 words (49,331 to be precise).  And within these 50,000 words there is precisely one mention of the word ‘politicians’, and a single mention of the word ‘TDs’.  Both of these words are to be found, in close proximity, in a single, seven-line paragraph which stretches between pages 63 and 64. This paragraph reads thusly (apologies for changed formatting):

‘More generally, the Government has already taken action to reduce the pay of politicians and senior public servants. In 2009 the Minister for Finance ordered a fresh review of top level public service pay, to take account of the changed budgetary and economic circumstances, the changed private sector pay environment and to compare pay against that of other countries of comparable scale, particularly in the Eurozone. This led to the Government reducing the pay of Ministers, TDs, Senators and other office holders, as well as senior civil servants and their equivalents across the wider public service.’

The deduction one must infer from this paragraph is that none of the lads and lassies in the Dáil, the Senate, other senior political positions as well as the highest paid public servants in the land will be taking a cut even for the sake of appearances.  Very cosy.  Not like their “new entrant” brethern, who will indeed be taking a 10% cut, or those on the minimum wage, or those middle-income earners who might well take a huge amount of pain over these coming four years.

One might say that this view is unfair, that the political lords and masters, along with their humble servants, had indeed already taken their medicine and should be commended for having done so.  And there might be a smidgeon of merit to that viewpoint.

But these jobs are different.

While ordinary citizens all over this country are suffering extra financial hardship by the week, these individuals at the top of the public service pay scale are asking these same citizens to trust them as they implement harsh economic measures in the name of Ireland’s recovery.  In exchange for this trust, a symbolic but vital gesture should have been a further cut in the top political and public service pay packages.

In the movie Braveheart, the hero inspired loyalty and courage by being seen to fearlessly lead the charge into battle.  By not being seen to take a cut themselves as part of this four year plan, our political and public service elite are, frankly, instead seen more like General Melchett, he of silken robes and finely-coiffed moustache, seated safely behind the front lines while sending thousands of the underclass over the top into the enemy’s machine guns.

Boom, boom, boom… indeed.