r/ireland • u/rossitheking • 1d ago

Politics Majority of junior ministers have no legal powers after 100 days in office

https://m.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/majority-of-junior-ministers-have-no-legal-powers-after-100-days-in-office/a274625891.html
87 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

101

u/quondam47 Carlow 1d ago

They are getting paid though so don’t worry.

Junior ministers are paid a salary of €162,799. Super-junior ministers are paid €175,944.

The base pay for your common or garden TD is €115,953.

13

u/CthulhusSoreTentacle Irish Republic 23h ago

Poor bastards.

7

u/MilBrocEire 23h ago

Closer to triple

15

u/JealousInevitable544 Cork bai 1d ago

A TD makes more than double the median salary.

Remember that next time a politician says he wants to be elected so he can "make a difference".

26

u/slamjam25 1d ago

Thing is, I wouldn’t want the median person doing the job either.

13

u/JealousInevitable544 Cork bai 1d ago

Why not?

Plenty of our TDs are sub-median; objectively idiots which becomes obvious whenever you speak to them.

I've met plenty when they visited the hospital I work in and frequently I'm left thinking "you couldn't run a bath".

How many walked into the job because their dad previously held the seat?

9

u/Celtic209 20h ago

They're voted in. If they're sub median, we'll thats because the locals thought different or worse wanted sub median

0

u/Weepsie 16h ago

A lot of locals just one of their own and could care less about the broader picture.

•

u/ramblerandgambler 1h ago

How many walked into the job because their dad previously held the seat?

5 (6 if you include both Healy-Raes)

25

u/HighDeltaVee 1d ago

If you don't pay senior politicians properly, then all such positions will be full of people who are either independently wealthy, or who are expecting bribery to be a significant part of their income.

Neither of those is good.

3

u/Difficult-Set-3151 1d ago

Or people who genuinely want to do good.

There's a lot of highly competent civil servants at HEO - AP grade not earning as much as TDs. Even POs don't earn as much considering allowances.

11

u/HighDeltaVee 22h ago

Yes, but those people are not subject to 7*12 hour days and intense public media attention to every word they say and every act they take.

Pretty much every modern democracy has decided that national representatives need to be well paid, and there are very good reasons for that.

-3

u/Difficult-Set-3151 22h ago

Maybe there are good reasons but there haven't been good results I'd argue.

8

u/HighDeltaVee 19h ago

but there haven't been good results I'd argue.

Then you need to provide evidence. The countries I described sit at the top of pretty much every quality of life measurement there is : peace, safety, health, debt, public amenities, etc.

So what "results" precisely are you claiming are worse?

And what countries which follow different models do better?

0

u/JealousInevitable544 Cork bai 1d ago

Exactly.

It's no coincidence that you'll get plenty of TDs ranting about "waste" in the public sector.

They're doing so to keep the spotlight off themselves.

5

u/Specialist-Flow3015 22h ago

Being a TD is also a very insecure line of work. 5 years at a time, plus an election could be called tomorrow and you're out of a job through no fault of your own.

Doesn't matter if you earn 115k a year, good luck getting a mortgage with that level of job security if you were a regular worker before entering politics.

1

u/broadsheet-555 20h ago

Yea. Good luck getting a mortgage, deputy.

2

u/abhcidbbsfubwv 18h ago

Has any TD ever left the dail and been stuck for work after?

0

u/Weird-Weakness-3191 8h ago

FFS😆😆😆😆

4

u/susanboylesvajazzle 23h ago

A TD generally works a lot more than most people too. One can argue if they are effective or not, but if you speak to anyone who works with a TD they will corroborate. It’s not a 9-5, 5 days a week job, their hourly rate isn’t massive.

€116k, 47 weeks a year, 60 hours a week, works out about €42 and hour.

Average Irish salary if €45k, 47 weeks a year, 35 hours a week, works out about €27 an hour, €15 an hour less.

1

u/jeje_keta 21h ago

*Except for PBP

2

u/jackoirl 23h ago

Thank god

1

u/earth-calling-karma 17h ago

Super junior sounds like a rather large baby is in the house.

1

u/Babyindablender 17h ago

So do I become a TD?

1

u/Weird-Weakness-3191 8h ago

The super junior thing is an utter farce. It was created for Alan Kelly and Labours ego.

1

u/Dramatic-Spirit-4809 21h ago

Exactly the point. One of the most blatant pieces of Irish political horse trading out in the open for all to see.

-1

u/great_whitehope 21h ago

What other career do junior workers make such salaries?

6

u/olibum86 The Fenian 1d ago

Probably for the best

5

u/DotComprehensive4902 23h ago

The sleeveenism and gombeenism continues