Monday, May 01, 2006
DUP man says no to centenarian bounty
Jeffrey Donaldson is not impressed with the Irish government’s plans to offer a ‘centenarian’s bounty’ of £1,700 to anyone in Ireland reaching the age of 100. The DUP MP believes there is a political agenda at work, though his call for Dublin to be “more sensitive about unionist feelings” could be an early contender for MOPE comment of the year- how more sensitive can you get than to offer someone seventeen hundred pounds???
Chris Donnelly @ 03:47 PM
Do you think if they made it £1690 he would be ok about it?
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 04:01 PMBelter!
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 04:04 PMWhen the pension was introduced in Ireland in ?1908 or thereabouts, there was a remarkable surge in the number of people who were 70 years old.
Lets see how many centenarians we can come up with!
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 04:10 PMIf they want to give some senior citizen E2500 why get in the way? Perhaps we should consider it a gesture of good will and think how we could return the positive aspect?
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 04:12 PMMissfitz
I remember reading once that, after the public records building was burnt to the ground during the Irish civil war, people were granted new birth certificates by attesting as to when they were born.
That also resulted in a great increase in OAPs.Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 05:19 PMIs Mr. Donaldson for real?
Political agenda?
Is this a ploy by the ROI government so that the next time there is a border poll, all the centenarians will be so grateful that they will vote for a united Ireland. And that might tip the balance?Funny comment Sohnlein.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 05:32 PMHardly compares to the peerages which certain other parliaments seem to be handing out to the right sort of pensioner!
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 05:40 PMI am surprised at Jeffrey, for I’d heard that he is very good in the charity field, especially to countries in Eastern Europe. Perhaps I heard wrong. But if he is charitable to others why not to old timers who reach 100?? It’s great for anyone to reach that age, what little time they have left they should have something with which to enjoy it.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 06:52 PMDoes the principle of consent means something or not? Northern Ireland is not the jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland government.
All of us in NI have the choice of citizenship -British, Irish or both. If someone has chosen British then that choice should be respected whether the consequences are to their benefit or detriment.
However, a payment to a small number of vulnerable people is far from the best grounds for debating the practical application of broader political principles.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 07:07 PMany country in the world can give me 1700 quid when I reach 100; in fact, I hope they all do.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 07:23 PM“Does the principle of consent means something or not? Northern Ireland is not the jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland government.
All of us in NI have the choice of citizenship -British, Irish or both. If someone has chosen British then that choice should be respected whether the consequences are to their benefit or detriment.”
Anyone who doesn’t want it is 100% free to decline. For fuck sake, if it only went to Irish Citzens then there would also be complaints.
Get a motherfucking grip.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 07:45 PMFair_deal,
you can consent to refuse the cash when you reach 100 if you want.This is an offer to all the members of the Irish nation not just the citizens of the Irish State. You are perfectly free to ignore it as a member of the British nation but you have no right to take issue with gestures the Irish State makes to members of the Irish nation.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 07:46 PMNorthern Ireland is not the jurisdiction of the Republic of Ireland government.
Northern Ireland is not the jurisdiction of the US government either, but I don’t I don’t recall you ever getting on your Unionist high horse over International Fund for Ireland grants. At least try to display a semblance of consistency on these matters.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 08:08 PMYou don’t have to refuse it. The link says people outside the ROI have to apply.
I wonder if there’s any chance fair_deal would assign his to me. Unless the ROI also introduces free fags and beer. In which case I probably won’t need it.Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 08:23 PMBut we UK citizens have it so much better. Now to add to the free TV licences for the over-75’s Chancellor Gordon Brown is considering pensions linked to average wages also for over-75’s.
What next I wonder? Free roller blades for over 80’s? Free Gangsta-rap i-Pod downloads for the over-90’s?
Aah, the delghts and benefits of UK citizenship. Brings a tear to my eye sometimes (well makes me want to weep most of the time actually).
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 08:32 PMFD,
You say
All of us in NI have the choice of citizenship -British, Irish or both. If someone has chosen British then that choice should be respected whether the consequences are to their benefit or detriment.
The story says
<quote>But pensioners in Northern Ireland will have to apply for the cash, Dublin’s Department of Foreign Affairs said.</quote>
Its not an imposition on British centarians, they have the option of not claiming the cash. For Irish centarians in the north its surely welcome free cash for a limited number of people.
Big deal.
This story mainly shows how much time JD has on his hands. Wasted time, wasted print…like this matters.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 08:36 PMOf course Jeffrey has a lot of time on his hands. He’s getting paid for doing nothing (don’t hear him whining about that), and there’s no way he’s getting anywhere near the reins of power in my party.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 08:45 PMAt first glance I was horrified by this story. I thought the Irish Government were offering bounty hunters £1700 to ‘take out’ pensioners if they got to 100. A centenarian bounty really isnt the best term to use. It may ease a little of the pensions crisis......
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 08:48 PMThe Papish horror continues.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 08:50 PMAs my mom used to say:
1. Don’t trust anyone whose eyes are too close together.
2. The Devil makes work for idle hands.
What was the name of the country all those Irish centenarians were living in a century ago? Northern Ireland?
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 09:01 PMSnuff
I was wondering about that too, and like Jeffrey I was at a loose end today and looked it up.It was a good laugh, and I think its the wrong term to use.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 09:01 PMDavid
I’m surprised your mom didn’t mention the thing about looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 09:05 PMAnd another thing: what’s all this ballocks about “ those born ‘on the island of Ireland’”?
Makes the place seem the size of Rathlin! It’s IN the island of Ireland, similarly “in Britain” not “on Britain”.
Who trains these people?
Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 09:07 PMMissfitz
You misunderstand-
They’re giving each centenarian 1700 Mars Company chocolate bars. (those ones with the coconut).Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 09:09 PMDavid
You obviously haven’t seen Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life”.
Sometimes the babies drop right out onto the floor.Posted by on May 01, 2006 @ 09:12 PM
