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news report
 Friday March 07, 2003 16:23 by Ailin
 Social welfare cuts coming into force this week will hit some of the most vulnerable people in Kerry, the Ballylongford branch of Republican Sinn Fein warned today. RSF North Kerry spokesman John O’Shea said that the party has received many complaints from people on supplementary welfare following their rent or mortgage allowance being cut by the Southern Health Board. “This is yet another example of a slight of hand trick by this cynical administration,” said Mr. O’Shea. “People on the rent or mortgage supplementary welfare allowance were granted a rise of six euro in the Budget. “In recent days people drawing the allowance have been informed that the Minister for Social and Family Affairs has increased the minimum contribution of recipients from 7.62 per week to twelve “In effect this means that for people who gained a six euro rise in the Budget, four euro forty has now been taken back by the Health Board. “This is “three card trickery” at a new level of political hypocrisy and it hits those who are most in need of supplementary social welfare. Yet not one of the Kerry public representatives has raised the matter with the Minister - there has been no public outcry over these latest “We are now calling on those elected by the people of Kerry to state fully where they stand on these cutbacks and to indicate if they agree with the action of the Minister in cutting welfare allowances to those most in need.” (Ends) |
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Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4Welfare has to be cut and cut and....This is the logic of Gombeen/comprador economics. The alternative to low wages has to less attractive, thus forcing people to work at shitty jobs. And reliance on Multinationals inexorably means that wages are forever being pushed downward. So welfare too has to be lowered. Its good that RSF is looking at the economic dependency of Ireland. James Connolly is still relevant.
There is no alternative to employment. The dole is an emergency measure to keep people fed and housed while they are looking for a job. Drawing the dole is not an altewrnative lifestyle.
As for this whinging about cuts, unemployed people should be thankful for what the get. There was a time not very long ago, when people starved if they didn't work.
I get the dole, as part of the back to education allowance, as I am doing a degree. I recently learnt there was a cut back on the back to education. Post graduates have been barred from receiving it, and now I will have to sign on in the summer.
Regarding the former, it is irritating, but there are more avenues open to people with a basic degree. The latter is silly. The idea is people who have not done well and are not returing to college, they still used to be able to blag it anyway for the summer months. The fact is though, the dole always ask me for a letter to prove I am going back.
But that is the dole. It is not an alternaqtive lifestyle, it should be something to help you find work. Minimum wage needs to brought up, and the only people that should be afforded an "alternative lifestyle" are the sick, elderly and single mothers. I am glad I have being able to get it to do my college, but I try not to whinge too much when it is brought down.
My REAL fear is that FF/PDs will do what George Bush did during the elections of 2006, and then they will turn this place into corporate zone laissez faire. I mean, this electronic voting?
Well done Kerry, This shit has been going on for years of giving a token increase to social welfare and Dublin Corporation and other local government regimes taking it back using as its method of robbery 'increases' in rent etc. Not one of the fake 'left' trot groups swp/sp or the 'labour' party, or the poverty pimp groups such as unemployed or womens groups, the community platform etc has ever done anything about this. They are quiet as long as they are allowed to keep their own snouts in the trough and the funding rolled in. I hear they are a little more militant this year because their FF friends have cut their funds a bit.