Dr James Reilly is the south’s Minister for Children. Before that he was the south’s Minister for Health. The fact that he had to move over and let the ambitious Leo Varadkar take his place in Health tells you something about how successful he was in that role.
Today on RTÉ radio he was interviewed about a pretty breath-taking statistic: over the past ten years, the number of children living in poverty in the south has doubled. That very neatly takes in the period of time when first Fianna Fail and then Dr Reilly’s Fine Gael were guiding the ship of state. Today in Dublin alone, over 1,000 children are homeless. In terms of poverty, nearly 7% of children in 2008 were living in poverty – and that was before the Celtic Tiger bubble burst. By 2013, that had swollen to nearly 12%. That’s 138,000 children.
The thing about poverty is that it stymies your life chances in every area – in terms of health, housing, education, work. Except the poverty problem is cracked, especially as it affects helpless children, chances are all these other fields will be applying a sticking plaster on a cancer in the society.
And no, Virginia, the numbers are not because the south was near-bankrupt and strapped for cash over the past five years. Certainly there was less money about than during the south’s boom years, but there still was money. Was the pay of the Taoiseach cut so that these sad children might be helped? His pension? The pay and pension of TDs? Were the ministerial cars reduced in size or swank? Was the food and drinks menu for entertaining state guests reduced?
You could of course say that the government has to put on a decent show, especially for outsiders – you don’t expect a Minister to drive his own car, do you? Or you could say that the Taoiseach and TDs work very hard at jobs which they may lose at five-year intervals. But the fact remains that in 2016, a hundred years after the Proclamation of Independence, the south of Ireland is a state where choices were made that left children, in many cases literally, out in the cold. Cherish the children of the nation equally? Oh certainly – as Minister Reilly assured the presenter on ‘Morning Ireland’ this morning, they have plans to deal with child poverty. Just as soon as they get into their well-heated outsize-cars and drive to another totally-necessary banquet.
And this is the government the polls tell us the people of the south plan to re-elect in increased numbers in a month’s time. Has austerity driven people mad?
maybe the 1000 children should claim refugee status they would qualify tor the full package then.
No, I don’t think it’s a good idea to pit one set of victims against another, billy
no..we wouldnt need to pit our victims against some other countries victims.
maybe put the facts and figures out there and let the people decide.
Jude, as I see it, this government are not dependant on the people at the bottom end of the scale to return them to power. They are representing the interest of the middle & wealthy class. The homeless, unemployed, sick & the emigrants are written out of the picture, just as Trump is writing off numerous groups in USA. Consider how Margaret Thatcher stayed in power for 17 years, who did she write off……..didn’t harm her in the short term.
With you there 100%, Bridget
So with the even more generous benefits system down south kids are still in poverty. Sooner or later the Parents of these children will have to be looked at with the generous benefits system down south nobody should be in poverty.
Not every child is part of a family who claims benefits Neill, many a family have parents who work the clock round but due to low wages and lack of any better/suitable jobs they are stuck in poverty.
As stated repeatedly, when it comes to the UK, the vast majority of benefits is paid to Pensioners. Then the 2nd group that gets the most benefits is people in WORK, paid employment but because their wages are so low they are entitled to help from the government. And lastly, only 10% of benefits gets paid to JSA claimants. Most people, due to right wing propaganda, assume most benefits go to unemployed families and JSA claimants. That’s just not true.
Its a similar situation in the South.
Before the floods
The ombudsman’s report (2015) poses many questions about child poverty. Do we live in a State that respects Human Rights? Does the State give priority to the Human Rights of its citizens, including children, in budgetary, legislative and administrative decision-making? The reality is that the Gnomes of Zurich dictate monetary and fiscal policies but cui bono?
It can be argued that the administration is tolerating unacceptable levels of child poverty. The ombudsman’s report states that since 2006, the proportion of children living in consistent poverty has increased from 6.8% (2008) to 11.7%. This means that, according to the most recent available data, some 138,000 children are living in consistent poverty.
Even more alarming is evidence that one-third of young people requiring in-patient care for mental health difficulties are still being accommodated in adult facilities. In March 2015, 1,054 children in 471 families were homeless. The evidence indicates that many children are spending their formative years in conditions that inhibit their potential to thrive and in conditions that curtail full enjoyment of their Human Rights.
Child poverty is an issue that is within the competence of the administration to deal with, unlike the weather. The administration used evidence of flooding as photo opportunities, leaving many voters and their children homeless but with much food for thought.
does the state give priority to the human rights of its citizens including children….
maybe its time for an irish first policy children should be able to draw of the resources of their nation schools hospitals benefits ect then we might see a start of them being cherished.
As child poverty is another form of child abuse, Esteemed Blogmeister, the muffled drums of denunciation down here in the Free Southern Stateen may baffle some onlookers and a few overhearers.
Which is understandable as we modestly though justifiably pride ourselves on being the global brand leaders in double-barreled obloquy when it comes to child abuse. But hardly sustainable, is this specific instance, as there is just no RC clerical input. So, move along there, rubberneckers, nothing to see or get a seizure about here.
Which of course is not to say that Oliver Twist has not replaced Oliver Cromwell in the psyche of the stateen. He has, but to over-egg that particular pudding would be a distortion. As well as overlooking the obvious necessity to be gruel to be kind, it would also do a disservice to our relentless, turnstile efforts to put a Smile on the Dial of Childhood.
No better example that the Late, Late Toy Show which, year on year, succeeds in drawing an even wider ear to ear smile on the face of every beguiled child from Boyle to Baldoyle, and from Ballydoyle to the Longmile.
There are, of course, those ever present begrudgers who cavil at the moolah which the be-cardiganed host rakes in for doing this show. Typically, they reduce everything to Moneygall, honey . They point their stingy fingers at his 500 thousand euros and lip-smackingly contrast it with the mere 400 thousand dollars which is the pre-tax take home pay of the current tenant at 1600 Pennylvania Avenue.
Naturally, they never stop to answer this simple question:
-How can you put a price on the smile of a child ?
(Supplementary question from Perkie’s inner Artful Codger: You gotta pick a pocket or two?).
‘How can you put a price on the smile of a child ?’ -Say ‘Rebellion’ is an awe-inspiring, courageous and dazzling series…
Artistry , Mighty Perk …all wrapped up in such good sense…
All Michael Noonan, Minister for Moolah,has to say, Esteemed Blogmeister,, is: ‘Re-bellun’ !
mean while stormont will give 20,000 pounds each to 50 refugees to learn the english language.paddys been at the back of the q as immigrants round the world this yrs.on rte there a traveller site in dundalk the night were evicted kids threw onto the street and a 138,000 more according to your figures in dire straights.you would think oliver cromwell hadnt left.
Austerity hasn’t drove the southern electorate mad, but a slavish, right wing, Pro-Fine Gael media has.
Over the past few months the media has been harking on about how much the Irish economy has improved and how Fine Gael/Lab has been responsible for this. Apparently, Yes people have suffered (just the poorest of the poor, btw, the richest are just fine) but their sacrifices has been worthwhile. I’m sure its just a coincidence all this talk is happening on the lead up to the election…..but you can be certain after the election this talk of “recovery” will cease and all the promises made by Fine Gael/Lab will be broken just like they were in 2011.
The Taoiseach gets paid more than the President of the United States. There’s ministers in the South who make more than many other ministers in other, larger countries, who have a far bigger work load. Isn’t it about time that a massive overhaul was done here? it’s scandalous that people like former Taoiseach Brian Cowan and Bertie Ahern, two useless sleaze bags, are getting over 130,000 euros every year and yet these two oversaw the bankruptcy of the Southern State.
My father, who lives in Dublin and is successful in his business (saying that so no one assumes he’s someone who’s bitter about his benefits getting cut, he has never claimed benefits), stated that all those bankers and politicians involved in the Financial Crisis in Ireland and Worldwide should be lined up against a wall and shot. Harsh? Nah, its what they deserve, many an innocent man who refused to fight and die in World War 1 for an Imperialist agenda got the same fate, so why not sleaze bags who condemn hundreds of millions of people to poverty, despair and in many cases causing them to take their own lives.
Its no wonder many Southern politicians, especially in Fine Gael and elsewhere, are small n nationalists or have a partitionist mind set. They have set up their own wee state down there where they make millions for themselves creaming and sponging off the general public, the last thing they would want is 1.8 million extra people with differing views coming in potentially spoiling their fun.
their not doing to bad up here either.wonder what robbinsons n martys british pensions are like……..and people still vote.well half does anyway.
Taoiseach salary €185,000
US President salary $400,000 (€356,143)
Now now Gio pointing out a rather obvious mistake in Ryan argument
Sorry Gio, I was meant to state British Prime Minister, not the US President.
The Taoiseach’s salary doesn’t lag far behind the German Chancellor or French Presidents salary. Kenny earns more than the British and Spanish Prime Ministers, even some of his ministers earn more than those two Prime Ministers too. That’s ridiculous in a country the size of the southern state, the Taoiseach should be on no more than 100,000 euros.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/kenny-still-earns-more-than-british-pm-after-pay-cut-26712394.html
Very.sad.story.jude.
Too.True.Jim.