May 20, 2003
Let's stay together
Ah, so the Progressive Democrats are closer to Berlin than Boston after all. When Minister for Education Noel Dempsey floated the idea of reintroducing tuition fees for third-level education, the PDs threw a wobbler. Michael McDowell, PD Minister for Justice, said he was against it (and why hadn't he heard about it earlier, dammit), and this morning, Senator John Minahin (who ?) stamped his foot, trembled his lip and declared that the PDs were against the move 'in principle'. The principle, that rare beast in Irish politics, is that third-level education is a basic right, and part of the 'infrastructure' that encourages industry to come to Ireland. All very well, but hardly a free-market principle and much more in keeping with our European neighbours than the US. Minahin stated that , as far as the PDs were concerned, third-level funding would come from general tax revenues, conveniently overlooking the fact that our continental neighbours pay more tax precisely to provide this sort of benefit. And we all know the PDs hate high taxes.
Of course, there is some wiggle room. The proposal will only apply to wealthy individuals. Now, you would think that that would include lots of people. The sort of people who own this year's BMW or Merc, or one of those 1 million euro houses without a mortgage. You think ? Bertie, our esteemed leader, struggled to think of what would constitute a man of means. Being a man of the people himself, he doesn't consider himself wealthy, nor indeed do any of his colleagues. So only people who earn three or four hundred thousand euro are being considered (though Bertie's brother, Noel, scared the horses by suggesting a figure of just somewhere north of seventy thousand euro. Dear God, man, a government minister earns more than that, and they can hardly make ends meet!). By the looks of things, only tribunal lawyers, Joe Dolan and Bono would be eligible. And Joe is a bachelor.
Now, a more cynical chap than myself might surmise that Bertie (who has backed Dempsey in his usual lukewarm, noncommittal way) might be using the issue to 'put manners on' the PDs. The Fianna Fail backbenchers are constantly moaning that the PD tail is wagging the FF mutt. Given the unpopularity of the Government, no-one wants an election, but Bertie knows that he could easily form an alternative government with a bunch of independents. Mary Harney is well aware that the opposition benches would be a cold place for her party for the next four years, and she could hardly attack the government for policies she had helped to formulate. So perhaps Bertie is testing their resolve, to see how far they would push their 'principles'.
But maybe there is a simpler explanation. Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats are the Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor of Irish political marriages. They bicker constantly when they are together but when they are with other partners, they are still wistfully thinking of the good times together.
Posted by Monasette at May 20, 2003 10:40 PM