December 03, 2003

The Run of the country

The most cunning, the most ruthless of them all...in the run up to Budget Day today, the FF backbenchers were fretting at the reports of cutbacks to social and welfare programmes. And what does the Minister Finance do ? Announce a decentralisation programme that will move 8 government departments out of Dublin. That's 10,000 civil servants coming to a constituency, sorry, area near you. Now, the decentralisation doesn't really have anything to do with the budget, but nobody is talking about the cutbacks anymore. And not one backbencher is going to upset the government now that they will get a shiny new office and a bunch of permenant, pensionable jobs with it. And let's face it, many civil servants are from the country so they'll be glad to move out of the ungodly capital (though it may trigger a minor crisis for GAA supporters since there will be a lot less sofas to crash on when they head up to Croke Park).


The list of towns is here - Galway gets 210 jobs (with 50 to keep Frank Fahy happy), Mayo gets 290 (half in Knock airport) and Clare gets 450 (most in Shannon). This news will certainly help the canvassers for the European and local elections (coincidentally announced yesterday for June) and the transfer is planned to be complete by 2005 - in the run-up to the next general election.


The best reaction to the news came from the AIVA (the auctioneers association) who cautioned that a mass exodus of civil servants from Dublin might adversely affect house prices. Apart from the obvious fact that it is partly because of the antics of the self-same estate agents that many civil servants are renting houses rather than owning them, it's a bit like ask vampires to comment on improvements in the blood transfusion service. Though I'm probably being a little harsh on the blood-sucking undead denizens of the night...

Posted by Monasette at December 3, 2003 11:30 PM
Comments

I wouldn't mind a dose of decentralisation to what I have unfortunately taken to describing as "down the country". My soon to be benchmarked civil service sinecure notwithstanding, my standard of living would be a lot higher in one of our more rural urban centres. To those of used to taking the vapours in Stephen's Green and Merrion Square it will be a blessed case of urbe in rus not rus in urbe.

Senator Norris was none too happy with the proposed transfer of the Department of Arts etc, to the Minister's constituency implying that the arts tradition was a Dublin one and none too vibrant down the bogs. He might have a point, but it was unendearingly made.

Posted by: Ger at December 5, 2003 10:57 AM

Poor David...it's not like they are planning to move all the theatres as well. He probably shouldn't feel too superior - most of Ireland's great artists either went to the country or buggered off to London or France before they actually produced anything.

I think many civil servants will be glad to move out of Dublin, though I doubt if the Knock posting will be vastly oversubscribed....

Posted by: John at December 5, 2003 02:53 PM

I don't know dude. Knock is quite the place according to Deppity Michael Ring who had this to say during the week in Dáil Éireann -

"Deputy Ring: I was in Knock Airport one evening a few weeks ago when three or four flights were coming in and out. There was a great buzz in the place. There were three funerals coming in from abroad, one from Scotland and two from England."

All life was there, and death.

Posted by: Ger at December 5, 2003 04:49 PM

The Right Honourable Member for Mayo is currently suing the government for the right to be both a country councillor and a TD. His commitment to public service is unequalled...

Posted by: John at December 5, 2003 05:10 PM