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 Vote more often! The election is over, the people have spoken, revenge was sweet, but at what cost to the nation?
It is reckoned that the cost of ridding ourselves of the worst government in the history of the State will cost the taxpayer a total of €7,054,373.02 in the first year alone and €1,711,658.48 for every year thereafter.
Of course these figures listed are pre-tax, and tax is payable on all earnings, except of course part of the first years payment accounting for the lump sum of a parliamentary pension. This equates to three years worth of their annual pension and most payments are subject to pension levies.
Our TD’s do not receive parliamentary pensions until they turn 50, unlike the rest of us, but they can accept reduced pensions at the age of 45 years if they so wish. Note, Ministerial pensions are not paid to retirees under 50 or until they turn 65, as in the case of defeated TDs who first took ministerial office after 2004.
For those of our angry voters, now feeling some regret, a little guilt or even some remorse with regard to their haste to remove those totally responsible for our country’s indebtedness, dry your eyes because those you sacked are not exactly on the breadline.
In North Tipperary Maire Hoctor according to my reckoning will receive €142,890.67 in her first year of forced retirement and €27,950.47 for every year from then on.
In South Tipperary Martin Mansergh should receive €108,507.84 in his first year and €18,707.96 every year thereafter.
Thurles born Mary Hanafin fares out somewhat better, with €250,986.98 in her first year and a miserly €102,364.91 for every year from then on.
Of course nationally, Tánaiste Mary Coughlan will receive €312,239.56 in her first year and a mere €130,161.98 for every year after that.
Kerry’s high living John O’Donoghue, the Jobseeker’s Allowance friend of the Self employed worker, will receive €310,370.98 in his first year and €128,293.40 for every year thereafter, which should help him to continue to go racing.
These figures should now help your feelings of remorse, so dry your eyes and accept that all persons are equal, but some persons are just more equal than others.
On the MEP front the working class man’s friend Labour Senator Phil Prendergast and Socialist Party councillor Ruthie Coppinger are possibly due to become the Members of the European Parliament as an indirect consequence of how you voted.
In our democratic Ireland there are no by elections to the European parliament. If an MEP resigns, seeks work else where, or God forbid dies during their given mandate, the vacancy is immediately filled from a replacement list, latter usually presented by their Party or Independent candidate, to the returning officer in their constituency, prior to each European Election.
Phil Prendergast is the next eligible member of the substitute list for Southern Ireland’s MEP Alan Kelly, latter elected to the Dáil as a Labour TD for Tipperary North, this time around.
Ruth Coppinger replaces her Socialist Party colleague Joey Higgins, who was elected an MEP in Dublin at the last European elections in 2009, but has now been elected to the Dáil for Dublin West.
In the game of politics it seems you never really loose.
Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 began in Thurles last Friday February 28th, but there’s still time to get involved.
This year the committee are asking retailers to ‘Show Off Your Label‘ and be loud and proud about what Fairtrade means to you.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to ways of showing off about Fairtrade. Whether you decorate your place of study with an inflatable Fairtrade banana, hold a public event or start stocking and selling new Fairtrade products, you’ll be expressing your passion for Fairtrade and getting people talking.
Thurles Fairtrade Fortnight Diary of Events:
 Thurles Fairtrade Forthnight Thursday 3rd March 10.30am – School Talks. Thurles Fairtrade are very excited to welcome two special guest Fairtrade cocoa farmers from Ghana. Isaac Baido and Stephen Boadi will talk to students in Tipperary Institute and share their first hand experiences of Fairtrade and highlight the positive impact Fairtrade has made in their lives and in their community.
Thursday 3rd March 10.30 am – The Divine Chocolate Wagon comes to Tipperary Institute. The Fairtrade Divine Wagon has a chocolate fountain where you can sample some of Divine’s delicious Fairtrade chocolate. So while you sample some yummy chocolate you can learn about Fairtrade and the story of chocolate.
Saturday 5th March 9.30 am – Fairtrade will be at the Farmers Market. Stop by our information stand and enter a raffle for a hamper packed with a fantastic selection of Fairtrade products.
Thursday 10th March 10.00 am – Fairtrade Coffee Morning. Visit Health and Harmony in Old Baker Street and Eimear O’Connell will offer you a cup of strong flavorful Fairtrade coffee while you shop from the extensive range of Fairtrade products she has in stock.
Thursday 10th March 8.30 pm – Annual Table Quiz. Enter a team of four in our famous Table Quiz in Skehans Pub, Liberty Square. Popular quiz master Tom Noone presides over a fun night of mainly general knowledge questions with a smattering of Fairtrade related questions to keep you on your toes. There will be great prizes for the top two teams plus lots of spot prizes throughout the night. Don’t miss it! Phone Una now on 087 – 2624154 to enter a team.
Fairtrade Fortnight is an annual event in which Fairtrade values are celebrated around Tipperary, around Ireland and around the world. Awareness raising and the promotion of Fairtrade Products to the public are the main objectives of the fortnight.
Here in Thurles, we will celebrate our 6th Fairtrade Fortnight since we became a Fairtrade Town in December 2005.
If you’d like to get involved in Fairtrade in Thurles, phone the Secretary on 087 2624154.
This year’s International Miss Macra Festival will be held from Thursday July 28th to Monday 1st August 2011. The festival is organised annually by Clonoulty Rossmore Macra, and will once again be held in the magnificent surroundings of the Dundrum House Hotel and Golf Resort here in Co. Tipperary.
Irish Beauty Festivals or pageants, as tourist attraction or festival themes, have for the most part died the death throughout this country, but two such events continue to stand the test of time and continue to flourish, namely The Rose of Tralee and the International Miss Macra Festival.
The main reasons for the mammoth and continued success of these festivals, possibly lies in the fact that the emphasis is not just on physical beauty alone, latter which I hasten to add, is very prominent in both, but judging in the afore mentioned festivals places an accent more on internal beauty and true qualification, which always demands a closer examination of those ‘lovelies’ who choose to enter the competition.
For International Miss Macra, this year is a very special one, as the festival make plans to celebrate it’s 40th birthday. It has been 40 years of learning, 40 years of mixed financial fortunes and 40 years of dedicated voluntary hard work, undertaken by an enthusiastic and dedicated Macra membership.
As part of their 40 Years Celebration this year, Clonoulty Rossmore Macra are poised to send invitations to all past winners of the festival. They look forward to welcoming previous contestants and their supporters back to Tipperary, to relive what was surely a memorable weekend in their lives during those past 40 years.
With selection processes underway for this year’s representatives, the club intend to have contestants once again from the four corners of Ireland as well as from overseas.
Promises to be an exciting weekend.
The constituency of Tipperary South has endured one of the sharpest rises in unemployment in the state since the country’s economic collapse and has now spoken.
Hereunder are the 2011 General Election results for the Constituency of Tipperary South:-
Counts: 5. Seats Filled: 3. Turnout: 72.8%. Electorate: 57,420. Spoiled Votes: 432. Valid Votes: 41,361. Quota:10,341.
 Election Results 2011 Elected:-
Healy, Séamus, Independent. First Preference votes, 8,818. With transfers final total: 11,265.
Hayes, Tom, Sitting Fine Gael Party. First Preference votes, 8,896. With transfers final total: 10,463.
McGrath, Mattie, Now Independent and former FF Party. First Preference votes, 6,074. With transfers final total: 9,978. (Elected without reaching a full Quota)
Eliminated:-
Murphy, Michael, Fine Gael Party. First Preference votes, 5,402. With transfers final total: 7,948.
Mansergh, Martin, Sitting Fianna Fáil Party. First Preference votes, 5,419. With transfers final total: 5,948.
Prendergast, Phil, Labour Party. First Preference votes, 4,525. With transfers final total: 4,966.
Browne, Michael, Sinn Féin Party. First Preference votes, 1,860. Total: 1,860
McNally, Paul, Green Party. First Preference votes, 367. Total: 367.
Electoral results were as forecast by the pundits and Tipperary South has elected no Fianna Fail T.D. for the first time in living memory.
The people of North Tipperary have spoken and hereunder are the 2011 General Election results for the Constituency:-
Counts: 3. Electorate: 63,235. Turnout: 77.2%. Total Poll: 48,789. Spoiled Votes: 516. Total Valid Poll: 48,273. Quota: 12,069 Seats Filled: 3.
Election Results 2011 Elected:-
Lowry, Michael, Sitting Independent. Elected on first count. First Preference votes, 14,104.
Coonan, Noel, Sitting Fine Gael Party. First Preference votes, 11,425. Transfers, 705. Total: 12,130.
Kelly, Alan, Sitting MEP Labour Party. First Preference votes, 9,559. Transfers, 545+1,961. Elected short of quota. Total: 12,065.
Eliminated:-
Hoctor, Maire, Sitting Fianna Fáil Party. First Preference votes,7,978. Eliminated + 378 + 1,085. Total: 9,441 .
Morris, Seamus, Sinn Féin Party. First Preference votes, 3,034. Eliminated + 146. Total: 3,180.
Clancy, Billy, Independent. First Preference votes,1,442. Eliminated + 211. Total: 1,653.
O’Malley, Olwyn Green Party. First Preference votes, 409. Eliminated + 20. Total: 429.
Bopp, Kate Independent. First Preference votes, 322. Eliminated + 30. Total: 352.
Electoral results were as forecast by the pundits and Tipperary North has elected no Fianna Fail T.D. for the first time in living memory. Tipperary North had the highest turnout in the State in the last General Election.
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