Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
IT’S BUDGET DAY today in Britain and with just seven weeks to go until the UK general election, the budget is quite a political one (well, more so than usual).
One of the more contentious issues covered in the financial programme announced by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne is an increase in the UK’s national minimum wage.
The earning threshold has increased by £0.20 to £6.70, or €9.25 at current exchange rates, an increase of just 3%.
This leaves it roughly €0.60 per hour ahead of Ireland’s low-pay limit which stands at €8.65. Before the increase the UK’s wage was the equivalent of €8.98 which still outstripped our own by some 4%.
The increase may seem small but, as David Cameron and Nick Clegg are happily telling anyone who’ll listen, it’s also the biggest increase in the minimum wage seen in the UK since 2008.
Cameron earlier said the wage hike would offer ‘more financial security’ to workers.
This increase in the low pay threshold was finally rubber-stamped following the establishment of a Low Pay Commission in the UK, something which also recently happened here.
Workers’ union SIPTU have been campaigning for an increase in the minimum wage here to €11.45. These calculations have looked at the cost of living as opposed to the consumer price index (CPI) for benchmarking.
Much of the criticism of the union’s suggestion has come from Irish small business owners, who claim that any increase in the minimum wage would have catastrophic consequences for Ireland’s small firms.
However, given the election-driven Irish political climate at present and today’s hike in Britain, an increase in our own minimum wage may be imminent, something Mark Fielding, chief executive of the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise association (ISME) acknowledges to be the case.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie Fielding bemoaned the fact that Ireland has a minimum wage at all.
“We’ve never been in favour of a minimum wage, a minimum income is the way forward,” he said.
We just hope that when looking at this the duality of the economy is fully accounted for, i.e. that every action has a reaction somewhere along the line.
Fielding acknowledged that an increase in our minimum wage is now ‘more than likely’ although he still hopes it will be ‘proportionate’.
We don’t want to end up like in 2007, an increase of 13% and Ireland standing on the edge of a precipice, we need businesses to be able to stomach the increase.
You also have to recognise knock on effects – if someone gets a wage increase, those on higher wages won’t be long wanting similar hikes for themselves.
Fielding is derisory about SIPTU’s call for an increase of nearly €3 to wage.
“We would say that from 2000 up to the present day €8.65 is ahead of the cost of living – the unions want to be in line with cost of living, well at the moment we’re ahead of it by about a euro, “he said.
If our wage goes up to €11.45 there won’t be many small businesses around to pay it.
It’s just an opening gambit, though a big one. We’re not down in Ballinasloe Horse Fair now, spitting on our hands and making ridiculous deals.
Anyway, that figure is derived using a cost of living calculation, one that factors in €60 a week or thereabouts for ‘entertainment’, which is madness.
I won’t deny I make a little bit more than the minimum wage at the moment and I’m not sure that I could afford that amount of entertainment every week.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
China and India need to get off the fence here!
@Fr. Fintan Stack: They need oil and gas from Russia, they are not going to completely side with the west.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: so does the Kerry Group. Greed over ethics.
@Niall Cremen: We’re paying in increased prices. They’d be paying by not having enough to keep going, ie. in lives, that’s a big ask.
@Munster1: the gas and oil will still remain in the same place. If China and India join sanctions, Putin definitely will go. The war will end and the next Russia leader will return to business with China and India.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: Wishful thinking I’m afraid. India is buying oil at 30% of the cost per illegal invasion. India is a democracy that needs to survive.
As for China, It will be Russia’s ‘lender of last resort’ setting whatever terms it wants to keep Putin in power. China has a vested interest in keeping Russians fighting the west.
China will take all the oil and gas that was heading for europe.
China and India have different reasons for supporting Putin. It’s countries within NATO and Europe who are a bigger threat.
We all know what will happen if Russia attacks a NATO country but if a NATO country invites the Russians army over its border. It will weaken NATO from within.
@Munster1: same reason we say nothing about saudi arabian war crimes in Yemen,
@Fr. Fintan Stack: they have already picked a side
- “Moscow’s deputy ambassador to the UN said Russia had requested a UN Security Council meeting today ‘in light of heinous provocation of Ukrainian radicals in Bucha’.”
This is the interesting bit. The Security Council has 5 permanent members including Russia and the US, so there won’t be any rebuke either way. So Russia will almost certainly want to be gauging China’s response.
Other than that, there’s Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway & the United Arab Emirates as the current non-permanant members – a rather colourful lot, and I would guess Russia as well as China would want to get an idea of how things stand there.
Albania is in China’s Belt & Road and close to the Balkans, India’s been hesitant, there’s a couple of African nations there – a continent where China has been investing and where some people think the west is getting some payback, Brazil will be interesting as will Mexico even if the latter may be under some US pressure, but the real cracker could be the United Arab Emirates. Together with Saudi Arabia they’ve been less than pleased with the Iran nuclear deal, and they’ve been snubbing Biden’s call to increase oil production because of it. It looks as if both are increasingly turning their backs on the US and turning towards the Chinese since they feel that country’s easier when it comes to foreign policy.
I’ve said it before: Russia is trying to blow up the post-WW2 rule-based order, and China so far has its back since they’ve the same ambition. I don’t think these crimes happened on purpose, I think they happened because Russian battalions failed, got frustrated & took revenge. But the fact that this is now going to the UN underscores the cynicism involved. You take it to the very rule-based institution you’re trying to blow up – only to gauge your level of support. And I think we may be in for a bit of a shock. I suspect a good deal of the Council may implicitly or explicitly end up on the Russia/China side.
@Mick Tobin: get wrid of 5 permanent members it’s 2022 not 1947 or whatever. No country should have veto over the majority that includes USA, France, UK, China or Russia.
@Mick McGuinness: You can’t change the rules without the permanent members agreeing. These rules have been agreed after WW2 and we’re stuck with them until, well… that’s a tough one to even begin to consider mate. But I hope you do at least see the conundrum here.
Putin doesn’t want the people, he wants the land. Of course he’s going to sl4ughter the population…
There are some problems with this alleged massacre.
Russian troops withdraw on the 31/3.
Town’s gives an interview on 1/4 : no bodies on the streets etc.
Ukrainian police publish a video of them driving around the streets with several interviews with local residents. No bodies, no word of a massacre. Allthis on 2/4.
On 3/4.On 3/4 a film crew arrive. Suddenly there are bodies all over the place. Some with fresh blood (blood isn’t red after 4 days)
I have heard that all the bodies have now been buried in a mass grave. No autopsies and no identification. If they are locals then people will know who they are.
@Des Hanrahan: I’ve no doubt that there are lies being told on both sides and the propaganda machines are working overtime but it appears that the AFP news agency has confirmed the genocide in Bucha. It has either been an elaborate, well planned and brilliantly executed hoax by the Ukrainians or Russians have been mowing down innocents as they retreat. I’m inclined to think the latter.
@Des Hanrahan: I think the problem is your bias. Your so called facts have been widely dismissed as inaccurate. I don’t know what your motivation is for supporting the Russians but shame on you
@Des Hanrahan: Still some Russians in city on 1st according to Zvezda, the Russian MOD official channel. Ukrainian military entered parts of city on the 1st, and their social media had footage of massacred civilians up within 12 hours of entering city. Check the dates. Also still some Russian troops in surrounding area up to 3rd/4th of April, and were witnessed firing on civilians in cars by media. Many media outlets were in city just behind Ukraine military and have witnessed all of this.
Also bodies are usually initially buried in mass graves to prevent disease, damage by animals and will be exhumed for investigation. So that in itself is not a sign of anything untoward
@Des Hanrahan: I don’t know where you are getting your info from on all of this. I first saw videos from Bucha with bodies on the streets on April 2nd.
@Des Hanrahan: Throughout this invasion it’s not as if the Kremlin knows what’s going on a lot of the time. the military chain of command during the invasion hasn’t exactly been a model of efficiency and there is obvious dissension among the ranks.
The fact that they flatly denied right away that it’s not possible their soldiers could be responsible is in itself highly dubious. What investigation did the Kremlin do? call the Chechen battalion commander or whoever it was that was there and asked them if they did it?
@Des Hanrahan: The bodies have been visible for 3 weeks via satellite imagery, but you know its true and are either a bot or a vile apologist for slaughter
@John Comerford: are you bias John? You know what I learned in life? When you know the truth on both sides, you stop taking sides. Think about it and educate yourself beyond the media.Documentaries, books..whatever. Just form an unbias opinion and you will know that you are probably right. And you will feel desperate.
Ukraine need offensive weapons sent over as soon as possible.
But all I need to know is… Did that Ukrainian child in Galway get his Lego?
@Mark Walsh: yes he did. It was delivered to the galmont Hotel. It seems he is a very talented young boy.
Of course there are Russian justifications for this war, there are all sorts of issues and tensions left over from WWII and the cold war collapse. The Ukraine has its share, to think otherwise is denial. I doubt there are many saints running countries in the regions around Russia either. All this needs proper attention and real.solutions.
NOT WAR AND ETHNIC CLEANSING.
Those are yesterday’s discredited.approaches and countries need to stop reaching for then.
NOW HOW DO WE MAKE IT HAPPEN ?
@Steve O’Hara-Smith: what are russias justifications ?
@Rian Lynch: Frankly I neither know nor care about the details. What bugs me is the chosen solution. Just as.in the Nirth here it doesn’t solve anything it just provides reasons for more violence. To solve the problems people have to.stop fighting, start talking and understand each other.
Killing everyone who objects.to ypur view is.no longer acceptable.
@Rian Lynch:
There are no justifications, he’s just a useful !d!ot arguing in bad faith.
This was an unprovoked, unjustifiable war. It is not just a war, but an ethnic cleansing on a scale not seen since WW2.
@David Bourke: BS. Watch Ukraine on fire by Oliver Stone made in 2016. Its on you tube. I am not justifying war, just don’t be so naive. See both sides and you will stop taking any sides. Don’t be manipulated.
@Nikolina Fiume:
sEe BoTh SiDeS my hole. There’s only one country who started a war here. Ukraine is a sovereign nation with the right to defend its territory (Including Crimea), join NATO, and do whatever it likes. There is no justification for this war.
Russia invaded in 2014 without provocation, they armed Russian nationalist extremists in the Donetsk & Luhansk regions. All Ukrainians have done is fight back against Russian aggression.
Now crawl back into your hole vatnik.
Meanwhile the Ambassador in Ireland walks to the Dundrum town centre for coffee as he is welcome here
@Gavin Power: but he is not welcome here any longer. Why can’t we be a leader like Lithuania?
Russian animals not fit for civilised society
@Simbacat: Every country is capable of providing brutality – and has done so in the past. It’s the leaders who make it ok for the brutality to happen that are not fit for civilised society. Don’t fall into the trap of blaming the people for the way their led and misinformed. WWII showed us that ordinary people can be let to acts of horrific brutality by normalising it – that lesson is one to avoid NOT FOLLOW as Putin seems to be doing.
During Irish war of independence, British Soldiers and the Black and Tans terrorised people and were notoriously cruel. They burned Cork city and other towns and shot up Croke Park. They destroyed many co-op businesses all over the country and killed 1000s of innocent people. They even carried prisoners in their trucks in the middle of soldiers to prevent ambushes from the IRA. During the Civil war the Irish was cruel as well and many many bad things happened. One such incident was a group of IRA men were tied to a mine as it went off. This was Irishman vs Irishman. Assinations, executions and murders. This happens in all conflicts. Every single one history repeating itself.
My point is WAR is WAR. Innocent people die and soldiers on all sides do terrible things. This happens in all wars. Pouring more weapons and guns and money is going to increase the suffering. Both sides are laying land mines, both sides are hiding behind civilians and both sides are murdering people. The only way to make it stop is stop the war!!!!! Oliver Stone made a great movie about war from the Vietnam perspective, its called Heaven & Earth. Its so accurate that everything that happened in it is happening in Ukraine. Desperate people will do desperate things on all sides.
Once the can of worms is opened that is war it cannot be put back and these actions cannot be undone. Prolonging the war like will increase the suffering. We need peace talks and guns to be laid on the ground. When Ukraine is destroyed all those involved will move on to somewhere else.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: you mentioned the Vietnam war and it’s documentary by Oliver stone, now mention “Ukraine on fire” by Oliver stone
@David Crosbie: it’s not a documentary. It’s a movie. I’ve never seen Ukraine on fire.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: well that’s says a lot about you sir, shame on you for encouraging war
@David Crosbie: Please tell me what I said to make you think I’m encouraging war? My original comment was anti war. The movie I quoted heaven and earth is anti war.
@David Crosbie: Ukraine on fire should be watched by everyone.
@Nikolina Fiume:
Unfortunately the Ukrainians have been too busy defending their lands from Russian orks since 2014, so they haven’t been able to produce such high budget propaganda themselves.
Despicable of you to defend these Russian warcrimes with your bad-faith “both-sides”ing of this unprovoked aggression.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: Absolutely spot on and the longer the war drags on, the greater the likelihood of NATO being dragged in, leading to nuclear conflict.
Its so strange how russians constantly use childish Trump style propaganda. “LIES! FAKE! MEAN TO RUSSIA!” from their generals to the cry babies here in the embassy. Why do they bother? They hate the west so much yet still try to lie and say they haven’t done anything wrong.
@Rob Gale: It has always been normal for nations to lie to each other just as it has always been normal for politicians to lie to their people. The problem this leaves is of course that the truth becomes hard to find.
One thing that is clearly true even at this distance, Russia has invaded the Ukraine with weapons of war and not the other way round.
Another is that.Ukrainian people are running for.their lives not Russian people.
It seems to me that the Ukranians have no need to stage atrocities to make the Russians look bad, which sadly does not make it impossible (going by the lessons of history) but it does seem very unlikely to me.
@Rob Gale: – The Russians have form in denial, they tried to pin the WW2 Katyn massacre on the Nazis, and it was only umpteen decades later that they admitted responsibility. They’re still in denial about the downed Malaysian airline despite arrest warrants being issued for their people still hiding out in Russia. They seem to regularly deny being responsible for Novichok incidents. Given their history I don’t doubt the veracity of Ukraine’s claims of war crimes.
@E.J. Murray: totally agree. The Russian Government lie about everything. Just sad that so many Irish are gullible enough to believe them. It just muddies the waters, when any good decent person would be condemning this butcher not justifying it.
The latest BS from Orwell Road
❗️#Statement by the Embassy of Russia in Ireland pertaining to the situation in Bucha.
The Russian Federation categorically rejects any allegations of the Russian Armed Forces involvement in the killing of civilians in the Kiev suburb of Bucha. There are no facts to prove such allegations. To the contrary, according to the Ministry of Defence of Russia, its military units have left Bucha on March 30 and there has not been a single incident of violence against the people Bucha during their stay in it. The reports of the “massacre” appeared 4 days later, after Ukrainian forces have moved into Bucha. There are numerous independent assessments of these reports, which indicate its staged nature. That in itself should be a subject of a discussion at the highest political level
@Jonathan O’Riordan: I think Spielberg would struggle to create a set resembling the photos of carnage and destruction and littered bodies between Russian withdrawal on March 30 and April 2nd when evidence of the murders surfaced.
It can only mean one thing, that Russia lies to your face knowing full well that the evidence looks overwhelming. Its like the bully telling you the sky is green when it is clearly blue. By their account, no one was harmed. The physical destruction depicted in the photos could not take place without multiple casualties.
Coveney wants to keep the lines of diplomatic communication open by keeping the Ambassador. What is the point when everything that Filatov says is a a bare faced lie.
have your say