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Bertie’s doublethink beggars belief GEORGE Orwell coined
the term doublethink for his novel 1984 to describe the act of simultaneously
and fervently holding two mutually contradictory beliefs and accepting
both of them.
It’s a word that could well apply to Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s
thought processes over the past week.
First he accepts a 14.6 per cent pay rise of ?38,000 — and then
a few days later goes out to deliver a lecture to union leaders over the
importance of workers exercising restraint in forthcoming pay negotiations.
Very much a case of do as I say not as I do.
Whether this is doublethink because he actually believes what he is saying
or pure hypocrisy is open to question.
But as the results of our web poll on the preceding page show most people
have made up their own minds on the matter.
In the largest response The Irish Post has ever received almost 100 per
cent of voters said there was no way Mr Ahern’s pay rise was warranted.
And it’s easy to understand the sentiment. The rise of ?38,000 is
actually more than the average industrial wage in Ireland.
At a stroke the leader of the country accepted a pay rise equivalent to
more than most people actually earn over the course of a year and then
told them not to expect their own wage packets to swell by a similar percentage
because the economy can’t afford such inflation-busting rises.
The Taoiseach argues rightly that the increase in his salary was recommended
by an independent panel and was the first pay review in seven years.
But as a skilled politician he should know that’s hardly the point.
To on the one hand pocket a near 15 per cent pay increase which amounts
to more than the average man in the street earns and then on the other
tell people they must be prepared to tighten their belts is just crass
stupidity.
And his comments that he could have deferred the increase but as it would
have been paid at some stage anyway there was really no point only exacerbates
that stupidity.
How about deferring it to a time when the Government wasn’t asking
others to accept lower pay rises, for example?
That would have at least looked like politicians were themselves prepared
to make sacrifices for the greater good of the country.
If Bertie had exercised any sense he would have noted the pay review panel’s
findings but announced that personally he was not prepared to accept such
a large increase at a time of uncertainty over the economic future.
In fact, he could even have gone as far as to say he would only take an
inflation-matched increase — giving him and his Ministers the opportunity
to challenge union leaders to do the same for their members if wage restraint
is what they are seeking.
But instead what could have been an opportunity to show leadership and
determination has become another embarrassing controversy which has only
reinforced the feeling in many people’s minds that politicians are
totally out of touch with the electorate.
It has also given a rod which the Government can be beaten with in all
forthcoming pay negotiations. |
