John O’Donoghue and the Indians
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The explanation by the department of Arts, Sport and Tourism about the €100,000 expenses run up by John O’Donoghue just doesn’t wash with me. They said “every effort is made to secure the best possible rates” for Ministers and their delegations. €900 a night hotels are the best possible rates? €9,616 for car hire? This just sickens me.
My father retired not that long ago and had to jump through hoops to get the state pension. His finances were picked through and examined microscopically before the state begrudgingly gave him what was rightfully his. He worked like a trojan since the age of 17. He NEVER sought or received a pennys worth of state assistance for anything his whole life. And then I read about John O’Donoghue and his lavish expenses over a 2 year period and it makes me mad.
The usual arguments trotted out are that government ministers are representing the country and they need to be seen in a certain light when visiting other countries. Rubbish to that I say. I simply don’t accept that a €900 a night hotel stay is acceptable under any circumstances – not on public money.
The most telling example of how little thought these officials give to spending our money is the €80 in tips “forked out to the Indians for moving the luggage around airports, hotels etc”. I worked for years in a large US multinational and did quite a bit of travelling in that time. If I had come back to my boss and tried to submit an expense form for tips for carrying my cases I’d have been hauled before HR and given a dressing down – and rightly so.
Spending like that would never have happened anyway. In a private company with a hardcore profit driven culture, wasteful spending wasn’t tolerated. We shouldn’t tolerate it either, but it’s hard to see how to change the mindset of department officials who don’t live in the real world. A profit driven mindset can only come about when job security is dependent on performance.
2 Comments
July 29th, 2009 at 11:02 am
AJ, on the whole I agree with what you are saying.
As to “tipping” I disagree. It is vital to do so – generously. Not only because it ensures us devoted service of the hotel’s concierge and the whole entourage but – in many countries – it makes up for the short fall in (particularly a restaurant’s) staff’s wages. Why not show appreciation to those who run around for us? Should one put the amount of tips given on an expenses claim form? I don’t think so. But then: I detest pettiness.
U
July 29th, 2009 at 11:31 am
I don’t disagree with tipping – but for carrying luggage? There’s no way I’d get someone to carry my luggage and then claim for it, especially if the public are paying for it. I know it’s a small amount but it does illustrate the lack of thought that people have when it’s not their money. Same thing happened in the UK with MP’s expenses (the moat being the best example possible!)