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President Michael D Higgins requests his salary cut to $336,755

New leader does his part for Ireland’s Austerity Package

BERNIE MALONE,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Friday, November 18, 2011, 7:59 AM

Updated Friday, November 18, 2011, 12:10 PM

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Michael D. Higgins, right, is congratulated by Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny after being declared the 9th President of Ireland at Dublin Castle, Ireland,

Photo by Peter Morrison / AP

The President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, has asked that his pay be cut from $437,459 (€325,000) by 23.5 percent.

Higgins wrote to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and requested a voluntary reeducation in pay. His letter reflects the plans which the Irish Government has to introduce legislation to reduce the President’s salary to somewhere in the region of $336,491 (€250,000), according to breakingnews.ie’s reports.

On Thursday the Government confirmed that they will reduce the number of public service workers by a further 23,5000 by 2015. If they achieve this the Government will have succeeded in reducing the public-sector pay bill by 15 percent since 2008.

The Irish Government also plans to rationalize 48 quangos this year with 46 being reviewed next year. The decentralization programme (taking public offices out of the country’s capital) which was launched in 2003 will be scrapped. However the 32 projects that have already moved will not be changed.

Irish Unions have also been sent proposals of standardization annual leave, and historical local arrangements like festivals and race days are to be abolished.
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12 Comments

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kennedy23 | Nov 21, 2011, 09:21 AM EST

make that five farts of hot air so F****** full of it

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 21, 2011, 07:18 AM EST

Four big f*****. Just attempting to educate backward mucksavages.

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kennedy23 | Nov 19, 2011, 11:54 AM EST

I see someone had four big farts again all that hot air

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 19, 2011, 06:37 AM EST

Reference to US 10 year yields should read, under 2%

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 19, 2011, 06:23 AM EST

Peter, while I make the assumption that this may be lost on you, your reference to Chinese holdings of US debt is amusing, typical Irish ill-informed bar stool talk. China, has like many other investor nations, have decided to place their excess funds in what is considered to be the safest place in the world. 'I'd watch China if I were you. China could threaten to sell its US debts all at once. That would lead to World War'. Go back to your fellow mucksavages at the bar, you silly boy. US bond prices have sky rocketted dur8ng the euro crisis, the yield on 10 year treasuries closed at under 25 on Friday, the Chinese would probably make a profit on any sale. Of course you probably think their holdings of 'US debt' is bags of dollar bills in a cupboard. Inform yourself before you embarrass yourself with idiotiic rants.

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 19, 2011, 05:06 AM EST

Ahh, the backward paddys are out in force defending their mucksavage regime. Buy some Q-tips and get the wax out of your gombeen ears, it's clogging up whatever grey matter might be present.

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abhainn | Nov 18, 2011, 10:40 PM EST

You cannot simply rate Higgins's salary beside Obama's in a direct comparison. The cost of living in Ireland is very considerably higher than it is in the United States. You would need to subtract perhaps a third of Higgins's salary to create a meaningful analysis. To put it another way, Obama is very much better off than Higgins.

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Towngate | Nov 18, 2011, 02:31 PM EST

Hey,Gobgy! President Higgins said he was going to do this during his campaign and is just sticking to his promise. It is a leading example to other top-earners to accept that they too,can follow his example. ~ On his pay parity with the POTUS, you should bear in mind the Salary is based on quality, not quantity, and anyone who can destroy the world in 20 minutes is not the most Powerful man in the world ~ he is the Most Dangerous!

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sirpeter | Nov 18, 2011, 12:22 PM EST

Gobshite.So you think the likes of President George W Bush was trusted anywhere near "the button" Get a grip on reality!!BTW Ireland isn't the only country in trouble.All Europe is in the brown stuff and that means the USA which has it's own debt problems are in the brown stuff too.America biggest trading partner is Europe.I'd watch China if I were you.China could threaten to sell its US debts all at once.That would lead to World War.Any country who has nuclear weapons is just as powerful as anyone else.But it's only a thick stupid American like yourself would see self-annihilation as power.I'll take Mick Wallace's dopey request any day over the next dopey move the American government might make in the middle east or anywhere else.

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cillowen | Nov 18, 2011, 11:15 AM EST

Nice piece of change for an erin long sick (for a long long time) - imagine the elf and the maries getting double that of the prez of free world, obama.

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bunkerisland | Nov 18, 2011, 09:53 AM EST

Perhaps Mr. Higgins could donate another 50% of his wages to the Galway Womens Shelter and occupy one of the foreclosed properties in Dublin.

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gobdawpaddy | Nov 18, 2011, 08:28 AM EST

How magnanimous of him. So this man gets paid just 16% less than the president of the United States, the most powerful man in the world, a person who could anihilate the planet in about 20 minutes etc. The Irish president can barely scratch himself without asking the permission of the Irish government. Between this revelation and Mick Wallace's dopey request in the Irish parliament yesterday, it's no wonder Ireland is neck deep in the brown stuff.

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