ONE benefit of writing this column for a few years is the ability to look back and see recurring themes. Local politics, for instance, can feel like Groundhog Day, with different arguments resulting in the same stalemate and the continuing stagnation of our society.
I was so enraged when our politicians went on their first paid holiday - lasting three years - that I posted on social media, 'Today your MLA stole unearned salary', and reposted that comment every day they remained out - not that it made a blind bit of difference, apart from giving me the illusion of doing something.
Such is my level of disaffection this time round, I'm not bothering; I mean, what's the point? It's not as if you can embarrass our political class into doing the right thing. They're so secure in their position, they're free to ignore the moral code to which most of us adhere.
Secretary of State Brandon Lewis this week announced he was considering cutting MLA pay; I'm not going to hold my breath as I've heard this before. In this column on March 15 2018, I wrote that the then Secretary of State Karen Bradley had said she "was minded to reduce MLA pay".
Then, as now, no action was taken for months. During the week on antisocial media, I again offered MLAs an opportunity to rectify the public's perception of politicians on the make by asking if any had voluntarily repaid to the public purse unearned salaries? Once again, complete silence from our supposed exemplars of probity.
On January 18 2020, commenting on MLAs' return to work, I wrote: "A conservative estimate of how much MLAs have cost us (whilst not working normally) is in the region of £15m; consider the amount of good this money would have done if spent on health or education."
Today, it's estimated that £334m lies unspent in Assembly coffers, money meant to alleviate the crippling cost of living crisis and the suffering that inflicts on the poorest in our society.
Then, on October 3 2020, I highlighted the decision of the Assembly Commission that MLAs should repay a £1k bonus awarded to them a matter of weeks after returning to work. I noted a report in this paper that less than half of MLAs had handed back the bonus.
The financial delinquency of our political class matters and transcends the argument between green and orange as it undermines people's respect for the whole democratic process.
On the NI Direct website, you can inform on someone in receipt of benefits they aren't entitled to. Strangely, there is no such ability to inform on politicians in receipt of money they aren't entitled to.
MLAs now enter their second phase of part-time working whilst still receiving full-time pay. How is this fair? How can it be right that NI politicians exist in a place with no linkage between pay and productivity?
Between 2020/21, MLA's cost us £5,251,629 in salaries and £8,403,027 in expenses, all the while availing of a subsidised canteen.
Today, the working poor and their children rely on food banks and our NHS is on the verge of collapse.
It seems the only issue which unites our politicians is that they are a special class to whom normal rules don't apply.
And before I'm accused of gross generalisation regarding our politicians, I'm pleased to take this opportunity to congratulate our Health Minister Robin Swann on winning Politician of the Year at the Civility in Politics Awards.
Mr Swann proved an inspirational leader during the pandemic, facing down online death threats along with attacks from others who really should have known better.
I doubt - apart from a few delusional idiots - that few people would begrudge Robin Swann his salary; indeed, whatever he's being paid, it comes nowhere near his true worth.
****
HAVING played football from the age of 8-19 there were occasions when, like most young bucks, I got caught up in the odd physical tussle on the field.
In my day this involved pushing and shoving and maybe foreheads coming together, like rutting stag during mating season.
What happened, however, after the Armagh and Galway game last weekend was of a different class entirely. Video of a player having his eyes gouged was utterly disgraceful.
If the GAA want football to remain a family sport, they've a responsibility to now impose sanctions on the guilty parties severe enough to ensure such scenes are never repeated.
