Disappointment Money

Bigby · November 8, 2010, 2:14pm

Has anybody heard of the concept of “Disappointment Money”. A fella at work was telling me about it but googling and searching the pin hasn’t turned up as much detail as I’d like. It is referred to in this article: irishtimes.com/newspaper/opi … 65505.html

You have to say that “disappointment money” is a daring concept. If only there was enough disappointment money to go round, says you. But let’s not be negative. Our foreign brethren are shaking their heads in wonder at a nation that could come up with an idea as fabulous as disappointment money, and then apply it to a public representative who has a Dáil attendance record of 17 per cent and resigned – after a somewhat chequered career – of his own free will. We are talking of course of Jim McDaid, the Donegal North East TD who broke the news to a heartbroken nation last Tuesday that he was surrendering his Dáil seat. It has to be said Jim looked pretty positive. Disappointment money is what Jim McDaid is getting apparently, and that’s what it is called from the Dáil perspective – about €300,000 in the first year of his “disappointment”.

Apparently if you lose (or quit) your job as a government minister you get paid because of the devastating disappointment. According to this reference it was introduced by De Bert during his glorious reign: politics.ie/current-affairs/ … ost2525444

Is this real? Does it still exist? How is it that Lennister House hasn’t been burned to the ground and Jackie Healy-Rae kicked to death by an angry mob?

(Don’t mis-understand me - I’m not saying that JHR should be kicked to death. I’m just surprised it hasn’t happened.)

yoganmahew · November 8, 2010, 2:19pm

It has existed for TDs for a good while. De Bert increased the amount for ministers, I believe and also allowed that ministers could get paid it while still sitting should they be sacks of shit or shuffled out of their Mercs.

edit: and yes, oh boy does it exist. Just another gold-plated benefit for our public representatives.

xman · November 8, 2010, 2:23pm

They dont just take away your salary, they phase it out over time, so you get half your salary for six months and a quarter for the next six months

Something like that

Bigby · November 8, 2010, 2:32pm

Jesus - you couldn’t make this stuff up.

onlyone · November 8, 2010, 2:34pm

We did

slasher · November 8, 2010, 2:35pm

reminds me of a mate who backs England in rugby and soccer world cups; he’d hate it if they won but then at least the bet comes in

Tubarao · November 8, 2010, 5:34pm

What, have we run out of disappointment cheese already?

bilbot79 · November 8, 2010, 5:38pm

So’s they go quietly I expect

goldmanberg · November 8, 2010, 5:41pm

It seems perfectly reasonable to me, now where did I leave my beard trimmer?

temene · November 8, 2010, 5:55pm

I thought everyone knew of this.
Martin Cullen resigned from the Dáil - got severance pay worth almost €79,000, a minister’s pension of €60,000 p.a., a TD’s pension worth €46,500 p.a., a lump sum payment as part of his pension worth nearly €140,000, a free parking space in central dublin and god knows what else.
Willie O’Dea resigned from a ministerial position, still a TD with a salary of €92,672 per year. Got a severance package worth some €98,000, which comes from his keeping 75% of his ministerial pay – €37,000 for the next six months, 50% for the 12 months after that and 25% for the remaining six months.

Bertie Ahern, John O’Donoughue…
Rody Molloy, Patrick Neary…