The Croke Park Agreement, which stipulates no change in public sector pay until 2014 is a disaster, which is sucking the life out of all Irish citizens. There is a stipulation in the agreement that it can be rescinded if there is a significant change in the economic outlook. We have long since passed that point and the first act of the new government, elected with such a huge mandate, should have been to rip it up!

Why be afraid of industrial unrest, which is what the Unions are threatening if there is any deviation from this Croke Park Agreement ? Call their bluff ….. Let them strike and let the unions pay the public servants while they are on strike !!

What we would hopefully discover is that the several thousand hard working decent public servants who provide great service will stand up to the union bully boys and cry halt.  The silence of the unions would be drowned by the silence of the lambs and for once and all common-sense would prevail, presenting a level playing pitch to all of those who derive their livelihood from the Real Economy.

We all hope to grow old some day – it would indeed be nice to know that we could do so in the knowledge that our governors would treat us all with similar equality and equal dignity when that time comes. Ordinary citizens would be forgiven for thinking that the Unions are more special than themselves. The Government must stand up and fight for the equality rights of all citizens, not just those of the connected few.