Government has got to be a bit more courageous and fair

Everyone has a talent. My husband happens to have a particular flair for all things mechanical – engines, transmissions, torque converters – they all get his oil flowing. But the simple mechanical breakdown is nothing but an irritation for this master of mechanical mayhem; he thrives on the most testing of problems. Naturally, then, when an underground mining company in Canada, where we lived at the time, were having trouble with one of their machines, they asked him to have a look at it. Delighted with a real challenge, this McGyver of the mechanical world packed up his toolbox and went to do battle with his 40-tonne nemesis. Alas, having had a good look under the bonnet (or whatever these things have), he sat down with the manager. Using his best Irish diplomacy, he declared in rather unparliamentary language that it was knackered. In desperation, the manager begged for some words of hope, some utterance that this problem was not going to mean a delay in production or worse still that they would have to buy a new machine. “Well,†said the mechanic, “we could fix it, but it would cost so much and take so long that you might as well just face facts: whoever was operating it totally abused it - they drove it day and night, never serviced it once and basically thought it would keep going forever. A drop of oil now and again, especially when the warning lights started sparking, certainly wouldn't have hurt. No, my good man – I am sorry to say your machine is quite banjaxed.†And so it was – the old machine was probably hauled away, every single part seized and groaning from years of neglect, only to be sold as scrap metal while a bright, sparkly new one took its place. If only we could do the same with this catastrophic country of ours. We really have no choice but to correct our mistakes and get on with it. However, at a time when we need massive courage, creativity and commitment, our Government oozes an abundance of cowardice, incompetence and a desperate need to be liked both at home and abroad. Okay, the issues of children's allowance and college fees may seem relatively insignificant, but if our leaders can't manage this small fry, how on earth can they handle our bigger economic nightmares? Children's allowance is a most contentious issue with the claim that all children are entitled to the same payment. Rubbish. First and foremost, it is not the children who get this money – the mothers get it. The upper-class mother treats herself to a lovely new outfit, the lower-class mother stocks up on alcohol and cigarettes, and the middle-class mother buys her children the basic necessities of life. But what does our Government propose in order to reduce this bill? They suggest making the same cut right across the board. Yes, that's right – the middle-class mammy will have to make the same cut to her grocery shopping as the rich mammy to her Burberry buying and as the lower-class mammy to her fags and booze. Can't get much fairer than that. It's a similar scenario when we come to college fees: free tuition and the same €1,500 registration fee for all students, whether they have millionaire parents, middle class parents, or no-intention-of–ever-working (even if there were jobs) parents. Sorry, that's not quite right – those who never intend to work never have to worry even about the registration fee. But what follows is sure to make your brain gnaw away at itself in a pitiful attempt to escape the derangement of the arrangement: The maintenance grant for students is based, more or less, on their parents' income. However - and now would be a good time to pop a prophylactic anti-anxiety table - if one sells one's assets, the proceeds are not counted as income – they are regarded as 'capital gains' and, as such, don't really come into the equation. So, as was common during the building boom, some families made millions by selling land, yet still qualified for all or some of the maintenance grant for their children. Similarly, when there was so much employment in Ireland that we had to bring in thousands of foreign nationals to fill the vacancies, we were still paying Jobseekers' Allowance to some people and giving their children full maintenance college grants. And what did middle-class parents do? What they always do – struggle. And yes, it is true that children from lower-class families should be given the best possible chance at a good education in the hopes of breaking the cycle of state-dependency. But what can possibly be the excuse for giving rich kids free third-level education? Give any sixth class child of average intelligence a calculator and they will work out exactly what the Government stands to save from these lazy, spineless cuts. Is the Government telling us that they are incapable of or can't be bothered to come up with a system that would create more equality? Isn't it high time our leaders had the courage to say that rich people should pay for their own children and struggling parents be given a helping hand?