€1 cut to the minimum wage of €8.65 per hour

You are of course correct and it`s exactly the reason why the dole should have been left alone during the boom to encourage work at a time when it was available. Then save the nations pennies for this rainy day and we wouldn`t be in the mess we are.
Simply put, economic treason.

its a feckin joke

If you think leaving the welfare being untouched during the boom years would have made this mess better, it wouldn't have.  The main problem for me was the finicial regulator.  What the fcuk were they doing.  Oh yeah they were turning a blind eye to the corruption and the backhanders that was going on in the Finicial Institions.  The cover up that is still going on is unbelievable.

Hopefully the IMF or so sort of regulation authority,( that doesn't include that lying, cheating, fraudsters that are in a positon of power ) let the truth come out and we start seeing some jail time for the real cnuts that have put us in this mess

You forgot to mention the rent allowance, medical card and fuel allowance they can get on the dole so it's just as well to stay on the dole as work for minimum wage

better off on the dole than going out and working for the minimum wage what a feckin mess we are in

the IMF are bound to cut the dole by more than 5%.

the bankers are the greedy ones who will never be caught,they have made to much money they are untouchable
all this mess was  a master plan by the new world order that has already started

They should cut the dole by 50%, it might actually encourage half the people on it to really look for employment.

Funny the way everyone assumes that people on social welfare are the problem. I know plenty now unemployed that have worked hard from a young age and certainly don't want to be out of work. A few of them are able to get something on social welfare, most nothing but bother. The self righteousness by some people towards those out of work is disgusting and maybe a spell on it themselves would change their opinion. If I was on it and got met with that attitude I would probably leave them with a broken nose

100,000 were unemployed 4 years ago,
490,000 are unemployed now this coincides with huge numbers of emigration out of this country.

You will always have your lazy feckers but we didn't just absorb 390,000 of them over night.

Do you honestly think there is any encouragement or incentive for people to find work in this country when you can do nothing and get 196e a week or work for 40 hours and get 306e.

I agree that there are a number of people hard done by, that have worked there entire lives and find themselves in a difficult situation.

Why should we pay the unemployed 196e a week when Brittan only gives there unemployed 60stg.(Remember they are giving us 7 billion, which country has the right idea)

Most people I know that are out of work now are not able to get any social welfare or some that can 50-100 euro. A lot have worked hard since leaving school and payed substantial taxes. These people deserve to receive some form of social welfare but it is being denied. Far from paying out too much welfare people are being denied it.

I would find it difficult to survive on 196 euro per week not to mention 100 and I don't envy some of my mates struggling with nothing and the only option open to them now is to head abroad, some with families. Unsettling times and not made easier by people with attitudes that it is all their fault from being out of work. Absolute stupidity

There's a balance though Social Welfare should and will be subject to a cut alright.

A cut to around 140-150 would be probably a more realistic sum.

People would struggle to live on the equivalent of £60 a week in Dublin. In the UK you have a national health service. In rip off Ireland here health Insurance alone could cost a months social welfare.

There will be a reduction coming but there should also be a reduction in the cost of living, that will mean reductions in VAT, VRT and service charges. Will not see that though

It isn't hard to see why Dole went through the roof in the good times.

Bertie is from Dublin Central......
Now how many dole recepients in Dublin Central?

Maybe this is a stupid question but why are most people you know who are out of work unable to get social welfare?