Call for TDs to be paid national industrial wage

People Before Profit has said that if its party manifesto was implemented, all TDs would be paid the national industrial wage. At the launch of the manifesto yesterday, Richard Boyd Barrett said TDs should be on the same salaries as the people they represent. "That means when they make decisions that affect other people they will affect them as well. It will give them a real incentive to make the decisions," he said.

The manifesto says ministers would not be entitled to earn any extra salary for holding their portfolios. The left-wing party is running 18 candidates in the general election, with the abolition of water charges and property tax high on its agenda.

Mr Boyd Barrett, a TD for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, launched a scathing attack on Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly, describing him as a politician who pursues "sociopathic" politics.

“There are two types of politician. One is like Alan Kelly, who admits that he is in politics for the ruthless pursuit of power and power is the drug,” he said. “That is a sickness in politics that needs to be weeded out of Irish political culture. We are not motivated by the pursuit of power but the pursuit of policies and issues, to address unfairness and injustice.”

Other representatives at the launch included councillor Bríd Smyth, Gino Kenny and John Lyons, all of whom are standing in Dublin.

People Before Profit and the Anti-Austerity Alliance have joined forces to register as a party and have already presented a joint manifesto. Asked why People Before Profit needed a separate manifesto, Mr Boyd Barrett said there were subtle differences between both parties on approach but that both agreed with each other’s policies.

A spokesman for Mr Kelly, the Labour Party deputy leader, later described Mr Boyd Barrett's claim as "grossly inaccurate". "Neither will Labour take any lectures from politicians who seek to exploit poverty rather than eliminate it," he said.

“The hard left revel in victimhood to support their political agendas and we saw their priority for homeless services by voting against increasing their funding.”