Government abusing taxpayer’s money on glorified election ads

19 January 2020

An expensive advertisement on the front page of today’s Sunday Business Post promoting the February 1st rise in the National Minimum Wage is nothing more than a glorified election ad from FG, paid for by taxpayers. 

Senator Ged Nash said:

“Minister Regina Doherty needs to explain why her Department is lavishing money on massive promotional ads right in the middle of an election campaign.

“We need to know how much public money they are wasting on their latest spin campaign.”

“I hiked the National Minimum Wage a matter of weeks before the 2016 election arising from the first recommendation of the Low Pay Commission .

“The difference between Labour and FG is we didn’t abuse tens of thousands of euros belonging to the taxpayer by taking out glossy ads in Sunday newspapers to tell everyone about it. 

“There’s nothing wrong with public information campaigns highlighting important changes people need to know about, but this takes the biscuit.

“We know from experience with the so-called Strategic Communications Unit that FG is utterly obsessed with spin and image and that they have no shame in spending our money for their own party political ends. 

“They have crossed the line again, abusing taxpayers money to ingratiate themselves with voters less than three weeks from polling day.

“They need to be reined in and quit lashing public money out to support the FG election campaign.

“The Secretary General of the Department of Taoiseach must rein them in and instruct all Departments to cease all but essential advertising in the run up to the 8th February.”

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