http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/opi...QQ5wn3uAIg.asp

31/12/04

â?¬2m for tsunami victims and seven times more for an equestrian centre
By Pat Brosnan
AS the death toll spiralled by the hour in one of the worst ever natural disasters, the response from the Irish Government amounted to peanuts.

The immediate contribution tendered was a paltry 1m, which might have been alright just to help get the international aid effort going. At that stage, it was not appreciated how appalling were the consequences of the Asian tsunami.

By the time our parsimonious Government doubled its pledge to â?¬2m, the death toll was about 70,000 and rising. It has since gone over the 80,000 mark.

The world was left under no illusion as to the unimaginable scale of the catastrophe, and that it would take billions to help the stricken millions rebuild their lives.

The Government dug deep and came up with a risible â?¬2m. More than seven times that was allocated to an equestrian centre without batting an eyelid.


For God's sake, we're one of the richest countries in Europe - couldn't our exchequer have dug a little deeper

Shame on you
Lulu Reviewed by Lulu on . Disgusted with my Government http://www.examiner.ie/pport/web/opinion/Full_Story/did-sgjBEbdai6zqYsgDQQ5wn3uAIg.asp 31/12/04 â?¬2m for tsunami victims and seven times more for an equestrian centre By Pat Brosnan AS the death toll spiralled by the hour in one of the worst ever natural disasters, the response from the Irish Government amounted to peanuts. The immediate contribution tendered was a paltry 1m, which might have been alright just to help get the international aid effort going. At that stage, it was Rating: 5