Seeing as we're back in the recession, I've heard this term bandied about again. Remember when the first tuesday of the month was "certain" single mothers night in certain nightclubs in the city centre.

Also, celebrating the mickey money culture. TV3 has a program on tomorrow night (Thursday) called "The man with 20 kids".

I don't know what mickey money is?

All you need to know, from the people who matter

http://irishtaxi.blogspot.com/2008/03/big-mickey-money-night.html

Children's Allowance.

I didn't know the term or the culture had gone away.

Man = mickey = impregnation = baby = allowance = childrens allowance.

Is it not still the first tuesday of every month here in Ireland?

It hasn't. The only thing is that now people are moaning again now that money is tight.

TV3 have a lot of programmes coming up which deal with this kind of subject. Irelands Dole Cheats is one I saw an advert for recently and Midweek tonight is dealing with welfare fraud I believe.
Not sure what their agenda is here. It's this kind of sensationalist rubbish which demonises those who are legitimately claiming social welfare.

Apologies for going off topic

So they shouldn't talk about those that abuse the dole?

Of course they should, and those abusing it are obviously committing fraud, just seems that TV3 are doing this particular topic to death in recent times.
Perhaps they should talk about the real fraud thats going on i.e. bank bailout

In fairness, you can't shut Vincent Browne up going on about it so I'd say it's balanced.

Too true.

The mickey money is more a social problem than a financial one. I've already explained this concerning the abstraction of money in other threads, welfare typically goes right back into the state's coffers anyway. The main gripe I have with it is that it's an incentive for significant numbers of people to essentially take on a long term welfare dependancy for themselves and their children, the social consequences of which we have yet to fully experience however it's not looking good.

The single main cause here is actually property. There's virtually no way even with the collapse of the market that a young couple on low incomes can buy a habitable house to raise a family in. So they're faced with either raising a child in bedsitland or playing the system.

Back when I worked for a large multinational some years ago (the wages would have been pretty basic) practically everyone was at this. Typically young couples under 30, one or two kids with the mother registering as a lone parent and the father working away. Blame them all you like but they didn't choose to do this - they were at it because they couldn't come within an asses roar of buying a house.

That kind of thing is actually the majority of cases. The PJ-clad Kerry Katona clones exist too (and I freely admit I can't stand the sight of them) but you'll find they're in the minority.

man with 20 kids on now. tv3.

an epeleptic alcoholic