400,000 Unemployed Don't Seem to Mind

Cork Boy

Approx 400,000 people currently unemployed.

Why aren't they marching on the streets demanding the billions being put into Anglo be put into job creation instead?

Writing letters won't do anything.
Ringing Joe Duffy certainly won't do anything to help.
Neither will bitching about FF on boards.ie help

Welfare cuts in December can't have been that bad then?

If anyone wants to counter with "No-one has organised a protest" then whats stopping you from becoming the organiser? You've got an extra 40hrs a week free now.

Those who say protests get you nowhere I suggest you take a peek at France, or even at our own pensioners.

PS - This is the most insensitive/confrontational thread I have ever started but as you know, life is not easy and won't get any easier by doing nothing and hoping it'll get better.

psychopaul

You may be shocked by this but people would rather give out than do anything.

PeteEd

Cork Boy wrote: »

Approx 400,000 people currently unemployed.

You've got an extra 40hrs a week free now.

No we don't because you have to be actively searching for employment to qualify for JSA

natsuko

I totally agree, but i think many people feel more downheartened than revolutionary. Trying to manage the day to day is stressful enough without having to manage a protest march, but to anyone reading this that does have time to spare and the ability to make yourself heard.... please, follow this mans advice!

draward

was told by afriend that works in swo, and was told if the people on dole are cought in a protest they will be cut off straight away dont know if this is true. :cool:

Cork Boy

draward wrote: »

was told by afriend that works in swo, and was told if the people on dole are cought in a protest they will be cut off straight away dont know if this is true. :cool:

Oh no I forgot about that! :eek:

Oh well, at least we tried!

Oh yeah, don't vote in the 2012 election or you'll lose your social welfare benefits!

natsuko

draward wrote: »

was told by afriend that works in swo, and was told if the people on dole are cought in a protest they will be cut off straight away dont know if this is true. :cool:

That makes sense. But what if it was possible to be organised at a time just outside working hours? surely they cant cut them off then?

Wompa1

draward wrote: »

was told by afriend that works in swo, and was told if the people on dole are cought in a protest they will be cut off straight away dont know if this is true. :cool:

Doubt that. I think the welfare cuts weren't all that harsh since the majority of people that would be put in a real bind would be over 25 and getting the higher end of the dole anyway. I think the dole is pretty reasonable to live on if your single. If your not single and have a family the benefits seem pretty good too..

Tiny Explosions

So what would you do if you lost your job tomorrow Cork Boy?

pigeonbutler

To the OP: people aren't demanding that because increasing government spending (which is what putting billions into job creation is) is not an option.

When we joined the euro we legally committed to maintaining small government deficits and debt, not for the fun of it but in order to maintain the euro as a credible stable currency. We're already way over those limits and trying to cut spending so tell me how government sponsored jobs will help?

PeteEd

Tiny Explosions wrote: »

So what would you do if you lost your job tomorrow Cork Boy?

Nothing, he is a smelly student! (According to his profile anyway)

douglashyde

I read in the paper today that councils are not been given extra money to repair the roads after "the big freeze".

So why dont we get people on JSA to go out and repair the roads before they can collect their cheque?

At least they wouldnt be sitting around all day.

Duiske

draward wrote: »

was told by afriend that works in swo, and was told if the people on dole are cought in a protest they will be cut off straight away dont know if this is true. :cool:

It's not !!

Tiny Explosions

PeteEd wrote: »

Nothing, he is a smelly student! (According to his profile anyway)

Yeah, now that makes sense....lol.

I wonder what he's studying though!!

Cork Boy

Tiny Explosions wrote: »

So what would you do if you lost your job tomorrow Cork Boy?

Start job hunting. If it becomes clear there are no jobs for me on the market and no money being allocated to job creation programmes by the govt because they are throwing money (Billions) down the black hole that is Anglo, then I would start organising a movement starting at the que's down art the dole office, facebook, bebo, radio, youtube, boards, etc.

I'm a 26 year old male with no commitments.

My destiny is in my hands.
My destiny is my responsibility.

Edit* Graduated in 2006. Have been in employment since.

PeteEd

Tiny Explosions wrote: »

Yeah, now that makes sense....lol.

I wonder what he's studying though!!

Some BA, with more than 40 free hours a week and no chance of a job at the end of it!

dsmythy

douglashyde wrote: »

I read in the paper today that councils are not been given extra money to repair the roads after "the big freeze".

So why dont we get people on JSA to go out and repair the roads before they can collect their cheque?

At least they wouldnt be sitting around all day.

Nor will they be able to look for work.

nwordjim

Irish people: spud eating surender monkeys

Cork Boy

pigeonbutler wrote: »

To the OP: people aren't demanding that because increasing government spending (which is what putting billions into job creation is) is not an option.

When we joined the euro we legally committed to maintaining small government deficits and debt, not for the fun of it but in order to maintain the euro as a credible stable currency. We're already way over those limits and trying to cut spending so tell me how government sponsored jobs will help?

Please re-read my post.

My point being is why waste BILLIONS on the likes of Anglo when that money could go into job creation. Brussells don't care what we spend our money on so long as we maintain our finances at a certain level.

Atwork

douglashyde wrote: »

I read in the paper today that councils are not been given extra money to repair the roads after "the big freeze".

So why dont we get people on JSA to go out and repair the roads before they can collect their cheque?

At least they wouldnt be sitting around all day.

It might surprise you to find out that most don't sit around all day. Over half of the 400 thousand on the dole at the moment would be new unemployed and believe me most of them are out everyday trying to find work or chase up any leads they may have. And for the evening its the usual routine of going from one recruitment site to the other looking to see if anything new came online today.

With regard to repairing the roads, labor expenses is only part of the funding required.And no doubt SW will have something to say about it since you are supposed to be actively searching for work when in receipt of benefit.

Lots of people on boards have fantastic ideas for people on the dole and tend to generalise, lazy, sit at home doing nothing and getting money for nothing even though the paid PRSI for God knows how many years. Anyway my point is, This recession is far from over and lots of people on here I'm afraid are going to experience the lavish and relaxing role of signing on once a month. Like to hear their suggestions then.

blinding

Hire 400,000 people to look for 400,000 individual jobs for the 400,000 unemployed.

Pay them the same wage as the dole and say (pretend) that they have a job.

Or let them play on the internet, call this a job.

You see where I am going with this.

After all this is what our politicians have been doing for their entire careers.

Cork Boy

PeteEd wrote: »

Some BA, with more than 40 free hours a week and no chance of a job at the end of it!

2.1 Bachelor of Business Studies. Majored in marketing and minored in quantitative data analysis. Have been in gainful employment since graduation in 2006. :P

Cork Boy

Atwork wrote: »

It might surprise you to find out that most don't sit around all day.

I appreciate that. I deliberately made the thread provocative hoping to illicit a response along the lines of "oh ya? well we'll show you!!!"

blinding

The 400,000 should form into an Army and take over the country and put the politicians/bankers/developers on the dole.

If even the "Threat" of this arose then you would see the wealthy and powerful come up with the money to protect their position.

You will never know the true wealth of the establishment and the powerful until their wealth and power is under threat.

Sleepy

I'm not technically unemployed at the moment but I will be again in a month's time. I spent my 3 months on the dole job-hunting and attempting to upskill. Currently working a 3 month contract in the UK and every evening is spent on-line trying to line up something for my return but with no luck yet - tbh the response I'm getting is so mute I'd actually appreciate a PFO at this stage!

I'm guessing most people on the dole don't protest for the same reason I didn't: I was too damn busy trying to get off the dole. If "Job Creation" means further bloating the public sector, I'm against it (even if it would give me a job, the IMF/ECB would only have to take it back off me again in 6 months time!).

Real job creation measure such as luring in new FDI, incentivising the private sector to hire more staff or simply retain the staff they do have (through employers PRSI breaks for new hires / jobs at risk etc.) would certainly be something I'd welcome though!

PeteEd

Well anyone who is in gainful employment fancy making a cash donation?
Quite difficult organizing a power to the people march on 196 euro a week!

No didn't think so, i'll just content myself by looking after No1.

Get No1 a job and feck the 399,999 others.

Cork Boy

Sleepy wrote: »

Real job creation measure such as luring in new FDI, incentivising the private sector to hire more staff or simply retain the staff they do have (through employers PRSI breaks for new hires / jobs at risk etc.) would certainly be something I'd welcome though!

Sorry bud, saving Anglo and the golden circle is far more important than silly things like FDI and development :rolleyes:

Cork Boy

PeteEd wrote: »

Well anyone who is in gainful employment fancy making a cash donation?
Quite difficult organizing a power to the people march on 196 euro a week!

No didn't think so, i'll just content myself by looking after No1.

Get No1 a job and feck the 399,999 others.

I do make a cash donation, its called PRSI and PAYE

Seriously though, you don't need money to organise. All the organisation methods I have described are costless.

Tiny Explosions

douglashyde wrote: »

I read in the paper today that councils are not been given extra money to repair the roads after "the big freeze".

So why dont we get people on JSA to go out and repair the roads before they can collect their cheque?

At least they wouldnt be sitting around all day.

Grow some brains mate....:pac:

Any more good ideas?:rolleyes:

Zuiderzee

I dont know why there are not protests, as there have been in France or in Iceland.

I think a lot has to do with Ireland is a post-colonial nation, we have a history of doing as we are told.
In the British empire we were a subject nation
In the period since 1922 we remained subserviant to the Catholic church, taught to accept our fate, not to complain.
When someone stands up, we cut them down - begrudgery is a part of it.
We dont complain-
We sit down with our hands out, we were - and with the way things are going- will be the Green begging bowl.

Maybe that is a part of it, or is it just an excuse? Blame the Brits, circumstances beyond our control etc.

But Beverly Flynn, John O Donahue, Jackie Healy Rae or son, the Andrews, the Lennihans, the Haughtys et al will all be re-elected.
The way this is done is that at a local level the TD distances themselves from the party.
The only way to end this is candidates at a national level for national elections, this would curb clientism and cronyism.

And if you have had dealings with the local councils, the incompetence, lack of action and delays etc you just get fed up.

Protesting in Ireland is hard, the police get sent out to deal with it, to curtail it.

As Naomi Klein said the only way to affect change is get on the street and stop traffic, but for that you can be arrested and held under a public order offence.
But farmers and taxi drivers have done it.

Why dont we say on Tuesday 26th everyone who is pissed off with the way things are meet in Dublin on Kildare street, and elsewhere outside the county council offices, stand in the street and hold hands, and stop traffic for 5 hours

Or park cars on Kildare street for 5 hours.

What do we want - a general election - Now- that would be a de-facto referendum on NAMA
Will people actually take action?

I doubt it.

Tiny Explosions

Cork Boy wrote: »

Start job hunting. If it becomes clear there are no jobs for me on the market and no money being allocated to job creation programmes by the govt because they are throwing money (Billions) down the black hole that is Anglo, then I would start organising a movement starting at the que's down art the dole office, facebook, bebo, radio, youtube, boards, etc.

I'm a 26 year old male with no commitments.

My destiny is in my hands.
My destiny is my responsibility.

Edit* Graduated in 2006. Have been in employment since.

So basically if you didn't have a job would would start complaining about it on the internet so that's it then?

If you want to start a movement down at the dole que you better get there early!:rolleyes:

Tiny Explosions

Zuiderzee wrote: »

I dont know why there are not protests, as there have been in France or in Iceland.

I think a lot has to do with Ireland is a post-colonial nation, we have a history of doing as we are told.
In the British empire we were a subject nation
In the period since 1922 we remained subserviant to the Catholic church, taught to accept our fate, not to complain.
When someone stands up, we cut them down - begrudgery is a part of it.
We dont complain-
We sit down with our hands out, we were - and with the way things are going- will be the Green begging bowl.

Maybe that is a part of it, or is it just an excuse? Blame the Brits, circumstances beyond our control etc.

But Beverly Flynn, John O Donahue, Jackie Healy Rae or son, the Andrews, the Lennihans, the Haughtys et al will all be re-elected.
The way this is done is that at a local level the TD distances themselves from the party.
The only way to end this is candidates at a national level for national elections, this would curb clientism and cronyism.

And if you have had dealings with the local councils, the incompetence, lack of action and delays etc you just get fed up.

Protesting in Ireland is hard, the police get sent out to deal with it, to curtail it.

As Naomi Klein said the only way to affect change is get on the street and stop traffic, but for that you can be arrested and held under a public order offence.
But farmers and taxi drivers have done it.

Why dont we say on Tuesday 26th everyone who is pissed off with the way things are meet in Dublin on Kildare street, and elsewhere outside the county council offices, stand in the street and hold hands, and stop traffic for 5 hours

Or park cars on Kildare street for 5 hours.

What do we want - a general election - Now- that would be a de-facto referendum on NAMA
Will people actually take action?

I doubt it.

Never hear of Sinn Fein.....I.R.A.? Yeah us Irish have a history of doing what we're told.:rolleyes:

I agree with you about most of the TD's though, it's not what you know but who you know (or what's your surname). But its always been like that in nearly every country in the world!

Taxi drivers, teachers, etc can strike, because it causes disruption...don't think unemployed people 'striking' would have the same effect!:pac:

Cork Boy

Tiny Explosions wrote: »

So basically if you didn't have a job would would start complaining about it on the internet so that's it then?

If you want to start a movement down at the dole que you better get there early!:rolleyes:

Huh,for someone laughing at my ex-student status i find it highly ironic you can't tell the difference between the words 'organise' and 'complain'.

As for your next inspiration: Taxi drivers, teachers, etc can strike, because it causes disruption...don't think unemployed people 'striking' would have the same effect!

Blocking traffic in Dublin will cause maximum disruption. I remember a burst pipe in Bray in 2007 caused 4 hour delays in Dublin city. Imagine what 400,000 unemployed people could do.

Here's an idea Tiny, why don't you try contributing something constructive or at least try constructive criticism?

Tiny Explosions

Cork Boy wrote: »

Huh,for someone laughing at my ex-student status i find it highly ironic you can't tell the difference between the words 'organise' and 'complain'.

I didn't laugh at anything, it was you that called yourself a 'smelly student' I have nothing against students I was one not so long ago, maybe you should change your profile description.

As for your next inspiration: Taxi drivers, teachers, etc can strike, because it causes disruption...don't think unemployed people 'striking' would have the same effect!

Blocking traffic in Dublin will cause maximum disruption. I remember a burst pipe in Bray in 2007 caused 4 hour delays in Dublin city. Imagine what 400,000 unemployed people could do.

Cause a riot?... Burn down shops, businesses, murder a few people?
Yeah great, but there will still be no jobs.


Here's an idea Tiny, why don't you try contributing something constructive or at least try constructive criticism?



Now don't get me wrong cork boy, organize something I'd be up for it! Should I wear a blue or black shirt though*?


(*only a joke!)

Now don't get me wrong cork boy, organize something I'd be up for it! Should I wear a blue or black shirt though*?


(*only a joke!)

Cork Boy

Tiny Explosions wrote: »

Now don't get me wrong cork boy, organize something I'd be up for it! Should I wear a blue or black shirt though*?


(*only a joke!)

Christ Tiny we're as bad as eachother for our inability to use the multi-quote function!

As for the shirts, was the choice of colour deliberate? If so - nice one

Zuiderzee

Tiny Explosions wrote: »

Never hear of Sinn Fein.....I.R.A.? Yeah us Irish have a history of doing what we're told.:rolleyes:
Taxi drivers, teachers, etc can strike, because it causes disruption...don't think unemployed people 'striking' would have the same effect!:pac:

Yup, and in the war of independence they were both very small in number.
Really, it is not a comparison.

PIRA were a small number in relative terms, with limited support.
CIRA and RIRA have even less support but still create disruption.
Quite often people are forced to collude through fear and intimidation.
But the use of extreme violence, and murder, as political tools will create disruption.

We are, in general, very apathetic and afraid to stand up.

Look what happened to Noel Brown for standing up to the church

dan_d

I totally agree with you Cork Boy. But we're just ........very bad at doing anything positive action related. We prefer to sit and whinge. I think we're a fairly pessimistic race of people.

Tiny Explosions

dan_d wrote: »

I totally agree with you Cork Boy. But we're just ........very bad at doing anything positive action related. We prefer to sit and whinge. I think we're a fairly pessimistic race of people.

You may be pessimistic, but I'm not and most of the people I know aren't pessimistic either!!

So it's basically you and these folks on the message boards that reckon that Ireland is pessimistic?

Take a look at yourself before labeling the whole Irish 'race' of people as pessimists!

Cork Boy

Cork Boy wrote: »

2.1 Bachelor of Business Studies. Majored in marketing and minored in quantitative data analysis. Have been in gainful employment since graduation in 2006. :P

Well, done. *Clap Clap*

But there's people who have been working for the last 30 years and thrown out to live on the dole. People might have been approaching their retirements and their pensions amounts have been slashed. etc.

Why don't people march? Because they don't see any point. Simple. Our crappy government(s) [past and present] continuously mismanage everything.. I think most people are waiting until the Businesses in Ireland regain confidence, and start fixing this country once more. Rely on the Government for jobs? Thats a laugh. Anyway, what makes you think the government would actually listen?

Lastly, Corkboy... you're doing all talking yourself... Have you ever organised anything before? I don't mean a few mates down in the pub...

speedboatchase

I have a diploma and a 2.1 degree myself but I'm not employed. I don't want to get out and march, or ring joe duffy - my emphasis is on getting a job and nothing else

anymore

Cork Boy wrote: »

Start job hunting. If it becomes clear there are no jobs for me on the market and no money being allocated to job creation programmes by the govt because they are throwing money (Billions) down the black hole that is Anglo, then I would start organising a movement starting at the que's down art the dole office, facebook, bebo, radio, youtube, boards, etc.

I'm a 26 year old male with no commitments.

My destiny is in my hands.
My destiny is my responsibility.

Edit* Graduated in 2006. Have been in employment since.

Well if you are going to organise a protest at the dole office in cork on a thurs day, then dont turn up until after 10.30 am - the poor luvies in the dole office dont open before 10.30 on thursday !
P.s if you need to go to the loo before the protest, then dont expect to be able to use the loos in the dole office either - only staff are provided with toilets - the public are not provided with toilets .. maybe we arent quite regarded as ' human' ?

Raiser

We need to import French Truck Drivers and pay them to teach our docile, sedated repeat Victims the intricate and detailed arts of blockade, arson and rampant Civil unrest.......

Overheal

Theyre all too busy calling Joe Duffy about the proposal to introduce water charges...

donkey balls

Raiser wrote: »

We need to import French Truck Drivers and pay them to teach our docile, sedated repeat Victims the intricate and detailed arts of blockade, arson and rampant Civil unrest.......

you also will need the help of their ATCO as well as they can strike upto 48hrs:D

97i9y3941

i dont get it,there isnt much resources there for the low skilled workers so they allow them to sit on the dole,then those who done well and earned their degrees cant get jobs in the public sector because of this stupid embargo..

railwaylad

hear my story, i found myself on the dole in march 2009 after been in the job since august 1998 although at the time i did not think so but 13euro p/h was a great rate and i had a mortage of 170euro p/w, my job is still there under a diferent title and with a polish lad doing it, i now work nights for 9.50p/h after been on the dole for 6 months, my company did not drop the price of its products when it made its cutbacks nor did my employer change his lifestyle, i do not have a prob with that its his business,,,,
i ended up on the dole like hundreds of thousands of irish people not because i ****ed up or did not want to work but because of unrestricted cheep foreign labour..
you may think you are safe but remember when the ferry workers went on strick over been replaced with foreigh workers some years back the lorry drivers were going mad at all the hold ups.. look around you now theres bearly an english speaking lorry driver in the country..

97i9y3941

well,some jobs are filled because the irish simply dont want to do them,other jobs are filled because EU is the one nation so they are entilted to it,but i do think the irish gov is useless been vocal about saving jobs,unlike the british and germans who where very vocal about jobs been out sourced somewhere else.