Bloody Greens are worse than FF...

Rabidlamb

Whatever about FF losing 20 odd seats the next time around this useless shower will be gone for good.
I read today about the introduction of a new electricity levy & I despair.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/how-we-pay-euro500-a-year-in-green-stealth-tax-2290580.html

Useless shower of do gooders thinking that by increasing the costs of ESB or petrol I'm actually going to use less.
Did my drive to work get any shorter, do my kids like cold baths all of a sudden ?.

In the middle of the greatest recession in living memory & they push legislation through on stag hunts & dog breeding.
What are they trying to contribute to the country, a hatred for environmental issues.
If one of these tossers calls to my door at election time I'll reduce his carbon footprint to zero.

Rant never over.

Wibbs

The greens are an utter utter waste of time. /obvious truth

AnonoBoy

Look when we increased the price of a pack of cigarettes half the country quit smoking, didn't they?

Same thing applies to the electric.

Smcgie

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Look when we increased the price of a pack of cigarettes half the country quit smoking, didn't they?

Same thing applies to the electric.

Hi John

Biggins

Dear Rabidlamb - 100% agree.
They are a complete god-damn joke at our nations expense.
An utter disgrace of a party and I look forward to their hopeful complete destruction at the next election!

danbohan

Wibbs wrote: »

The greens are an utter utter waste of time. /obvious truth

watch the woodworms rush in to defend the indefensible now !

Rabidlamb

danbohan wrote: »

watch the woodworms rush in to defend the indefensible now !

I'm ready for the tree huggers.

Kasabian

A vote for the Greens is just throwing your money away.

I used to give a fcuk about the enviornment until I went to the US , and then thought what the fcuk , whats the point .

bad2dabone

they've become an absolute joke. inevitable PD like hammering at the polls incoming

Essien

The levy -- known as a public service obligation (PSO) -- will be an annual charge and it will be used to subsidise the higher cost of using more environmentally friendly ways to generate power

So in the height of a recession we get to pay extra for something everybody uses, just so they can subsidise something nobody uses?

Really?

Are they TRYING to be removed from government?

Rabidlamb

Kasabian wrote: »

A vote for the Greens is just throwing your money away.

I dsed to give a fcuk about the enviornment until I went to the US , and then thought what the fcuk , whats the point .

Truth, every building with AC going 24/7, changing my lightbulbs is really going to offset that.
Remember Gormley giving out about the Guiness ad with the lights going on & off, really top prority.
Worse than Hitler the lot of them, I'm not exaggerating.

biko

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Worse than Hitler the lot of them, I'm not exaggerating.

Hmm, that's not really true.

Kasabian

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Truth, every building with AC going 24/7, changing my lightbulbs is really going to offset that.
Remember Gormley giving out about the Guiness ad with the lights going on & off, really top prority.
Worse than Hitler the lot of them, I'm not exaggerating.

You are

johndaman66

Rabidlamb wrote: »

If one of these tossers calls to my door at election time I'll reduce his carbon footprint to zero.

LOL, I like it!

What I thought was a fu*kin joke was Gormley cycling into the Dail on the first day of the coalition government but his limousine was driving behind him. What the fu*k was all that about and what was it meant to prove? That the oul git can still actually cycle?

Gurgle

Rabidlamb wrote: »

Useless shower of do gooders thinking that by increasing the costs of ESB or petrol I'm actually going to use less.

Where did you get this idea?
Carbon tax was never about environmental protection, they never made more than the scantiest effort to pretend it was.

Fratton Fred

unless the current voting system is changed, is means that fringe parties like this stand a chance of becoing king makers.

I love democracy, but Ireland is an example of democracy gone mad. We need an averhaul of the voting system and a vast reduction in the number of TDs.

johndaman66

Furthermore, I'm not into conspiracy theories but I believe that much of the global warming/ carbon footprint trash that govenments feed to sheeple the world over is carefully constructed and well thought out tripe with the purpose of milking them for more tax revenue.

Rabidlamb

Gurgle wrote: »

Where did you get this idea?
Carbon tax was never about environmental protection, they never made more than the scantiest effort to pretend it was.

But they wrap it up in a nice little bow & call it an environmental levy or blessed be the children fund.
Then they talk about ringfencing & you can see the smiling babies with the rainbow behind.

Fratton Fred

johndaman66 wrote: »

Furthermore, I'm not into conspiracy theories but I believe that much of the global warming/ carbon footprint trash that govenments feed to sheeple the world over is carefully constructed and well thought out tripe with the purpose of milking them for more tax revenue.

so you believe that there is a machine in the centre of the earth that is still producing oil and gas and that the Polar Ice caps melting is because it's summer?

we are ****ing up the environment, there is no doubt about that, but I agree, a lot of this tax increase is just a stealth tax.

Morlar

biko wrote: »

Hmm, that's not really true.

Possibly (just a guesss) he means in terms of hitler being elected with massive support. Whereas the greens are in power despite circling the sinkhole at around 2-3% popular support last time I checked.

*It was on the radio this morning that there are approx €500 euro in green stealth taxes for each of us per year when you add up all their levies and charges. I don't think this includes the newer ones on the way or things like increased motor tax etc.

*

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/how-we-pay-euro500-a-year-in-green-stealth-tax-2290580.html

How we pay €500 a year in 'green' stealth tax
Ryan planning another power price review on top of 5pc rise

By Treacy Hogan and Michael Brennan

Tuesday August 10 2010

FAMILIES will soon be paying more than €500 a year in 'green taxes', new figures compiled by the Irish Independent reveal.

And in a double blow, consumers already facing a 5pc hike in electricity charges due to an environmental levy could be hit by a second price rise as early as next month.

The revelation comes as hard-pressed householders face a series of future green taxes on top of those already introduced by the Coalition.

The green levies -- totalling more than €500 a year -- are a cornerstone of the agreed programme for government between Fianna Fail and the Greens. These include:

* The new electricity levy of €32.76 a year for a household.
* At least €175 for domestic water charges.
* Up to €275 a year in carbon taxes on petrol and diesel.
* As much as €55 a year for carbon taxes on home heating oil.

The Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) decided to press ahead with a 5pc electricity levy, despite warnings from companies all around the country that it would put jobs at risk.

The levy -- known as a public service obligation (PSO) -- will be an annual charge and it will be used to subsidise the higher cost of using more environmentally friendly ways to generate power.

But the Government, which failed to notify the public about the hike posted on the independent commission's website on July 30, says it is powerless to reverse the levy due to be introduced from October.

The increase comes despite the ESB recording profits of some €580m last year.

Energy Minister Eamon Ryan is planning a price review in September on top of the one due to come into effect from October.

A spokesman for the CER said it was obliged by legislation to introduce the PSO levy regardless of warnings about job losses.

"It is government policy which we implement through a certain mathematical formula. We have quite a lot of discretion in a lot of areas but in this one we don't," he said.

A spokeswoman for Mr Ryan said he had no power to interfere with the electricity price hike. But the CER spokesman confirmed it would have to implement any change in policy on the PSO levy made by the Government --which could lead to a reversal of the price hike.

"If they direct us to change, we change," he said.

It is expected the PSO levy will raise about €160m a year and will be used by power firms to buy renewable energy.

Under the PSO which was calculated on 5pc of the average bill, domestic users will pay a flat fee of €32.76, for small businesses it will be €99, while large enterprises will be hit by a 5pc rise on overall usage.

Fine Gael last night claimed a second electricity price review could be a double blow for householders and businesses, with bills rising by 10pc.

"It is anticipated that this will also lead to an increase in prices, particularly for domestic users. Both hikes hitting around the same time are likely to see household bills go up by 10pc in a month," energy spokesman Leo Varadkar said.

Job creation agency the IDA warned last week that multinational companies had expressed concern about proposed increases in electricity costs. Around 150 companies represented by IBEC's Industrial Products and Services Group said the rise could add between €34,000 and €500,000 to their electricity bills.

Jobs

Meanwhile, the Irish Independent has also learned that the CER received submissions from Pharmachemical Ireland which said the price increase would lead to a loss of between 550 and 800 jobs among its member companies.

"We have been informed by a number of our members that they will have to find between nine and 13 redundancies to neutralise the cost of this levy for 2011," it said.

Skretting, a fish farm food producer in Westport, Co Mayo, said the electricity price hike would add to the cost of manufacturing and would "inevitably increase the chances of employment losses".

There were also complaints about the impact of the bill on electricity prices for energy-intensive companies.

Irish Cement Limited, which has bases in Drogheda and Limerick, said it would cost it another €1.4m annually at a time when business had declined by up to 75pc in the last three years.

Baxter Healthcare, which employs 1,100 people in Mayo, said the price hike would increase its electricity bill in its Castlebar factory alone by around €126,000.

- Treacy Hogan and Michael Brennan

Irish Independent

FortyPlusHubby

Rabidlamb wrote: »

I read today about the introduction of a new electricity levy & I despair.

This is not a new levy. It was introduced years ago long before any Green Party member ever became a member of government.

The price of the PSO Levy is determined by the relative cost of wind vs renewables. When oil & gas prices were high the levy was zero, and at one stage was negative (i.e. customers got a discount when oil & gas prices were high due to renewables) because renewables were cheaper. Now that oil & gas prices have fallen the levy is above zero.

We can be very quick to forget that the levy once worked in our favour. It seems even the press can't remember that far back (between 2003-2007). The story in the Independent is incorrect in almost every detail.

Cheers,

40pH

Kasabian

Morlar wrote: »

Possibly (just a guesss) he means in terms of hitler being elected with massive support. Whereas the greens are in power despite circling the sinkhole at around 2-3% popular support last time I checked.

Democracy has it's downside too.

FortyPlusHubby

Essien wrote: »

So in the height of a recession we get to pay extra for something everybody uses, just so they can subsidise something nobody uses?

What do you mean nobody uses renewable energy???

What planet do you live on?

40pH

aDeener

biko wrote: »

Hmm, that's not really true.

oh, worse than hitler, you wouldn't find hitler introducing levies at 3 o'clock in the morning :pac:

Biggins

The fact that they are still propping up this present farce of a government when its been shown its members at every level, are out to just line their own pockets by hook or crook, is a disgrace in itself.

That on top of the numerous new bills, taxes, charges, whatever they are calling/spinning the latest one this week/month, is an addition to why the Green Party is a complete joke.
Lets not forget that these same buggers took a vote in the RDS to continue to prop the other shower of **** up, and how did they win that vote?
By appeasing a fringe lunatic mini-section within their own org' and caving into them too!

They are a complete and utter waste of time. A disgrace to any European org' that wishes to say they are "Green" too. With every one of their two-faced antics and double-standards, they let down genuine environmental people who has seen their efforts for change, blow up in their faces by the words and actions of the dirt in the Green party.

They have made "Green" in Ireland a dirty word - and its not from the soil of the earth!

FortyPlusHubby

The increase comes despite the ESB recording profits of some €580m last year.

I can't understand this line in the Independent article. What's the relevance of ESB's profits? Surely if the government saw fit to have Irish taxpayers buy over the banks with their billions of euro losses it's a good thing that state-owned companies like ESB actually make a profit????

Is the journalist suggesting that state-owned companies should be making losses?

Actually, in recent weeks it really is funny to read that the government is now thinking about selling ESB, BGE, BNM etc. By this logic the taxpayer should not be allowed to own a profitable company, but should be forced to buy out all or part of companies like AIB, Anglo Irish & BoI who screwed the economy through wreckless gambling.

It really reads like a bit of tabloid crap.

40pH

ejmaztec

FortyPlusHubby wrote: »

This is not a new levy. It was introduced years ago long before any Green Party member ever became a member of government.

The price of the PSO Levy is determined by the relative cost of wind vs renewables. When oil & gas prices were high the levy was zero, and at one stage was negative (i.e. customers got a discount when oil & gas prices were high due to renewables) because renewables were cheaper. Now that oil & gas prices have fallen the levy is above zero.

We can be very quick to forget that the levy once worked in our favour. It seems even the press can't remember that far back (between 2003-2007). The story in the Independent is incorrect in almost every detail.

Cheers,

40pH

Whether the levy is higher or lower, we still get stung when the total cost is taken into account.

I think that we're all paying high electricity prices, so that the ESB profitability looks good for the time it gets privatised, and the government can add a good premium to the share price.

When people have complained about high ESB bills in the past, and moaned about the ESB not dropping prices, various ESB employees on Boards have pointed out that the Regulator wouldn't allow the ESB to drop the price, even though they asked him to.

Morlar

Biggins wrote: »

They have made "Green" in Ireland a dirty word - and its not from the soil of the earth!

I would agree that will be the legacy of Gormley's tenure at the greens. Green=levy, Green=charge etc,. The perception is becoming ;
Green=condescending, arrogant, sneering, superior, disregard for the finances of the vast majority of people in Ireland etc They are enough to put you off green policies.

Biggins

FortyPlusHubby wrote: »

...It really reads like a bit of tabloid crap.

40pH

A bit like Green Party words and promises then!

ejmaztec

A Green TD would eat a rotting plague-ridden corpse if it meant that he would stay in power as a result.

Rabidlamb

ejmaztec wrote: »

I think that we're all paying high electricity prices, so that the ESB profitability looks good for the time it gets privatised, and the government can add a good premium to the share price.

Wait until the potential investors sees that the average wage in the ESB is €80k a year, mightn't seem so attractive.
Maybe sell it off to the asset strippers like Eircom.
Sweet Jebus we need a new government.

Gurgle

Fratton Fred wrote: »

we are ****ing up the environment, there is no doubt about that, but I agree, a lot of this tax increase is just a stealth tax.

Yes, we're mucking up the environment. No arguement there.
We're not doing it exclusively, or even primarily with CO2.

At worst, CO2 is a factor in long term global weather patterns but for at least the next hundred years our efforts would be better spent on trying to eliminate chemical pollution, desertification, waste management (Pacific and Atlantic Garbage patches).

RMD

A shower of ignorant people pleasing ****.

Lost any respect I had for them once Ryan tried to push through legislation making Heineken cup rugby matches freeview in Ireland, that would have essentially killed Irish rugby within the next 20-30 years.

gbee

It's not my quote but I'll say it again:

"The Greens would cure a patient with a sort throat by cutting his head off!"

Unfortunately, this was 'supposed' to be a joke ... I'm not giving any green or former green any vote.

Total pricks.

Essien

FortyPlusHubby wrote: »

What do you mean nobody uses renewable energy???

What planet do you live on?

40pH

Earth, it's been here long enough, I'm sure it's gonna be here in 10 years time too. So maybe the powers that be can wait until after the recession to hike up my bills so I can save it.

johndaman66

Fratton Fred wrote: »

so you believe that there is a machine in the centre of the earth that is still producing oil and gas

No I don't. Now that you brought up the subject though there is a general consensus among the scientific community that that oil will run out in the next 40 years or so (even though we have not quite hit peak oil yet) and thats factoring in higher demand from rapidly developing countries such as India and China. Believe it or not though there is however another widely accepted school of thought in the scientific community that oil will never run out.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

and that the Polar Ice caps melting is because it's summer?

Do you know I'm not sure. I was watching a nature program some time back and it was a real eye opener. It would seem that the world goes through hot and cold cycles periodically and it happens much more frequent than you might imagine, every couple of 1,000 years, which in the scheme of things is quite often. I'm not saying us burning fossil fuels and what not is not contributing to polar ice caps melting but to what extent I do wonder or would this happen anyway perhaps?...albeit at a slower pace maybe? Remember that equipment which measures the rate at which polar ice caps are melting is not around too long so how do we not know that this was happening just as rapidly if not more swiftly before we started burning fossil fuels or otherwise started pumping out smog and toxons into the atmosphere. Furthermore these areas of the world have only being explored relatively recently in the scheme of things.

Fratton Fred wrote: »

we are ****ing up the environment, there is no doubt about that, but I agree, a lot of this tax increase is just a stealth tax.

Generally agreed with you there. And I don't see how lumping on extra taxes/ levies and whatnot to a price of a litre of petrol or diesel at the pumps is the solution. Some people may cut back on using the car but overall our use would not change immensly I'd imagine so it would end up being an extra burden on people for the most part. If more resources were spent on improving public transport for example it would be a great help. In my own scenario a commuter bus service where the two most local bus stops to me are 10 miles apart is hardly good enough. The fact that it seldom gets me to my destination on time either (and I am making allowances for the fact that traffic can be an unknown factor at times) is not good enough if I want to hold down my job.

Rabidlamb

I've had a theory for sometime about the rise of green politics in recent years.
I see it filling the void left religion in our new secular society.

It seems that people require there fix of guilt in order to function.
Seems to be a flaw in the human makeup.

Someone has to tell them where they're going wrong & applaud them when they're obedient.
Doesn't matter if it's the church or environmentalists handing out the gold stars.

Sanjuro

That complete and utter useless waste of oxygen, Eamonn Ryan is my local Green TD. And I will admit, I voted for the cunt in the last general election. More fool me. But I have written to him on a number of occassions concerning issues in the Dail. The emails started off formal and concise. And they've steadily degenerated into what can only be described as profane abuse. And never has the useless prick replied.

The Greens are a shambolic excuse for a political party. They know they're proper fucked in terms of power, so they're trying to get as much bullshit passed as they can before they're cosigned to history. Still, doesn't hurt to let these pricks know what you think of them. Email them. If nothing else, it'll clog their inboxes. And no green issue can fix that!!

R0ot

Greens by name, Idiots by nature.

Viper_JB

Ireland will be really green when no one but the politicians and bankers can afford to live in a house or own a car, or have a job will be just like the good old days. It does seem like you can justify anything once it's under a green canopy.

Biggins

Viper_JB wrote: »

you can justify anything once it's under a green canopy.

...Speaking of which...

By the time they are out of power, its possible the only thing some will be able to afford will be a green can of peas!

I know, I'm having a bad joke day.
(I only wish the Greens were as funny - instead of depressing.)

Morlar

I think we need to add 'Greens in power' to the long list of things that Fianna Fail have to answer for.

Sanjuro

Morlar wrote: »

I think we need to add 'Greens in power' to the long list of things that Fianna Fail have to answer for.

As much as I loathe Fianna Fail, the blame for Greens in power lies squarely with the Irish people. Hopefully we wont make the same mistake twice... although judging by history...

Viper_JB

Sanjuro wrote: »

As much as I loathe Fianna Fail, the blame for Greens in power lies squarely with the Irish people. Hopefully we wont make the same mistake twice... although judging by history...

I'd have to disagree with this, percentage wise the greens have a very small number of councillors in the dail, just FF managed to pick the most unpopular/idiotic bunch of arseholes to hop into bed with. Pretty good idea really, no matter how bad a move FF make the greens will do something to take the heat by directly attacking the people.

Morlar

Sanjuro wrote: »

As much as I loathe Fianna Fail, the blame for Greens in power lies squarely with the Irish people. Hopefully we wont make the same mistake twice... although judging by history...

Fianna Fail chose to enter a coalition with them (as they would with practically anyone on the planet) & in a desperate bid for power have given them almost free reign over the country despite the dire economic situation. I'd not be in such a hurry to let them off the hook for that.

Sanjuro

Morlar wrote: »

Fianna Fail chose to enter a coalition with them (as they would with practically anyone on the planet) & in a desperate bid for power have given them almost free reign over the country despite the dire economic situation. I'd not be in such a hurry to let them off the hook for that.

Well of course Fianna Fail did. They'd make a coalition with Satan if it meant they'd stay in power. We still gave the Greens enough votes to put them in a bargaining position. We're as much complicit as Fianna Fail.

speedboatchase

How did the hell did we end up with a Green Party in power in our coalition? All they do is tax and all their ideas sound okay, but I don't wanna pay for them

Biggins

There is a major difference between the FF mafia and the Greens.
The FF gang have been now around for decades and have a deeper base of local cultural support/extended family tradition support. A lot of this consists of the equivalent of dumb sheep who will vote for FF just because their daddy/mammy did so or daddy was a previous party member or supporter.
That and "my local FF member got the street lights fixed" or "He helped my friend to get a house" - well that all means he surely must be a good guy over the decades, lets vote for him again!
- Or "well we have been voting that way for years, we should continue to do so!"

The Greens haven't had the generation support to keep them going (and thank god else more fools would vote them back in). They from the very start of sitting in power, been exposed for the crap party they are and so this "generation base" has failed to be able to culminate into anything substantial.

This is why to a great extent I firmly believe more so that at the next election they stand a much better chance of being wiped out.
Now if we can only wake up the other dumb sheep that still blindly support the other better organised mafia, well Ireland would start to be a better place with more accountability practises being given a good start to grow.

Liam Byrne

Sanjuro wrote: »

As much as I loathe Fianna Fail, the blame for Greens in power lies squarely with the Irish people. Hopefully we wont make the same mistake twice... although judging by history...

Personally speaking, guilty as charged.....mind you, I will point out that they got my vote using false pretences and lies.

Who's at fault ? Maybe me, for believing their promises of integrity.

As the saying goes : "Fool me once, shame on you.....", so the vote that they got is shame on them.

But fool me twice ? Not a hope in hell!

Chinasea

As far as I am concerned and what I have seen and heard all the opponents of the Green Party are self absorbed, narrow minded, selfish, short-sighted, don't want to pay for anything or contribute to the communal funds, excessive children producing and demanding free education fascists. Don’t hug trees PLANT ONE NEAR YOU

Biggins

Chinasea wrote: »

As far as I am concerned and what I have seen and heard all the opponents of the Green Party are self absorbed, narrow minded, selfish, short-sighted, don't want to pay for anything or contribute to the communal funds, excessive children producing and demanding free education fascists. Don’t hug trees PLANT ONE NEAR YOU

Way to go, drag all in like a troll like fashion. :rolleyes:

Pardon me for being a home-owner, a parent, spectacle wearer, a business owner, taxpayer, responsible and caring citizen amid other things...

I must be evil indeed.