From the Ashes

Floppybits

Having read all the doom and gloom I have not read too much on the way forward for this little country. Me personally I think that it is now time to start looking at the silver lining that this financial disaster has given us. The silver lining is that we can rebuild the Republic better and stronger than ever, it has given us a chance to start again.

So to start the rebuilding process we have to start at the government

1. Members of government to take more responsibility for their actions while in government.

2. New laws to be introduced to take any politician to court if found of any wrong doing. No more tribunals with no teeth that politicians can treat with disdain. Look at Iceland who want to put their leaders on trial. Should we not be doing the same.

3. Tougher financial laws that include harsh punishments for any wrong doing so that we can be seen on a par with Swiss banking laws and so never ever again can we be accused of being a wild west of any sort of service that we provide.

4. End this civil war and family politics that we have. As I said previously either an name change for Fine Gael or a new large party. People to start voting on who is the best to a job nationally rather that locally, that is what local politicians are for.

5. An end to unvouched expenses for members of Dail Eireann. Every single penny has to be vouched. Yes it will be painful, yes it could cost a little bit more but it will make every single politician very careful about what they are claiming, especially as I said above we bring in tougher legislation to deal with this. Hopefully this would put an end to the Ivors of Irish politics.

I know they are only a few things but from this disaster we are in we need to start looking now at coming out the other side better, more professional and a more grown up nation than we have been. Lets get rid of this mei fein attitude we have and start working to make the country great and lets as a people from the top to the bottom start taking responsibility for their actions.

Anyways that is my 2 cents (thats all I have left).

Fo Real

Floppybits wrote: »

4. End this civil war and family politics that we have. As I said previously either an name change for Fine Gael or a new large party. People to start voting on who is the best to a job nationally rather that locally, that is what local politicians are for.

Couldn't agree with this more. Scrap Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and let's start over with a simplistic left/right party system. It gives us something to build upon. More importantly, it gives people a choice. The Labour party is run by a bunch of closet bearded Communists. I take great pleasure knowing that they'll never enter government. Gilmore can churn out his soundbytes until he's blue in the face, but without policies he'll forever be out in the cold.

dan_d

Hopefully OP. I agree with you. I think it's time to start learning what we can fix to make sure this doesn't happen again. Everything you've suggested - possibly bar the voting system, which might be more complicated but is still do-able - is quite simple and should already be in place.

I definitely think we need to start taking a more hopeful outlook rather than obsessing endlessly over the what if's, whose fault it is, and how we all hate everything. We've done that for 2 years now. It's getting old. It's time to use this opportunity...strike while the iron is still hot.Very.

T runner

http://www.icenews.is/index.php/2010/09/04/movie-released-on-the-positive-side-of-icelands-economic-crash/

A new movie called "future of hope" about Iceland. Apparantly the people there are starting to see oppurtunities for a new sustainable society after their crash. They have a very successful ministry for ideas there which i liked.

Floppybits

dan_d wrote: »

Hopefully OP. I agree with you. I think it's time to start learning what we can fix to make sure this doesn't happen again. Everything you've suggested - possibly bar the voting system, which might be more complicated but is still do-able - is quite simple and should already be in place.

I definitely think we need to start taking a more hopeful outlook rather than obsessing endlessly over the what if's, whose fault it is, and how we all hate everything. We've done that for 2 years now. It's getting old. It's time to use this opportunity...strike while the iron is still hot.Very.

Thanks Dan. I think this is something that is missing, which I guess at the moment is understandable, given the current situation. If the government were any good after yesterdays statements they should have followed up with the Justice minister coming out with this is the new legislation that we are going to introduce so that going forward and society or company in Ireland will never ever be able to do what the banks have done again. It is simple stuff.

On the voting I think now is the time to change. People are so disillusioned with the crap we have that if a new large came out people would flock to it. I really believe that both Fianna Fail and Fine Gael need to be scrapped and new parties created that are not based on civil war politics. In saying that alot of our politicians need to be put out to pasture and whole new younger breed brought in. It is absolute stupidity to think that after all that has been done through worthless policies that 24% of the electorate and I think that would be higher come election would still vote Fianna Fail. I think it is this the saddens me the most.

TheReverend

Fo Real wrote: »

Couldn't agree with this more. Scrap Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and let's start over with a simplistic left/right party system. It gives us something to build upon. More importantly, it gives people a choice. The Labour party is run by a bunch of closet bearded Communists. I take great pleasure knowing that they'll never enter government. Gilmore can churn out his soundbytes until he's blue in the face, but without policies he'll forever be out in the cold.

Labour are communists now, news to me