Irish Times Letter "Ireland's Opportunity"

The Agogo

Found this letter interesting.

I doubt it's possible though:

http://www.irishtimes.com/letters/

Madam, – Ireland has over 43,000 too many houses; there has been speculation about pulling them down. England has 300,000 too few houses, and no cash whatsoever to build any new ones.

However, England pays housing benefit, guaranteed for life, at £65 per person per week, or £300 a month. On average, each house in Ireland could accommodate three people. Three times £300 gives £900 a month – close to €1,000 a month. This is more than enough to rent a house in Ireland.

If Irish landlords were offered €1,000 a month, guaranteed by UK plc, one presumes they would be jolly happy, as they are receiving nothing at present, bar bills for houses they can’t sell or rent. English tenants might also be jolly happy, as rental housing in England is horrible, scarce and too expensive.

If a mechanism could match both needs, everybody would win, especially young families, if prepared to move to a more hopeful place. Ireland is lovely – a great place to bring up children, especially in the rural and coastal areas. They might need a moving grant, but it would generate business for removal companies.

If English councils were allowed to pay rent for Irish houses, via some intergovernment scheme, and these English tenants were allowed to continue to draw all their other normal benefits from England (such as jobseeker’s benefit, pension, etc) they would not be a drain on the Irish economy. In fact they would contribute substantially to it, as they would be shopping for food and clothes, travelling to and fro, and, eventually, when the economy picks up and these motivated young people get jobs or start businesses, contributing to the Irish tax base.

As a trained architect, and rock and roll concert layout designer who has been staying in Ireland for the past three months, it seems to me that Ireland needs new blood, and England fewer people. I am sorry to say that this proposal should make the Tories happy – I am not one of them. But I think this is a rarity: a win-win situation and I say, let it be.

– Yours, etc,

MICHAEL WILD FREEMAN, Manor Road, Newton Abbot, Devon, England.


*awaits first plantation comments*

Seriously though, sounds like a good idea.

mike65

I bet many of the potential tennants are themelves immigrants to Britain.

PanchoVilla

They're gonna try sending us all their unwanted Muslims. Which is fine, most Muslims are awesome.

Tigger

mike65 wrote: »

I bet many of the potential tennants are themelves immigrants to Britain.

Why because Irish in england Are all on benefits?

Seems Terry may have had a point

AlmightyCushion

There is no way this would happen. Why would Britain pay what they are currently paying for housing and benefits only to have a massive amount of money leave their economy and suffer from lower tax revenue. They don't benifit at all from this.

FreudianSlippers

I'd rather have a "Little Mecca" than a ghost estate or a place full of knackers!

Rothmans

And then these people would eventually become our problem as they would be entitled to Irish benefits (the EU and all that) as they are citizens of a fellow EU country.
Perhaps these people may be likely to commit welfare fraud. Drawing from both the Irish and English Governments.

Blisterman

43,000 English Chavs? No Thanks.

ScumLord

The Agogo wrote: »

However, England pays housing benefit, guaranteed for life, at £65 per person per week, or £300 a month. On average, each house in Ireland could accommodate three people. Three times £300 gives £900 a month – close to €1,000 a month. This is more than enough to rent a house in Ireland.

A person can rent an entire house for €300 why should the government pay 3 times that to rent a house in the middle of no where essentially creating ghettos in the countryside?

Celly Smunt

Blisterman wrote: »

43,000 English? No Thanks.

FYP

flyton5

I agree in principle. HOWEVER, the main problem would be they'd need to source jobs before coming over. Jobs which don't exist in large numbers. No point in taking people over if they can't find employment and just add to the live register.

mike65

mike65 wrote: »

I bet many of the potential tennants are themelves immigrants to Britain.

Tigger wrote: »

Why because Irish in england Are all on benefits?

Seems Terry may have had a point

Wind your neck back in, did I even mention Irish? No thats your presumption, I was thinking about people from countries like south-east Europe, Afganistan, west Africa and so on.

flyton5

ScumLord wrote: »

A person can rent an entire house for €300 why should the government pay 3 times that to rent a house in the middle of no where essentially creating ghettos in the countryside?

Plenty of houses in Dublin and within commuting distance of Dublin there ScumLord...

Max Hunter

The Agogo wrote: »

Found this letter interesting.

I doubt it's possible though:

http://www.irishtimes.com/letters/

Madam, – Ireland has over 43,000 too many houses; there has been speculation about pulling them down. England has 300,000 too few houses, and no cash whatsoever to build any new ones.

However, England pays housing benefit, guaranteed for life, at £65 per person per week, or £300 a month. On average, each house in Ireland could accommodate three people. Three times £300 gives £900 a month – close to €1,000 a month. This is more than enough to rent a house in Ireland.

If Irish landlords were offered €1,000 a month, guaranteed by UK plc, one presumes they would be jolly happy, as they are receiving nothing at present, bar bills for houses they can’t sell or rent. English tenants might also be jolly happy, as rental housing in England is horrible, scarce and too expensive.

If a mechanism could match both needs, everybody would win, especially young families, if prepared to move to a more hopeful place. Ireland is lovely – a great place to bring up children, especially in the rural and coastal areas. They might need a moving grant, but it would generate business for removal companies.

If English councils were allowed to pay rent for Irish houses, via some intergovernment scheme, and these English tenants were allowed to continue to draw all their other normal benefits from England (such as jobseeker’s benefit, pension, etc) they would not be a drain on the Irish economy. In fact they would contribute substantially to it, as they would be shopping for food and clothes, travelling to and fro, and, eventually, when the economy picks up and these motivated young people get jobs or start businesses, contributing to the Irish tax base.

As a trained architect, and rock and roll concert layout designer who has been staying in Ireland for the past three months, it seems to me that Ireland needs new blood, and England fewer people. I am sorry to say that this proposal should make the Tories happy – I am not one of them. But I think this is a rarity: a win-win situation and I say, let it be.

– Yours, etc,

MICHAEL WILD FREEMAN, Manor Road, Newton Abbot, Devon, England.


*awaits first plantation comments*

Seriously though, sounds like a good idea.

Was that bloke in fools and horses called Trigger?:D

AnonymousPrime

I would bet that at the moment there are far more people emigrating from Ireland to England rather than the other way around.
And for good reason.

dotsman

What a brilliant idea. Our welfare class is way too small. Let's bring in a foreign welfare class to mix things up a bit, then we can sit back and enjoy the show.

Yawns

And never mind the fact that the reason they get so little in benefits over in England is due to the cost of living being a small wee bit lower than over here.

Come on over! We're not gonna give you money and you can live on the little you have in our rip off economy

Please don't let FF see that letter, those ****ers will think it's a great idea...

yermanoffthetv

Ignoring all the leagal implications(and thats quite a few) this is still a terrible idea. Uk councils offloading "difficult" families to Ireland. Not to mention an enevitable disillustioned underclass of living on £65/pw or whatever it is. Gettoisation, increase in crime, burberry caps etc, etc. Ta but no ta.

thetonynator

This is the most ridiculous idea i've ever heard. There are no jobs here, what are the 40,000 people going to do??? habg around for two years because there are no jobs and then draw the dole???

PeterIanStaker

Those estates would be like a holding pen for the Jeremy Kyle show.

Orando Broom

The importation of Knackers. Hmmmmmm... The cider industry is intrigued.

PeterIanStaker

Orando Broom wrote: »

The importation of Knackers. Hmmmmmm... The cider industry is intrigued.

Bulmers has been suffering falling sales the last few years, this might give them a boost.

Also if we import a rake of chavs we might wind up with some half-decent footballers.

Delancey

That letter to the Times is a perfect example of what happens when you give a voice to idiots.

Has this country not got a big enough underclass without importing more from England ??

The Agogo

Some good points here guys. Thanks.

*Toddles of to write letter to publisher who gives voice to idiots*

Pauleta

Most of these Ghost Estates have nothing near them. No shops, schools, transport etc

Yawns

Pauleta wrote: »

Most of these Ghost Estates have nothing near them. No shops, schools, transport etc

Well that wouldn't be so bad if we could import the chavs, abandon them in a housing estate in the middle of nowhere, forget em & get paid for em.

Cool_CM

PanchoVilla wrote: »

They're gonna try sending us all their unwanted Muslims. Which is fine, most Muslims are awesome.

Better kebabs!:D

sheesh

It might work but it might also end in civil war really its 50/50


I say lets go for it!

gurramok

Alot of racism here against English people, a disgrace :pac:

Just because they are poor does not mean they are scum :mad:

Yawns

Now now let's be fair.























It's not just the English it's aimed at