Ireland ranked fifth best country for quality of life

Min

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/1105/1224282726984.html

We have a great country even if it is in the stormy waters of an economic recession.

PanchoVilla

gross national income per capita, which is $33,078

Statistics...they can be very misleading. A small minority makes an incredible amount of money while the majority are struggling to get by and losing their homes. I wonder if they rated the number of people on €35k+ and those making less than €35k if we'd still be ranked where we are. I doubt it somehow.

M5

PanchoVilla wrote: »

Statistics...they can be very misleading. A small minority makes an incredible amount of money while the majority are struggling to get by and losing their homes. I wonder if they rated the number of people on €35k+ and those making less than €35k if we'd still be ranked where we are. I doubt it somehow.

You can apply that to other countries too though..... We are better off even now than a lot of countries in Europe. Although i struggle to see how we finished ahead of ze Germans

MonaghanPenguin

PanchoVilla wrote: »

Statistics...they can be very misleading. A small minority makes an incredible amount of money while the majority are struggling to get by and losing their homes. I wonder if they rated the number of people on €35k+ and those making less than €35k if we'd still be ranked where we are. I doubt it somehow.

I guessed it would take less than 10 minutes for the first whinger to show up. I was right.

"the majority are struggling to get by and losing their homes." ? Really? Broad sweeping and incorrect analysis much? Some perspective might be required.

bizmark

Trying to post anything positive on boards is fairly pointless tbh its the site for doom and gloom crap 24/7

M5

M5 wrote: »

You can apply that to other countries too though..... We are better off even now than a lot of countries in Europe. Although i struggle to see how we finished ahead of ze Germans

Their shops close on sundays and they don't have online ordering grocery delivery :eek:
Apparently they don't get free tap water in restaurants either


That puts us ahead as I see it :D

mikemac

PanchoVilla wrote: »

while the majority are struggling to get by and losing their homes.

Rents have collapsed.
Mortgage rates are low though I don't know a whole lot about mortgages.

We all pay an income levy.
But if you still have your job and haven't have your pay cut then realy, you're almost better off.
If you're paying above the market rates your landlord thinks you are a fool

If you don't have a job then my sympathies but don't post here about the "majority"
Over one and half million head off to work every day

Too much doom and gloom

Ponster

This isn't really surprising really. For the past 30 years the country has been climbing the UNDP ladder, moving up from 15th position in 2000.


The fact that we're fifth isn't surprising based on what the stats are based on (i.e. life expectancy, education levels and GNI per capita. What is interesting is that in 2006 we were in 4th position and it'll be interesting to see over the next 10 years if we drop back down to our pre-celtic tiger levels (about 20th I believe)


http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/IRL.html

PanchoVilla

M5 wrote: »

You can apply that to other countries too though..... We are better off even now than a lot of countries in Europe. Although i struggle to see how we finished ahead of ze Germans

Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada...I would imagine these would be much better places to live than Ireland...definitely the U.S. anyway. I didn't know the UN had a department of propaganda. I guess you learn something new everyday.

Oh, and it's nothing to do with doom and gloom. I'm just not so easily won over by ridiculous statistics used by the national media to divert attention away from the serious problem this country is facing. When I read something in the paper saying something along the lines of "XYZ corporation has reopened it's doors in Ireland and 500 people are back to work" I'll stop being so cynical.

Ponster

Here are a few interesting bits from the report :

And 58 countries retained the death penalty, though most did not use it.36 Not only are abuses of human rights prevalent, but in
many countries people feel that they cannot express themselves freely: in about a third of 142 countries polled between 2006 and 2009, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa but also in much of Latin America and the Caribbean, at least 25 percent of respondents felt that “most people” in their country were afraid to openly express their political views.In all but two countries,
Botswana and Ireland, fewer than half the respondents felt that “no one is afraid” to express political views.

Indonesia’s per capita income is slightly higher than Mongolia’s, but its maternal mortality ratio is more than 9 times higher. Maternal mortality in the United States is 11 times that of Ireland, the leading country on this front.

enda1

PanchoVilla wrote: »

Statistics...they can be very misleading. A small minority makes an incredible amount of money while the majority are struggling to get by and losing their homes. I wonder if they rated the number of people on €35k+ and those making less than €35k if we'd still be ranked where we are. I doubt it somehow.

The majority are not losing their houses. Don't speak such drivel. It is an overwhelming minority that are in this situation.

PanchoVilla

PanchoVilla wrote: »

...definitely the U.S. anyway..

No thanks, you can keep it, I doubt it's better

Maternal mortality
in the United States is 11 times that of Ireland, the leading country on this front.

That's unreal!
well there you go then

dr.bollocko

Eh, Australia is ranked higher. Poll null and void.
/shakes fist.

Einhard

PanchoVilla wrote: »

Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada...I would imagine these would be much better places to live than Ireland...definitely the U.S. anyway. I didn't know the UN had a department of propaganda. I guess you learn something new everyday.

Ah right, so "you imagine" that things are better in all these other countries, but dismiss reports which actually use statistical analysis to show that this might not necessarily be the case. Such an objective methodology...

I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be so dismissive were the report to show the opposite. People would be all over it, claiming that, at last, they had empirical evidence to back up their claims that Ireland was a miserable hellhole.

Oh, and it's nothing to do with doom and gloom. I'm just not so easily won over by ridiculous statistics used by the national media to divert attention away from the serious problem this country is facing. When I read something in the paper saying something along the lines of "XYZ corporation has reopened it's doors in Ireland and 500 people are back to work" I'll stop being so cynical.

Unemployment has fallen for the past two months in a row for the first time since 2007. The drop in October was the largest monthly fall since the 1960s. Did that dent your cynicsim? Or is that just propaganda too?

Irish people are almost maschocistic in their determination to look on the negatives to the exclusion of all positives. It must be something to do with our Catholic heritage, a hang over from the days of mortification and flagellation. Just because one acknowledges the odd positive story doesn't mean that one is burying one's head in the sand, or refusing to accept reality.

enda1 wrote: »

The majority are not losing their houses. Don't speak such drivel. It is an overwhelming minority that are in this situation.

Can there be such a thing as an overwhelming minority?!

enda1

PanchoVilla wrote: »

Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada...I would imagine these would be much better places to live than Ireland...definitely the U.S. anyway. I didn't know the UN had a department of propaganda. I guess you learn something new everyday.

Oh, and it's nothing to do with doom and gloom. I'm just not so easily won over by ridiculous statistics used by the national media to divert attention away from the serious problem this country is facing. When I read something in the paper saying something along the lines of "XYZ corporation has reopened it's doors in Ireland and 500 people are back to work" I'll stop being so cynical.

I live in Belgium and have lived in USA.

Both are worse to live in that Ireland.
Have you tried either or are you just being negative for the sake of it.

Belgium has the highest tax rates in Europe and for more than half the time I've been living here has had no Government!!

The services are shockingly poor considering the money pumped into them. A friends Mother spent 6 hours in A&E (without being seen) the other day then the night in the corridor after having a heart attack! (lack of beds). The whole country reeks of communism. Shops not open on Sundays, nor after 8 in the evening (even supermarkets). Service being horribly slow and cold.

Jesus. Get out there and see how the reality is and you will see how well off* you are in Ireland.

*not just a monetary wealth I speak of.


Oh and Ernst & Young announced that they will recruit for 300 jobs, only 2 days ago.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1103/breaking9.html?via=mr

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

bluewolf wrote: »

Their shops close on sundays and they don't have online ordering grocery delivery :eek:
Apparently they don't get free tap water in restaurants either


That puts us ahead as I see it :D

Neither is true. Plus, I can beer at 2am at 1 euro a bottle !

The avarage German wage is a bit lower than the average Irish wage, is my guess. I notce the report is made by the World bank, which means the poll is probbalz bases purely on money. I wonder if they took public services into account? Or, as someone said, did they just rate people over a certain wage?

EDIT - No link to the actual survey from the Irish times... Would have made commenting a lot more acurate.

Ikky Poo2

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

Neither is true. Plus, I can beer at 2am at 1 euro a bottle !

You must be in a handier area than himself has ever lived
The whole sunday shop thing really kills me


edit: ah yeah Berlin, that'd want to be different

Einhard

enda1 wrote: »

Oh and Ernst & Young announced that they will recruit for 300 jobs, only 2 days ago.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2010/1103/breaking9.html?via=mr

Propaganda!!:eek:

You're ruining the doom and gloom man!! Negativity is in this Autumn it seems, even if it does harm our economic recovery. It's funny, but I remember two years ago, we were actually proclaiming ourselves in the midst of a recession before we had actually met the criteria for one, and now that we're actually out of recession we refuse to acknowledge it!!

danbohan

Einhard wrote: »

Ah right, so "you imagine" that things are better in all these other countries, but dismiss reports which actually use statistical analysis to show that this might not necessarily be the case. Such an objective methodology...

I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be so dismissive were the report to show the opposite. People would be all over it, claiming that, at last, they had empirical evidence to back up their claims that Ireland was a miserable hellhole.



Unemployment has fallen for the past two months in a row for the first time since 2007. The drop in October was the largest monthly fall since the 1960s. Did that dent your cynicsim? Or is that just propaganda too?

Irish people are almost maschocistic in their determination to look on the negatives to the exclusion of all positives. It must be something to do with our Catholic heritage, a hang over from the days of mortification and flagellation. Just because one acknowledges the odd positive story doesn't mean that one is burying one's head in the sand, or refusing to accept reality.



Can there be such a thing as an overwhelming majority?!

its nice that members of fianna fail are still posting on boards , i hope you are not stupid enough to think their has actually been a drop in unemployment , people are leaving this country in droves . now you may well be a public sector employee so unaware of things in the real world

Ireland is still a great country , still a rich country , still a better place to live than many other countries but it has many problems so no point in trying to deny that either .

ch750536

M5 wrote: »

You can apply that to other countries too though..... We are better off even now than a lot of countries in Europe. Although i struggle to see how we finished ahead of ze Germans

Says someone that never lived in Germany....

Ponster

Ikky Poo2 wrote: »

EDIT - No link to the actual survey from the Irish times... Would have made commenting a lot more acurate.

Here ya go : (about 12Mb)

http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Complete.pdf


And here is a link to the actual tables/graphs for those who don't like reading (it seems that we have one of the lowest literacy rates among OECD countries !


http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2010_EN_Tables.pdf

Einhard

danbohan wrote: »

its nice that members of fianna fail are still posting on boards , i hope you are not stupid enough to think their has actually been a drop in unemployment , people are leaving this country in droves . now you may well be a public sector employee so unaware of things in the real world

I wish people would cease with this nonsensical labelling of people who happen to hold an opposing viewpoint. It's irritating, and makes the person who comes out with it look like an idiot. I'm not a FF supporter, you're probably not an idiot, so what say we quit with such labels?

Ireland is still a great country , still a rich country , still a better place to live than many other countries but it has many problems so no point in trying to deny that either .

Nobody's denying them. You'd have to have lived in a cave over the past few years to do so. But I think we should be able to acknowledge the odd positive too. If you think that makes me a FF lackey, so be it; I'd rather look at it as realism.

bizmark

Tbh i love this country i wouldn't live anywhere else and im getting sick of all this negativity because really all you have to do is go outside and look around any city or town to relies your still very very lucky to live here or drive into the country and enjoy whats right here in the country which is quite possible one of the most beautifully ones around

jester77

bluewolf wrote: »

Their shops close on sundays and they don't have online ordering grocery delivery :eek:
Apparently they don't get free tap water in restaurants either


That puts us ahead as I see it :D

Sunday is considered a family day in Germany, that's the reason the shops close. Not a fan of this! And you can get water, just ask for tafelwasser

There is no minimum wage in Germany (there are exceptions for certain professions), you don't get the silly amount of social welfare like you do in Ireland, have a read about Hartz IV. You don't want to be a long term unemployed person in Germany. Standard of living is good but not if you are long term unemployed. That would be one of the main reasons Ireland is above Germany in the rankings.

jester77

jester77 wrote: »

Sunday is considered a family day in Germany, that's the reason the shops close. Not a fan of this! And you can get water, just ask for tafelwasser

I will try next time
I got a small coke last time we were out and it was smaller than I expected so himself says "oh you can get another"
I say "ah I'll be grand i'll get tap water"
"eh you cant get that here"
"whaaaat :eek: "
"yeah if you ask for it they'll only bring a bottle"


I like the transport though, seems way more reliable than ours
and some stuff is cheaper but some isn't

bernardo mac

Crime,corruption,murder,health services etc.FF and business friends living beyond our means,drug addiction,alcohol,violence,depression,suicide rates...........???

PanchoVilla

bernardo mac wrote: »

Crime,corruption,murder,health services etc.FF and business friends living beyond our means,drug addiction,alcohol,violence,depression,suicide rates...........???

Shh..you're not supposed to mention those things. Apparently what constitutes a high standard of living is down to life expectancy (more time being ignored by society in a nursing home), gross national income per capita, and time spent in school (although our literacy rate is apparently terrible).

senordingdong

The flawed result of a flawed measuring system.

MonaghanPenguin

bernardo mac wrote: »

Crime,corruption,murder,health services etc.FF and business friends living beyond our means,drug addiction,alcohol,violence,depression,suicide rates...........???

Our Crime and Murder rates are low by international comparison. A murder will still make headline news here compared to other places. Ours is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Our Health Service is certainly less than perfect but ya know, again in actual comparisons it's not third world. Our drug problems aren't on the scale seen in the likes of other areas of large urban decay.

The levels of violence in this country aren't even comparable to other countries, ever been warned not to wear certain football jerseys anywhere in this country for fear of winding up on the wrong side of an attack?

I'm not saying Ireland is perfect, nor should we stop looking at areas to fix, but wake up and stop thinking yours/ours is the worst plight in the world.

amacachi

MonaghanPenguin wrote: »

Our Crime and Murder rates are low by international comparison. A murder will still make headline news here compared to other places. Ours is one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Our Health Service is certainly less than perfect but ya know, again in actual comparisons it's not third world. Our drug problems aren't on the scale seen in the likes of other areas of large urban decay.

The levels of violence in this country aren't even comparable to other countries, ever been warned not to wear certain football jerseys anywhere in this country for fear of winding up on the wrong side of an attack?

I'm not saying Ireland is perfect, nor should we stop looking at areas to fix, but wake up and stop thinking yours/ours is the worst plight in the world.

You're wrong, it's awful, it's terrible, there's nowhere worse, I'd sooner live in a cardboard box in the jungle in Borneo. Obviously though, despite how much I hate it I'll stay and make no effort to improve it!

prinz

jester77 wrote: »

Sunday is considered a family day in Germany, that's the reason the shops close. Not a fan of this!

Different strokes for different folks. Personally I like it, and think it would add to quality of life, particularly if you work in a shop/supermarket.

jester77 wrote: »

And you can get water, just ask for tafelwasser

+1.

prinz

prinz wrote: »

Different strokes for different folks. Personally I like it, and think it would add to quality of life, particularly if you work in a shop/supermarket.

Fecked if you have a bank holiday saturday though :eek:

jester77

bluewolf wrote: »

Fecked if you have a bank holiday saturday though :eek:

LOL, they are the worst ever. Forget about trying to get into a supermarket on the Friday, you'd think the world was about to end :eek:

Einhard

bernardo mac wrote: »

Crime,corruption,murder,health services etc.FF and business friends living beyond our means,drug addiction,alcohol,violence,depression,suicide rates...........???

Ah yes, in thw the idyll that exists in the rest of the world outside Ireland, crime is non-existent, murder unknown, health services both pristine and universal, love the only drug, happiness the only vice, no violence, depression unheard of...

PanchoVilla wrote: »

Shh..you're not supposed to mention those things. Apparently what constitutes a high standard of living is down to life expectancy (more time being ignored by society in a nursing home), gross national income per capita, and time spent in school (although our literacy rate is apparently terrible).

Ummm, in any analysis of a nation's general well being, I would expect that life expectancy would be a significant factor. Also, perhaps you and yours lock up your elderly in nursing homes and ignore them Pancho, but please don't generalise about the rest of us. Indeed, nusring home occuptation in Ireland is relatuvely low, and we have one of the most generous OAP benefits systems in the world.

Anyone

If they had announced the Free Cheese thing earlier, I recon we would have got 4th spot.

danbohan

Einhard wrote: »

I wish people would cease with this nonsensical labelling of people who happen to hold an opposing viewpoint. It's irritating, and makes the person who comes out with it look like an idiot. I'm not a FF supporter, you're probably not an idiot, so what say we quit with such labels?



Nobody's denying them. You'd have to have lived in a cave over the past few years to do so. But I think we should be able to acknowledge the odd positive too. If you think that makes me a FF lackey, so be it; I'd rather look at it as realism.

the only people i hear putting your spin on the unemployment figures are fianna fail politicians so forgive me if i mistake your optimism and disregard for reality as showing you as a finnna fail supporter .

of course there are positives , most people can still see them but a lot of people are in very difficult circumstances something you don't seem to understand , pretty hard for them to see things in a positive light

danbohan

Anyone wrote: »

If they had announced the Free Cheese thing earlier, I recon we would have got 4th spot.

its probably calvita , we probably be back down to 75 if they had known that .

Einhard

danbohan wrote: »

the only people i hear putting your spin on the unemployment figures are fianna fail politicians so forgive me if i mistake your optimism and disregard for reality as showing you as a finnna fail supporter .

of course there are positives , most people can still see them but a lot of people are in very difficult circumstances something you don't seem to understand , pretty hard for them to see things in a positive light

So facts are spin now? The numbers on the live register have dropped for the 2nd month in a row, with last month's fall being the largest since the 60s. We're still fooked economically, but surely a drop in unemployment can be regarded as a small positive amongst all the negativity?

As for your second statement, it's pure nonsense. One doesn't need to be living the high life to be able to acknowledge positive news, and doing so doesn't indicate any lack of empathy or understanding of what people are going through.

mikom

Min wrote: »

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/1105/1224282726984.html

We have a great country even if it is in the stormy waters of an economic recession.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_FmADVggCk

Austerity

I've lived in Ireland and the quality of life is truly ****. Bad housing, bad infrastructure, crappy internet. Horses running through council estates!

Mooro

Einhard wrote: »

So facts are spin now? The numbers on the live register have dropped for the 2nd month in a row, with last month's fall being the largest since the 60s. We're still fooked economically, but surely a drop in unemployment can be regarded as a small positive amongst all the negativity?

As for your second statement, it's pure nonsense. One doesn't need to be living the high life to be able to acknowledge positive news, and doing so doesn't indicate any lack of empathy or understanding of what people are going through.

I too thought that the drop in the numbers signing on the live register was a good thing until I actually thought about it. The 2 main reasons for this drop are emmigration and the numbers of people whose benefits have ceased as they reached the 9month/12 month limt for receipt of benefits. My wife's dole ceased this week and it wasn't becasue she got a job. There are many more in the same situation as her.

That said Ireland is not the worst country in the world to live in. If we could only get rid of the buffoons running the country into the ground.

bizmark

Austerity wrote: »

I've lived in Ireland and the quality of life is truly ****. Bad housing, bad infrastructure, crappy internet. Horses running through council estates!

Limerick isn't truly considered a part of Ireland though

Pauleta

Ireland is a safe country compared to most kips. If you lose your job you get €200 a week for an unlimited amount of time (a higher weekly wage than the vast majority of countries) Although we have constantly mediocre weather we dont have huge hurricanes, tornados droughts, floods. We dont have earthquakes or volcanos. Its not corrupt to the level of the vast majority places. Its a great country to live in but we need to strive to be the best and moaning about every little problem helps. I havnt done much traveling in my life but nearly every country ive been i thought was a kip. Even up North its 3rd world.

Einhard

Mooro wrote: »

I too thought that the drop in the numbers signing on the live register was a good thing until I actually thought about it. The 2 main reasons for this drop are emmigration and the numbers of people whose benefits have ceased as they reached the 9month/12 month limt for receipt of benefits. My wife's dole ceased this week and it wasn't becasue she got a job. There are many more in the same situation as her.

Emigration did not suddenly spring into existence in September and October, the months which witnessed the falls on the Live Register. Previous months saw both high emigration and a rise in unemployment; the last two months saw a drop in the latter and no corresponding increase in the former, so the lower rate cannot be attributed to emigration. Also, once you finish on Jobseeker's Benefit you move onto Jobseeker's Allowance, and the numbers on the Live Register don't change.

Also, the drop in unemployment was paralleled by a rise in the number of people in work, and general turnaround in the economy which saw Ireland exit recession earlier this year. It doesn't take a dewy eyed optimist to see that, while we are still mired in an economic quagmire, these are positive developments.

Ginger Nut

I love living in Ireland - well its home. I know both my partner & I have jobs - and have had massive pay cuts. But where in the world can you pop in next door without having to make an appointment. Where can you go into a shop and pass the time of day. I know I know before ye all start shouting about rude shop keepers - I have to say most are great and cheery. Life is not all about money. I dont have a new car. I have a very modest house. But life is good. I dont watch the news anymore as its just depressing. Lots of things dont cost money -like visiting friends and family. Have a night in instead of out - everyone byob!! So cheer up everyone - its Friday:)

Shenshen

M5 wrote: »

You can apply that to other countries too though..... We are better off even now than a lot of countries in Europe. Although i struggle to see how we finished ahead of ze Germans

I'm actually more surprised the US did better than Ireland...

danbohan

Einhard wrote: »

So facts are spin now? The numbers on the live register have dropped for the 2nd month in a row, with last month's fall being the largest since the 60s. We're still fooked economically, but surely a drop in unemployment can be regarded as a small positive amongst all the negativity?

As for your second statement, it's pure nonsense. One doesn't need to be living the high life to be able to acknowledge positive news, and doing so doesn't indicate any lack of empathy or understanding of what people are going through.

can it really , suppose its down to people been forced to emigrate is that a positive ? it is in fianna fails agenda that's exactly what they want 100,000 per year would be fine with them

what is postive news to somebody who is just scraping by , and is told his unemployment will be cut so that fat cat public servants can remain the highest paid in europe .

Linoge

5th in best in the world AND worst in Europe??

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056040046
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8015743/British-Isles-worst-place-to-live-in-Europe.html
lol at the Telegraph

Did somebody say rolleyes?!

Ginger Nut

danbohan wrote: »

can it really , suppose its down to people been forced to emigrate is that a positive ? it is in fianna fails agenda that's exactly what they want 100,000 per year would be fine with them

what is postive news to somebody who is just scraping by , and is told his unemployment will be cut so that fat cat public servants can remain the highest paid in europe .

Wages in Ireland are high yes - but so is the cost of living. Why dont the TD's take a wage cut -and as for Mr Cowan - his should be cut to at least down to what the US president gets!! Leave the lower paid alone I say:pac:

Porkpie

It would be a nicer country to live in if there weren't so many scumbags around.

Ginger Nut

Porkpie wrote: »

It would be a nicer country to live in if there weren't so many scumbags around.

There is "scumbags" everywhere.