More youth in the Daíl=less disgrace?

target shooter 13

I'm going to be 21 come the next general election and a lot of things that go on in the Daíl bother me. Huge wages, hidden un-vouched expenses, the daíl bar being open during working hours and TD's voting for bills that they haven't even sat to listen to because they were getting pissed at the time.... That's to name but a few. I'm considering running for the next general election so I can do something to help this country which is disrespected by the very people who were elected to uphold and represent the people of Ireland, by the people of Ireland. Is there any demand for new blood? And if so have you any advice? Thanks in advance ps. Please don't tell me I have no life experience, I have experienced more aspects of Irish society in 19 years than most do in their life... And not in a good way, that's why I want to promote change and help those who need it. I have no political family background.

Grudaire

Change is only good if it actually improves the situation.

You haven't really outlined what you would do as a TD, and good intentions is not going to result in anything meaningful.

target shooter 13

Grudaire wrote: »

Change is only good if it actually improves the situation.

You haven't really outlined what you would do as a TD, and good intentions is not going to result in anything meaningful.

You have a point. First of all I would sacrifice 50% of the ridiculous wages and use it to fund projects in the constituency some of which I would begin on my own initiative. I would push for other TDs to do the same and would like to draw up a bill in relation to government pay, pensions and expenses to put before the daíl and hopefully make it successful with the help of the public and the media pressure put on TDs to pass it. I would like to include in the bill that TDs must vouch all expenses and that a certain percentage of expenses and be used to invest in the TDs local healthcare and education services. Also that the 50% of wages that are cut are made available to the TD only as a fund for local projects and could perhaps see even bigger projects with TDs being encouraged to merge their local spending budget for projects such as building on to hospitals in the constituency to prevent the use of trollys or possibly to build onto schools to replace costly prefabs and to better school lab and sports equipment. In the smallest constituencies this would equate to a minimum of €135'000 annually for local projects to promote better education, healthcare and to stimulate jobs growth. In the largest constituencies this figure increases to a whopping €2.1 million, nationally it would be a total extra public spend of €7.4 million. That's the minimum after a 50% wage cut and does not include the use of any expenses. This is one aspect in particular I would like to push as it would benefit everyone. Another idea I have and I stress the word IDEA because I need to look into the expense of it and the viability of the concept, but the idea is to scrap the college maintenance grant scheme and instead means test students in the same way as is currently done for social welfare payments and give them what they qualify for. Susi could be kept in place for the fee grant process or replaced should there be a more cost effective way of doing that. Why punish people for getting education and prevent them from doing so without some form of support from their parents if they really can't afford it, shouldn't we be encouraging and enabling people to get a 3rd level education rather than underfunding students and making them wait months for a grant that many can't afford to wait for. This could have a profound effect in the reduction of social problems and it is definitely worthy of discussion. I'm interested to get your view on this?

hfallada

target shooter 13 wrote: »

I'm going to be 21 come the next general election and a lot of things that go on in the Daíl bother me. Huge wages, hidden un-vouched expenses, the daíl bar being open during working hours and TD's voting for bills that they haven't even sat to listen to because they were getting pissed at the time...

You are worrying about pretty cash really. This country is borrowing billions every year and you are worrying about a few millon on expenses? We need a government with people
With expertise. But the wages are too low to get anyone decent so we are left with retired teachers.

target shooter 13

I also think that all TDs should be held responsible for false election promises, perhaps €2000 per offence and a name and shame in the papers would sufficiently discourage this disgraceful behaviour that has become so notorious in Irish politics.

target shooter 13

hfallada wrote: »

You are worrying about pretty cash really. This country is borrowing billions every year and you are worrying about a few millon on expenses? We need a government with people
With expertise. But the wages are too low to get anyone decent so we are left with retired teachers.

So you're telling me austerity is a better option? Take more and more yearly out of the economy and that will somehow stimulate growth and better peoples quality of life? You think that that kind of local investment every year wouldn't make a national difference? It wouldn't encourage people back into thinking that politicians are actually on their side and that things are looking up once again thus making them more likely to spend their wages and stimulate more growth in the economy? If you could just change the average conversation of how bad things are to a conversation of things looking up again it would increase spending, I gaurentee it. Its the same with anything, you must speculate to accumulate, you must spend money to make money. Now in an economy with such a tight budget and a general bad feeling towards the government and all TDs in general what better way is there to invest in everyone nationwide and create positive growth?

target shooter 13

And yes we need educated politicians for ministerial positions but aside from that I think we need a political system that represents demographically the rest of the population. Are you honestly telling me that this is not enough to get qualified graduates and economists?
hese are the pay and perks that Enda Kenny and the other 225 members of Leinster House receive.
1 – Basic wage of a TD: € 92,672
2 – Basic wage of a Senator: € 65,621
Additional payments for TDs are as follows:
3 – Additional payment for a Minister of State: €37,370
4 – Additional payment for super Ministers of State: € 17,205 (plus € 37,370 above)
5 – Minister (€ 76,603)
6 – Tanaiste (€ 91,733)
7 – Taoiseach (€ 107,328)
8 – Ceann Comhairle (€ 76,603)
9 – Leas Ceann Comhairle (€ 37,370)
10 – Chairpersons of Oireachtas committees (Andrew Doyle, Ciarán Lynch, Dominic Hannigan, Alex White, Pat Breen,Jerry Buttimer, Joanna Tuffy, Peadar Tóibín, Damien English, David Stanton, Thomas Pringle, Seán Barrett, John McGuinness , Tom Hayes): €9,500
11 – Member of Oireachtas Commission (Senator John Whelan, Senator Tom Sheahan, Senator Marc MacSharry, Deputy Frank Feighan, Deputy Dan Neville, Deputy John Browne, Deputy Catherine Byrne, Deputy Jack Wall ): €9,500
Chief whips
12 – Chief Whip (Paul Kehoe): no payment specified in One Stop Shop
13 – Assistant Government Whip (Emmet Stagg): €15,000
14 – Whip to Labour Party (Emmet Stagg): no payment specified in One Stop Shop
15 – Asst Whip to Fine Gael (Joe Carey): €7,500
16 – Asst Whip to Labour (John Lyons): €6,000
17 – Whip to Fianna Fail (Sean O’Fearghail): €19,000
18 – Asst Whip to Fianna Fail (John Browne): €9,500
19 – Whip to Sinn Fein (Aengus Ó Snodaigh): €6,000
20 – Asst Whip to Sinn Fein (Jonathan O’Brien): €3,000
21 – Whip to Socialist Party : €6,000
22 – Whip to People Before Profit : €6,000
Additional payments for Senators are as follows
22 – Cathaoirleach (Paddy Burke): €44,336
23 – Leas-Chathaoirleach (Denis O’Donovan): €24,429
24 – Leader of the Seanad (Maurice Cummins): €19,439
25 – Deputy Leader of the House (Ivana Bacik): €9,500
26 – Government Whip (Paul Coghlan): €6,000
27 – Assistant Government Whip (Susan O’Keeffe): €4,000
28 – Fianna Fáil Leader (Darragh O’Brien): €9,500
29 – Independent Group of Nominee Senators’ Leader (Jillian Van Turnhout): €6,000
30 – Independent Group of University Senators’ Leader (Ronan Mullen): €6,000
31 – Fianna Fáil Whip (Diarmuid Wilson): €6,000
32 – Independent Group of Nominee Senators’ Whip (Katherine Zappone): €4,000
33 – Independent Group of University Senators’ Whip (Sean Barrett): €4,000
34 – Select Committee on Members’ Interests of Seanad Éireann (Ivana Bacik, Deirdre Clune,David Cullinane, Maurice Cummins, Ronan Mullen, Darragh O’Brien, Jillian Turnhout) : €3,100 per annum
Pensions
35 – TDs and senators contribute 6% of their salary a year for up to a maximum of 20 years in order to benefit from the Dail pension scheme. It is a final salary scheme which allows for a maximum of ½ the final salary to be paid for life from aged 65 – 1/40th of final salary is accrued for each year of service. It provides for a lump sum upon retirement and it is possible to take early retirement from age 50.
Allowances
36 – Travel and Accommodation: €12,000 – €37,850 per annum depending on distance from the Leinster House. Senators get paid €7,000 – €32,850 per annum and so-called “office holders” get paid €8,400 – €36,150 per annum
Public Representation Allowance: €15,000 for TDs (no evidence of expenditure required – unvouched) or up to €25,700 (supported by invoices and receipts – vouched); Ministers €12,000 (unvouched) to €20,000 (vouched); Senators €9,250 (unvouched) to €15,000 (vouched)
37 – Dual abode allowance: This applies to ministers only and allows Ministers to claim tax deductions on mortgages, rental or hotel accommodation PLUS tax deductions for maintaining property and other expenses which can be up to €6,500.
38 – Ministers can claim a tax deduction on the interest on any loan required to purchase a second residence.
39 – Ministers can claim a tax deduction on maintenance required on any second residence. € 6,500
40 – Ministers can claim the entire cost of rental accommodation if their second residence is rented.
41 – Ministers can claim a tax deduction on the cost of maintaining a second rented residence.
42 – As an alternative to 41 Ministers can claim a tax deduction of €4,500
43 – If Ministers use a hotel or guest house as a second residence they an claim for the entire cost IN ADDITION to €72.66 for subsistence.
44 – If Ministers use a hotel or guest house as a second residence they an claim for maintenance costs (e.g. laundry)
45 – As an alternative to 44 Ministers can claim €3,500
46 – Allowance for Independent TDs
€ 41,152 per annum each for the 18 independent TDs (Stephen Donnelly, Luke Flanagan, Mick Wallace, Shane Ross, Thomas Pringle, Michael Healy-Rae, Michael Lowry, Finian McGrath, Mattie McGrath, Tom Fleming, Noel Grealish, John Halligan, Catherine Murphy, Maureen O’Sullivan PLUS four TDs who have had the party whip removed Tommy Broughan, Willie Penrose, Denis Naughten and Patrick Nulty ).
47 – Allowance for Independent Senators
€ 23,388 for 11 independent senators (John Crown, David Norris, Sean Barrett, Martin McAleese, Feargal Quinn, Ronan Mullen, Fiach Mac Conghail, Marie-Louise O’Donnell, Jillian van Turnhout, Katherine Zappone, Mary Ann O’Brien.
48 – Termination payments:
These are due to of a lump sum upon termination PLUS a monthly payment for up to a year. As long as you have at least six months service in either the Dail or Seanad, you get a termination payment of two months salary. The monthly payment depends on how many years you’ve been a TD or senator eg for five years, you get three months at 75% of your salary. If you have over 14 years service, then you’d be entitled to 6 months at 75% of salary plus the following six months at 50% of salary.
49 – Mileage Allowances
50 – Each minister and minister of state, except An Taoiseach, An Tanaiste and justice minister, is entitled to recruit two drivers apiece at a cost which is charged to each department.
51 – Attendance of a TD at a “parliamentary assembly” carries hotel expenses and a subsistence allowance for “entertaining”
52 – Parliamentary assistants allowance (no requirement by Oireachtas members to report appointing members of their own families)
Up to €41,092 per TD for secretarial assistance, PR, IT and training
€8,000 per TD to set up and kit out a constituency office
Additional perks
53 – Free parking in central Dublin (normal cost €12 per day approx)
54 – Free gym
55 – Free subsidised restaurant
56 – Private members bar with subsidised drinks
57 – Free tax advice service
58 – Free language lessons
59 – Postage: – 1,500 free postage items per month for TDs and 1,000 for senators.
60 – Free ink cartridges: up to the value of €2000 annually
61 – Free unlimited telephone calls (landline)
62 – Mobile phone allowance: €750 every 18 months
63 – Free office in Leinster House for TDs & Senators
64 – VHI free
65 – Free Automobile A insurance
66 – Free car insurance.
67 – Free personal accident and death insurance
68 – Individual state funding for political parties.”

target shooter 13

They have since taken a 10% pay cut that goes into a black hole of debt that we are stuck in for at least the next 30 years. I don't want to be in this economy for 30 years and I don't want anyone else to be either, this approach isn't working so common sense says try something else "If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten." –Tony Robbins

Grudaire

But what of policies? The other issues that you will be getting paid for. Voting on legislation and representing your constituency?

As an aside I noticed you're active on the military forum..
You do know that you are not allowed to be actively involved in politics if you are in the army?

target shooter 13

Grudaire wrote: »

But what of policies? The other issues that you will be getting paid for. Voting on legislation and representing your constituency?

As an aside I noticed you're active on the military forum..
You do know that you are not allowed to be actively involved in politics if you are in the army?

Well give me an example? To what extent can you realistically describe all your policies in 3 to 4 minutes at someone's door or a Max of 10 to 15 minutes on the radio. A recent one that came to light was abortion, I would only agree to that should a woman be facing death and that is the only way to save her. In that case and in that case only, I can't think of another real reason to end an innocent life. I would also like to meet regularly with constituents if elected as I really want to represent their views as close as possible and I think meeting them regularly is a good way to get a general feel for their thoughts on the issues of the day which is important.
I got to the last 200/300 and lost out on going to stage 4 unfortunately.

Grudaire

target shooter 13 wrote: »

Well give me an example? To what extent can you realistically describe all your policies in 3 to 4 minutes at someone's door or a Max of 10 to 15 minutes on the radio. A recent one that came to light was abortion, I would only agree to that should a woman be facing death and that is the only way to save her. In that case and in that case only, I can't think of another real reason to end an innocent life. I would also like to meet regularly with constituents if elected as I really want to represent their views as close as possible and I think meeting them regularly is a good way to get a general feel for their thoughts on the issues of the day which is important.
I got to the last 200/300 and lost out on going to stage 4 unfortunately.

Hard luck, you got quite close as well.

Well policies depend largely on who you're talking to. The three that I would generally ask canvassers would be:

Environment,
Economy,
Irish language.

target shooter 13

Grudaire wrote: »

Hard luck, you got quite close as well.

Well policies depend largely on who you're talking to. The three that I would generally ask canvassers would be:

Environment,
Economy,
Irish language.

The environment is important to me, I often had ideas to make it better but they don't appear viable right now because of point number 2 the economy. I could promise you the sun moon and stars at your door but it wouldn't make it true, I don't want to pretend I'll do something if I know I can't just to scam a vote out of someone. But now that you mention that I will do all I can to find a realistic way of protecting it. Some things that came to mind that may be possible is increase littering fines or to invest in wave energy from the sea? What do you think of that?
The economy, I have highlighted my ideas so far on how to make that better but that is definitely something I will be educating myself on heavily over the next 2 years.
I'm not going to lie I don't think Irish should be compulsory after 1st year in second level I think people are old enough to decide at that stage. That's most likely not what you want to hear since you asked that question but hey honesty has got to mean something too right?

By the way this is the kind of thing I would like to do with my constituents in the local hall or some where similar if I got elected, would you like that about a politician or would you say he was lazy?

target shooter 13

By the way this is the kind of thing I would like to do with my constituents in the local hall or some where similar if I got elected, would you like that about a politician or would you say he was lazy?[/quote]

Maybe a different hall each week on a rota so people know where to find you?

Grudaire

I think a lot of your ideas are unpolished, and it feels like you almost want you constituents to make decisions for you.

Perhaps running for a party like ddi would be a better idea, rather than trying to be everything to everyone

target shooter 13

Grudaire wrote: »

I think a lot of your ideas are unpolished, and it feels like you almost want you constituents to make decisions for you.

Perhaps running for a party like ddi would be a better idea, rather than trying to be everything to everyone

That doesn't surprise me since I only started thinking about it 3days ago so a fair observation I'd say, I have a long way to go no doubt about it but I'm a strong believer in following up on what you want to do in your life no matter how far fetched the idea might seem. That's not what I want, I just think that taking your constituents views into account is an important thing for a politician to do. For example if there was a debate in the daíl I would form my own ideas on the issue whatever it may be and then by talking to constituents regularly afterwards I could advance those ideas further and ultimately make a better contribution to the debate in my next sitting, that's my vision for the ideal politician someone you can approach and reason with not a stuck up bigot who you only see come election time. I haven't heard of ddi but I'll look it up, thanks for the suggestion.

Godge

target shooter 13 wrote: »

And yes we need educated politicians for ministerial positions but aside from that I think we need a political system that represents demographically the rest of the population. Are you honestly telling me that this is not enough to get qualified graduates and economists?
hese are the pay and perks that Enda Kenny and the other 225 members of Leinster House receive.
1 – Basic wage of a TD: € 92,672
2 – Basic wage of a Senator: € 65,621
Additional payments for TDs are as follows:
3 – Additional payment for a Minister of State: €37,370
4 – Additional payment for super Ministers of State: € 17,205 (plus € 37,370 above)
5 – Minister (€ 76,603)
6 – Tanaiste (€ 91,733)
7 – Taoiseach (€ 107,328)
8 – Ceann Comhairle (€ 76,603)
9 – Leas Ceann Comhairle (€ 37,370)
10 – Chairpersons of Oireachtas committees (Andrew Doyle, Ciarán Lynch, Dominic Hannigan, Alex White, Pat Breen,Jerry Buttimer, Joanna Tuffy, Peadar Tóibín, Damien English, David Stanton, Thomas Pringle, Seán Barrett, John McGuinness , Tom Hayes): €9,500
11 – Member of Oireachtas Commission (Senator John Whelan, Senator Tom Sheahan, Senator Marc MacSharry, Deputy Frank Feighan, Deputy Dan Neville, Deputy John Browne, Deputy Catherine Byrne, Deputy Jack Wall ): €9,500
Chief whips
12 – Chief Whip (Paul Kehoe): no payment specified in One Stop Shop
13 – Assistant Government Whip (Emmet Stagg): €15,000
14 – Whip to Labour Party (Emmet Stagg): no payment specified in One Stop Shop
15 – Asst Whip to Fine Gael (Joe Carey): €7,500
16 – Asst Whip to Labour (John Lyons): €6,000
17 – Whip to Fianna Fail (Sean O’Fearghail): €19,000
18 – Asst Whip to Fianna Fail (John Browne): €9,500
19 – Whip to Sinn Fein (Aengus Ó Snodaigh): €6,000
20 – Asst Whip to Sinn Fein (Jonathan O’Brien): €3,000
21 – Whip to Socialist Party : €6,000
22 – Whip to People Before Profit : €6,000
Additional payments for Senators are as follows
22 – Cathaoirleach (Paddy Burke): €44,336
23 – Leas-Chathaoirleach (Denis O’Donovan): €24,429
24 – Leader of the Seanad (Maurice Cummins): €19,439
25 – Deputy Leader of the House (Ivana Bacik): €9,500
26 – Government Whip (Paul Coghlan): €6,000
27 – Assistant Government Whip (Susan O’Keeffe): €4,000
28 – Fianna Fáil Leader (Darragh O’Brien): €9,500
29 – Independent Group of Nominee Senators’ Leader (Jillian Van Turnhout): €6,000
30 – Independent Group of University Senators’ Leader (Ronan Mullen): €6,000
31 – Fianna Fáil Whip (Diarmuid Wilson): €6,000
32 – Independent Group of Nominee Senators’ Whip (Katherine Zappone): €4,000
33 – Independent Group of University Senators’ Whip (Sean Barrett): €4,000
34 – Select Committee on Members’ Interests of Seanad Éireann (Ivana Bacik, Deirdre Clune,David Cullinane, Maurice Cummins, Ronan Mullen, Darragh O’Brien, Jillian Turnhout) : €3,100 per annum
Pensions
35 – TDs and senators contribute 6% of their salary a year for up to a maximum of 20 years in order to benefit from the Dail pension scheme. It is a final salary scheme which allows for a maximum of ½ the final salary to be paid for life from aged 65 – 1/40th of final salary is accrued for each year of service. It provides for a lump sum upon retirement and it is possible to take early retirement from age 50.
Allowances
36 – Travel and Accommodation: €12,000 – €37,850 per annum depending on distance from the Leinster House. Senators get paid €7,000 – €32,850 per annum and so-called “office holders” get paid €8,400 – €36,150 per annum
Public Representation Allowance: €15,000 for TDs (no evidence of expenditure required – unvouched) or up to €25,700 (supported by invoices and receipts – vouched); Ministers €12,000 (unvouched) to €20,000 (vouched); Senators €9,250 (unvouched) to €15,000 (vouched)
37 – Dual abode allowance: This applies to ministers only and allows Ministers to claim tax deductions on mortgages, rental or hotel accommodation PLUS tax deductions for maintaining property and other expenses which can be up to €6,500.
38 – Ministers can claim a tax deduction on the interest on any loan required to purchase a second residence.
39 – Ministers can claim a tax deduction on maintenance required on any second residence. € 6,500
40 – Ministers can claim the entire cost of rental accommodation if their second residence is rented.
41 – Ministers can claim a tax deduction on the cost of maintaining a second rented residence.
42 – As an alternative to 41 Ministers can claim a tax deduction of €4,500
43 – If Ministers use a hotel or guest house as a second residence they an claim for the entire cost IN ADDITION to €72.66 for subsistence.
44 – If Ministers use a hotel or guest house as a second residence they an claim for maintenance costs (e.g. laundry)
45 – As an alternative to 44 Ministers can claim €3,500
46 – Allowance for Independent TDs
€ 41,152 per annum each for the 18 independent TDs (Stephen Donnelly, Luke Flanagan, Mick Wallace, Shane Ross, Thomas Pringle, Michael Healy-Rae, Michael Lowry, Finian McGrath, Mattie McGrath, Tom Fleming, Noel Grealish, John Halligan, Catherine Murphy, Maureen O’Sullivan PLUS four TDs who have had the party whip removed Tommy Broughan, Willie Penrose, Denis Naughten and Patrick Nulty ).
47 – Allowance for Independent Senators
€ 23,388 for 11 independent senators (John Crown, David Norris, Sean Barrett, Martin McAleese, Feargal Quinn, Ronan Mullen, Fiach Mac Conghail, Marie-Louise O’Donnell, Jillian van Turnhout, Katherine Zappone, Mary Ann O’Brien.
48 – Termination payments:
These are due to of a lump sum upon termination PLUS a monthly payment for up to a year. As long as you have at least six months service in either the Dail or Seanad, you get a termination payment of two months salary. The monthly payment depends on how many years you’ve been a TD or senator eg for five years, you get three months at 75% of your salary. If you have over 14 years service, then you’d be entitled to 6 months at 75% of salary plus the following six months at 50% of salary.
49 – Mileage Allowances
50 – Each minister and minister of state, except An Taoiseach, An Tanaiste and justice minister, is entitled to recruit two drivers apiece at a cost which is charged to each department.
51 – Attendance of a TD at a “parliamentary assembly” carries hotel expenses and a subsistence allowance for “entertaining”
52 – Parliamentary assistants allowance (no requirement by Oireachtas members to report appointing members of their own families)
Up to €41,092 per TD for secretarial assistance, PR, IT and training
€8,000 per TD to set up and kit out a constituency office
Additional perks
53 – Free parking in central Dublin (normal cost €12 per day approx)
54 – Free gym
55 – Free subsidised restaurant
56 – Private members bar with subsidised drinks
57 – Free tax advice service
58 – Free language lessons
59 – Postage: – 1,500 free postage items per month for TDs and 1,000 for senators.
60 – Free ink cartridges: up to the value of €2000 annually
61 – Free unlimited telephone calls (landline)
62 – Mobile phone allowance: €750 every 18 months
63 – Free office in Leinster House for TDs & Senators
64 – VHI free
65 – Free Automobile A insurance
66 – Free car insurance.
67 – Free personal accident and death insurance
68 – Individual state funding for political parties.”

Where did you get all this information from?

In particular, free car insurance? free personal accident and death insurance? free AA insurance? VHI free? free tax advice service? I don't believe these are true.

Yes, some allowances are outrageous, the allowance for independent T.D.s in particular is a disgrace. The Dail bar is also a disgrace.

However, in my jobs over the years, I have had a mobile phone, an office and a free landline. I had language lessons paid for in one job that required it. There was a subsidised restaurant in a few jobs. I have had civil service mileage allowances in both the private and public sectors. Many of these are normal things for anyone doing any job.

As for the salary, I would not do Enda Kenny's job for the money he is paid and the abuse he receives. Neither would I do one of the Minister's jobs for what they get. A backbench T.D. in a safe seat able to drink in the Dail bar might be interesting but if I had to go to every chicken dinner in the constituency and every funeral in order to keep a safe seat I would probably go mad.

Craiggers

Start watching the oireachteas channel pal see what your against morons of the highest degree.
I too have been paying closer attention to politics in Ireland and I'm not much older than you.
it is ridiculous the amount of time and money wasted through various tribunals who at the end of them cannot someone accountable as it cannot stand in court.

Encouraging to see youth having an interest in politics and wanting to better this country to the prosperity and fluid running it deserves.

The big things people of Ireland look for and really care about let's face it is their health their family and their wealth. Main factors for any person in Ireland everything else is secondary because people are greedy and care about no.1 first.

So to get them to vote for you your obviously gonna look at creation of jobs improving health sector e.g more nurse doctors etc etc and education college fees abolished, (yes were still waiting fat rabbit) get rid of porta cabins from schools build permanent up to standard buildings.

We are surrounded by sea why we are not researching and harnessing wave energy is a total mystery. Wind energy too they will look far better then new pylons that's for certain. Let's be progressive and move away from burning fuel lets think ahead and outside the box and stop been dictated by corporations they have already made enough money.

The dreaded and feared cannabis yes let's legalise and embrace the natural plant create jobs revenue tourism Amsterdam seems to be doing alright not a nation of stoners less users per capita then the US of A. Gateway drug if legalised urban myth hence why once again the good ole US of A has a higher usage rate of the white stuff per capita then the Netherlands. The facts don't lie, people do remember the church on condoms? Yeah same thing is gonna happen.

Colorado 5 million big ones in its first week of sale. Ireland will wait until everyone else has done it before us and then we will import it from them so we lose out on the creation of jobs in cultivation and packaging more that could be in the government pockets. Could continue on about Garda resources but we will leave that for another day.

The judicial system lets bring it up to date and put the rat bast3*ds in jail for fraud of banks that brought the country to its knees and give tribunal evidence some worth to hold up in court. At the moment it's such a waste a taxpayers money.

While your at it the education system lets update the curriculum needs an overhaul lets teach more practical subjects in schools and do away with religion

The Seanad needs to go along with ff FG sf labour and the rest of the parties outdated lets get with the times people. Reform the Dail as it debates are pointless when there is actually no one there don't you think? And regardless of debate the government are going to reject or pass bills because they have majority stupid whip system each TD should vote on matters according how there constituencies see it. After all that's who put the TDs in the hotseat.
As we much as we like to think we live in a democracy we don't it's another urban myth once they parties are in power they do not care what we think.

We need a dictator I vote Michael o Leary at least then country might be run efficiently.

But hey what do I know at my tender age.

I urge anyone who has spare time look up various Russell brand interviews and dare I say it rapper immortal technique on info wars.com I was skeptical at first of a rapper talking about politics but his intelligence and how tuned into current affairs will amaze you.

VIVA LA REVOLUTION