Endless Inaction and potential solutions

Idbatterim

Ok folks, basically it appears we are stuck with the shams off FF and Fg, potentially swapping positions as senior and junior party at election time.

varadkar is as big a populists as ahern. when their election slogan " a recovery for all " backfired, they then started throwing money at everyone , each budget, not to alienate anyone. I wont vote FG again (unless tactically as i explain below). I swore I would never vote FF again, but this is my logic, FG have now morphed into FF. If all any of the parties care about is power and for varadkar, power and how many facebook "likes" he will get. If they arent doing an adequate job of dealing with societal problems, and they certainly arent on the housing front, health a joke, crime a joke, infrastructure. I understand it takes time to sort issues, but the length of time it takes here for them to even start discussing issues, never mind dealing with them, is a joke! Dump the senior party out and let FF and FG play musical chairs, until they actually start sorting out issues like health, housing etc... That is the only viable option I see for the electorate, to achieve change...

Also I will hear about this "money tree" who decides that our government pay out world class welfare? hundreds of thousands of low earners pay in as good as nothing into the system in direct taxes, as good as no LPT, no water charges. An outrageous rate of marginal tax however, spare me. We have the lower vat rate on hospitality, which was a recession measure, now costing the exchequer 500,000,000 a year (source below), the hospitality industry are creaming it in again, which I have no problem with, but I have a problem with the lower rate of vat remaining now!

TLDR I am sick of the government inaction and saying but but but "there is no money" etc, when they decide exactly what is collected and spent etc... Its like saying I have no control over my budget, dont make me laugh!

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/lower-vat-rate-for-hospitality-sector-may-be-abolished-1.3150019

If your position is FG are the best of a bad lot, fair enough, but this blind support for them is a joke. I am sure those that bought their homes for next to nothing decades ago and the pensioners, i.e. the Im alright jack brigade, will support them, which doesnt surprise me. Your opinion would be very different if you were dealing with the disgraceful Dublin housing crisis, one reason I reckon they dont want to sort it out, is because of the rural v Dublin power struggle, rural Ireland still has more votes etc, if they do what is needed to be done in Dublin, the population here shoots up and they lose power... but they cant do nothing either , as it wont be tolerated, they do as little as possible to maintain power and maintain the status quo...

I just copied and pasted this from "leo king of ireland" thread. I am putting it here, because it hits the nail on the head and I dont need to write it out again, the way things are, FG are not going to lose their lead, barring something drastic happening. FF need to change something, one of the party members recently said they will consider pulling the plug over the housing issue, if there isnt more action. I would be fully supportive of this, line up their own housing action plan and say if that is not implemented or they cant get enough concession from FG to start turning the tide on housing, they pull the plug and go for an election. With the hundreds of thousands being massacred on rent up and down the country or the rising prices, Id say that will swing a lot of votes their way, who will vote FG if the blatantly have their flag nailed to the "owner" mast and adopt a policy of "to f**k with the rest of them" they might as well be saying to hell or to connaught, because thats where people on even reasonable Dublin incomes, will be looking, the west side of Athlone and the likes! They either must not have parents to bail them out or are not getting up early enough in the morning...

Latest poll puts Leo in the realms of Bertie like popularity.
Despite being down 2 points themselves, Fine Gael still by far the most popular party.
Fianna Fail and Sinn Fein static.
I am just pondering that this might help settle any election notions the opposition might have.
I cant see FF pulling the plug any time soon based on this poll?

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/poli...67548?mode=amp

christy c

I agree with a lot of what you say but I'm not sure I understand your plan. Is it basically whoever is in power we should vote for the other one? I don't mean that in a smart ass way.

Idbatterim

christy c wrote: »

I agree with a lot of what you say but I'm not sure I understand your plan. Is it basically whoever is in power we should vote for the other one? I don't mean that in a smart ass way.

yes exactly, nobody is looking for perfection, far from it, we cant even get the basics right here. Until they start performing adequately, turf them out each election. Now many of the "im alright jack" brigade, will say they are performing adequately. mainly home owners or pensioners, but the rest of us , for the most part will be struggling, in Dublin in particular, the housing situation is beyond any sort of a joke here. A colleague moved to Dublin recently and is settled now, as he knew someone who needed a new house mate, but he said he would have never come over here if he knew what a joke the housing situation was...

Idbatterim

the below post is from the accommodation forum and hits the nail on the head. I also read a great article in the Irish times the other day,basically echoing this sentiment...

Ireland will never be free of this mania until they face up to the fact that you cannot define something as a basic right while flogging it as a national financial panacea out of the other megaphone.

The link between housing and investment has to be shattered. Housing should be a bad investment, a cost sinkhole!

Unfortunately, the vast majority still see owning a home as a must (because renting sucks and because nobody plans for old age aside from owning a property asset) so the govt that breaks this link will go down in flames.

That's leaving aside the fact that our banking system is still horrifically dependent on property.

I think I've just talked myself into leaving (fifth time this week)

the big problem is here, due to the rigged market, renting really is not a good option in most cases, if you can buy... Then you have all the Dellboys bar stool economists buying into property, due to their age and building up assets and saving themselves, or inheritance etc. They then suck everything upwards, the transfer of wealth from young to old. Take a read of the below, nobody in this country would every admit that this is what is happening and encouraged, but it is and it is a moral disgrace! There should be significant hikes in the LPT for a start...

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/lagarde-calls-for-wealth-tax-to-span-income-gap-between-young-and-old-1.3366742

igCorcaigh

FF/FG don't vote for either of them.

I am stuck though, as a left wing person, who do I vote for? Labour aren't left wing. SF are out, for obvious reasons. One have time for WP, but they are not a force. The Trots are predators.

Where is the sensible left of centre alternative?

Idbatterim

you see the problem is they way I see it, with the recovery, its going to be FF and FG, thats it. I dont think there will be this supply and confidence motion next time round, the public wont want to vote again either. My point being, at least with the method I propose, they would have to appease the public more, more than just themselves.

You can argue over left wing or right wing. But many would consider all of our parties to be slightly of or left of centre... We dont even have a centreist party any more in my opinion...