Off Topic Thread 4.0

Synode

errlloyd wrote: »

Does anyone know of any health insurance plan that is particularly good for Physio / sports injuries.

I have to get health insurance because my new employer doesn't offer it. It's pretty much all I ever claimed on so I want to get the correct one.

We have Simply Connect Plus with Laya. They give you 50% back on doctor and physio visits etc. You take a picture and upload it and they put the money in your account very quickly. Been good for me as I done my ankle in last year.

errlloyd

Synode wrote: »

We have Simply Connect Plus with Laya. They give you 50% back on doctor and physio visits etc. You take a picture and upload it and they put the money in your account very quickly. Been good for me as I done my ankle in last year.

Table of benefits looks good. Although I find it mad that it covers 50% of homeopathy but no adult counselling!

Does Laya have a video GP service (I find that handy as **** for getting referrrals and prescriptions).

Synode

errlloyd wrote: »

Table of benefits looks good. Although I find it mad that it covers 50% of homeopathy but no adult counselling!

Does Laya have a video GP service (I find that handy as **** for getting referrrals and prescriptions).

Think it does. I remember the wife saying something about it. I've never used it though

mfceiling

errlloyd wrote: »

Table of benefits looks good. Although I find it mad that it covers 50% of homeopathy but no adult counselling!

Does Laya have a video GP service (I find that handy as **** for getting referrrals and prescriptions).

Definitely read the small print in your policies. Before I got the hernia op I was offered the option of having it done a day earlier in Blackrock Clinic.....until I found out I was liable for 60% of the cost of the room for the night....which was €1500 a night. So just €900 for the overnight stay as opposed to free of charge in Vincent's private!!

stephen_n

errlloyd wrote: »

Table of benefits looks good. Although I find it mad that it covers 50% of homeopathy but no adult counselling!

Does Laya have a video GP service (I find that handy as **** for getting referrrals and prescriptions).

Simply connect plus covers 6 sessions of counseling, as do nearly all Laya Plans. It doesn’t cover claim backs though, so you can’t use it for a counselor you’re already seeing. Though they are suggesting they will start covering psychotherapy soon. Currently they give up to 50% back off 8 visits to a clinical psychologist.

Bazzo

errlloyd wrote: »

Table of benefits looks good. Although I find it mad that it covers 50% of homeopathy but no adult counselling!

Does Laya have a video GP service (I find that handy as **** for getting referrrals and prescriptions).

I don't see why they'd ever cover homeopathy. Are they hoping you'll die before you get sicker?

Bazzo

Has anyone tried donating blood in the UK before? I'm O- so I try to whenever I can but it's ****ing impossible. Drop ins don't exist, it's all by appointment. I live in a big city so there's a permanent donation centre here but the only available appointments are pretty much 9-5 Monday to Friday which is the square root of **** all use. Doesn't stop them blowing up my inbox trying to guilt me into donating though. Back home it's as simple as me getting a text to tell me they're in the locality on X date and I drop down any time after work and just wait to be called.

mfceiling

Anytime I donated in the north it was a drop in service. They'd put an ad up saying they'd be in the local club/hotel etc on a certain day and you just rocked up. Maybe it's different there?

Bazzo

mfceiling wrote: »

Anytime I donated in the north it was a drop in service. They'd put an ad up saying they'd be in the local club/hotel etc on a certain day and you just rocked up. Maybe it's different there?

Yeah must be different on the mainland.. it's ****ing maddening, they must be throwing money at advertising but then only taking donations during business hours

Neil3030

mfceiling wrote: »

Anytime I donated in the north it was a drop in service.

And with that single omitted hyphen, mfceiling inadvertenly sparked the North-South healthcare war, that ultimately led to a furious UK annexing Louth.

Stheno

Christ almighty I work with some complete ****ing muppets

MaybeMaybe

Stheno wrote: »

Christ almighty I work with some complete ****ing muppets

sure give us the story then.

swiwi_

If there was ever a textbook example of a guy pontificating in his columns before turning out to be a complete and utter spoofer then it’s Shane Ross.

stephen_n

swiwi_ wrote: »

If there was ever a textbook example of a guy pontificating in his columns before turning out to be a complete and utter spoofer then it’s Shane Ross.

Looks like he’ll be going back to his column soon.

swiwi_

swiwi_ wrote: »

If there was ever a textbook example of a guy pontificating in his columns before turning out to be a complete and utter spoofer then it’s Shane Ross.

At a local level he's an extremely involved politician and if there is a problem within his constituency he will show up day 1 and keep chasing things until whatever issue is well on it's way to being resolved.

We had a major issue at our creche last year and he was there 7:00am the next morning taking peoples information and a month later he was still sending on information about free creche places showing up in the area.

As minister I'm not sure what he has done wrong but he seems to be considered a failure by most.

He's made some foolish remarks and hanging out of Katie Taylor was an awful look - but he seems to get an unreasonable amount of hate considering.

Squidgy Black

[Deleted User] wrote: »

At a local level he's an extremely involved politician and if there is a problem within his constituency he will show up day 1 and keep chasing things until whatever issue is well on it's way to being resolved.

We had a major issue at our creche last year and he was there 7:00am the next morning taking peoples information and a month later he was still sending on information about free creche places showing up in the area.

As minister I'm not sure what he has done wrong but he seems to be considered a failure by most.

He's made some foolish remarks and hanging out of Katie Taylor was an awful look - but he seems to get an unreasonable amount of hate considering.

I mean his handling of the FAI situation was fairly ridiculous, and also how he responded to criticism of the Greyhound board funding. He's also been minister of transport and perceived to have done absolutely nothing about the system in his tenure.

I wouldn't say it's an unreasonable amount of hate, no more than any other failing minister, like Murphy or Harris.

He also didn't help himself by sticking himself in the limelight frequently for photo opportunities with any Irish sports star.

irishbucsfan

The "Dominant Puspure" gaffe is legitimately one of the stupidest (hilarious) things we've seen from an Irish politician in years.

stephen_n

Deleted User wrote: »

At a local level he's an extremely involved politician and if there is a problem within his constituency he will show up day 1 and keep chasing things until whatever issue is well on it's way to being resolved.

We had a major issue at our creche last year and he was there 7:00am the next morning taking peoples information and a month later he was still sending on information about free creche places showing up in the area.

As minister I'm not sure what he has done wrong but he seems to be considered a failure by most.

He's made some foolish remarks and hanging out of Katie Taylor was an awful look - but he seems to get an unreasonable amount of hate considering.

The Garda station for Stepaside was one of the most galling pieces of parish pump politics and hypocrisy by anyone TD ever.

stephen_n

stephen_n wrote: »

The Garda station for Stepaside was one of the most galling pieces of parish pump politics and hypocrisy by anyone TD ever.

There's something like 5000 new housing units within 3 miles of that site. It's been one of the most developed regions the last 5 years.

It's not unjustified at all, it's just not that urgent as the projects are only half complete.

stephen_n

Deleted User wrote: »

There's something like 5000 new housing units within 3 miles of that site. It's been one of the most developed regions the last 5 years.

It's not unjustified at all, it's just not that urgent as the projects are only half complete.

Multiple reviews by the Gardaí and the department of justice found against it being reopened. It was a purely political decision not a strategic one and not one the Gardaí wanted.

swiwi_

Deleted User wrote: »

At a local level he's an extremely involved politician and if there is a problem within his constituency he will show up day 1 and keep chasing things until whatever issue is well on it's way to being resolved.

We had a major issue at our creche last year and he was there 7:00am the next morning taking peoples information and a month later he was still sending on information about free creche places showing up in the area.

As minister I'm not sure what he has done wrong but he seems to be considered a failure by most.

He's made some foolish remarks and hanging out of Katie Taylor was an awful look - but he seems to get an unreasonable amount of hate considering.

It's obvious a culture difference between NZ and Ireland, but in NZ you'd never really turn to politicians for help unless absolutely required and generally for big ticket items. I was gobsmacked the first time I heard someone tell me they contacted their local TD to get help with a passport. That kind of thing would be really poorly viewed back home, you'd certainly not volunteer such information in a casual conversation, and I'm not sure the politician would be inclined to help either "so you're asking me to help you skip the queue...?". It's a strength and a weakness of Irish politics, but I sort of feel some very shady politicians keep themselves in power by doing the maximum amount of "favours" for their local constituents while contributing nothing to making the country itself run better.

molloyjh

swiwi_ wrote: »

It's obvious a culture difference between NZ and Ireland, but in NZ you'd never really turn to politicians for help unless absolutely required and generally for big ticket items. I was gobsmacked the first time I heard someone tell me they contacted their local TD to get help with a passport. That kind of thing would be really poorly viewed back home, you'd certainly not volunteer such information in a casual conversation, and I'm not sure the politician would be inclined to help either "so you're asking me to help you skip the queue...?". It's a strength and a weakness of Irish politics, but I sort of feel some very shady politicians keep themselves in power by doing the maximum amount of "favours" for their local constituents while contributing nothing to making the country itself run better.

We're massively over represented here which makes that stuff so much more likely. But yeah it's awful. And people wonder why the big items dont get fixed. It's because far too many TDs are doing the job of a local councillor. And that's because that's what the people demand of them. Then those same people get pissed when the health system is in crap or housing is a mess.

It's like the WW article recently that said something along the lines of the following re people protesting the housing situation:

What do we want?
More housing!
Where do we want it?
Not here!

We bring this on ourselves and then just refuse to take responsibility for that.

swiwi_

molloyjh wrote: »

We're massively over represented here which makes that stuff so much more likely. But yeah it's awful. And people wonder why the big items dont get fixed. It's because far too many TDs are doing the job of a local councillor. And that's because that's what the people demand of them. Then those same people get pissed when the health system is in crap or housing is a mess.

It's like the WW article recently that said something along the lines of the following re people protesting the housing situation:

What do we want?
More housing!
Where do we want it?
Not here!

We bring this on ourselves and then just refuse to take responsibility for that.

I honestly think Ireland would be better run if a proportion of TDs were elected based on the party vote and didn't represent an electorate. Then their re-election would purely depend on the party's achievements and nothing to do with helping John & Mary get planning permission or whatever. Unless you are a minister in Ireland, your best bet is to avoid coming to the Dail and spending as much time as possible as effectively a local councillor like you say.

prawnsambo

If we had the same proportion of TDs to population as the UK, we'd probably just have around 60 - 70.

swiwi_

swiwi_ wrote: »

It's obvious a culture difference between NZ and Ireland, but in NZ you'd never really turn to politicians for help unless absolutely required and generally for big ticket items. I was gobsmacked the first time I heard someone tell me they contacted their local TD to get help with a passport. That kind of thing would be really poorly viewed back home, you'd certainly not volunteer such information in a casual conversation, and I'm not sure the politician would be inclined to help either "so you're asking me to help you skip the queue...?". It's a strength and a weakness of Irish politics, but I sort of feel some very shady politicians keep themselves in power by doing the maximum amount of "favours" for their local constituents while contributing nothing to making the country itself run better.

I wouldn't go near a politician over a passport and I don't think that would be considered the norm at all. The issue in my area impacted a not insignificant number of people so it was relevant at a political level and was reported in the news. It wasn't about skipping a queue, it was about letting local services know that the queue had just become 5 times bigger.

There is a huge local parish aspect to Irish politics and I agree that it produces no end of gombeenism but I'm not sure how quick I'd be to change it or reduce the size of the Dail.

stephen_n wrote: »

Multiple reviews by the Gardaí and the department of justice found against it being reopened. It was a purely political decision not a strategic one and not one the Gardaí wanted.

A report came out in 2016 / 17 from the Gardai recommending it be reopened along with 5 others. There were suggestions at the time it was stroke politics.

It was never a vote winner for me as I accepted that the stations which were originally cut were likely cut based on numbers and projections. I also didn't notice a particular increase in crime (albeit reported crime is up locally) or a decrease in Garda presence. If Stepaside was a marginal call to begin with to lose the station, the population growth could well have it as one of the most under resourced areas in the country.

It's just much easier to sell the idea that this is entitled people demanding something they don't need.

dregin

Deleted User wrote: »

At a local level he's an extremely involved politician and if there is a problem within his constituency he will show up day 1 and keep chasing things until whatever issue is well on it's way to being resolved.

We had a major issue at our creche last year and he was there 7:00am the next morning taking peoples information and a month later he was still sending on information about free creche places showing up in the area.

As minister I'm not sure what he has done wrong but he seems to be considered a failure by most.

He's made some foolish remarks and hanging out of Katie Taylor was an awful look - but he seems to get an unreasonable amount of hate considering.

The problem is as a minister he was responsible for the country - not stepaside.

swiwi_

dregin wrote: »

The problem is as a minister he was responsible for the country - not stepaside.

In any case, he got his wish. Looks like the good people of Dublin Rathdown have asked him to step aside.

(I'll keep an eye on how this election result plays out - maybe FF and FG have to become best buddies after all)

sydthebeat

swiwi_ wrote: »

..... but I sort of feel some very shady politicians keep themselves in power by doing the maximum amount of "favours" for their local constituents while contributing nothing to making the country itself run better.

see Michael Lowry.

QED

The Lost Sheep

molloyjh wrote: »

We're massively over represented here which makes that stuff so much more likely. But yeah it's awful. And people wonder why the big items dont get fixed. It's because far too many TDs are doing the job of a local councillor. And that's because that's what the people demand of them. Then those same people get pissed when the health system is in crap or housing is a mess.

It's like the WW article recently that said something along the lines of the following re people protesting the housing situation:

What do we want?
More housing!
Where do we want it?
Not here!

We bring this on ourselves and then just refuse to take responsibility for that.

we are over represented but you have to change system to really overhaul things. We're one of just two countries in world to use this form of voting for our parliament. Too many tds do take on role of councillors but all politics is local is huge here. We dont go to councillors for all too many things they could.

swiwi_ wrote: »

I honestly think Ireland would be better run if a proportion of TDs were elected based on the party vote and didn't represent an electorate. Then their re-election would purely depend on the party's achievements and nothing to do with helping John & Mary get planning permission or whatever. Unless you are a minister in Ireland, your best bet is to avoid coming to the Dail and spending as much time as possible as effectively a local councillor like you say.

I wouldnt agree with a change like that.
But if you look at some examples Michael Lowry always tops the poll in tipp and contributes little to nothing in leinster house in terms of speaking in dail debates but excellent at getting things done for his constituents if you looked at tallies of tipp constituency he gets ridiculous high percentages of votes in his home town because of all jobs etc he pulls favours for. The same can be said for people countrywide Healy rates in Kerry and plenty others who dont get in media for good or bad like those 3

Neil3030

Irish political logic is to expect the government to do everything for you, while maintaining that they are utterly corrupt and not trustworthy with tax money.