The 70's and 80's in Ireland

Mongfinder General

jmayo wrote: »

AFAIK the Talbot Horizon beat the Ritmo to European car of the year.
Who the fook picked these things. :eek:



And the insurance costs weren't helped when PMPA went bust because guess what folks ...

Yes a dodgy ex teacher and civil servant businessman and great friend of one cj haughey called Joe Moore who founded and ran a car insurance company called PMPA had basically set up a dodgy bank.
Well what do you know there were examples of badly run banks connected to fianna fail politicians in early 1980s.

BTW Patrick Gallagher, another friend of one cj haughey had also run a dodgy bank (Merchant banking) in late 70s and early 80s.
He did jail in Northern Ireland because there was no hope he would ever do it here with his connections.

Anyone see a trend here ?

I know people that worked in PMPA who were forcibly sent out to canvass for fianna fail politicians.
David Andrews was dumped off the PMPA panel because he voted against haughey in one of the heaves of the early 80s.

Anyway in 1983 the Government had to bail out PMPA which had over 30% of the car insurance market and they slapped on a 2% levy on every insurance policy.
A levy which lasted until the 1992 to be replaced by a 3% levy.
And there was also the AIB ICI collapse which also cost the taxpayer hundreds of millions.

Now does any of this sound vaguely familiar to what happened in the last 10 odd years ?

We do repeat our mistakes in this country, and they just get much bigger. :rolleyes:

Fitzgerald the fool put that levy on after the bail out. The FG govt should have taken a stake in it but just handed over the money when they didn’t need to. That government was hopeless. They raised the income tax rate to 65% plus add ons. They continued to batter the PAYE worker to the point were you could go on he dole and work on the black and be much better off.

Hotblack Desiato

Exactly, if AIB had been forced to hand over ~25% of the bank to the state in exchange for the ICI bailout then maybe they would have learned their lesson and actually started to run their business properly...

SharpshooterTom

Interesting the amount of slagging off the 20th century gets.

Of course the 21st century so far has brought us:

- 9/11
- Iraq War
- Afghanistan War
- Big Brother/X factor and other Reality TV programs
- Worldwide Financial crisis (worst since the great depression)
- Islamic extremism and terrorist attacks across Europe (albeit terrorism was around in the 20th century)
- Disintegration of Iraq and the middle east & Syrian civil war
- Austerity (well it is in the UK where I live)
- Brexit/potential disintegration of the EU
- Erosion of civil liberties

Of course not to mention two of the most powerful people this century have been Trump and Bush.

And if Trump gets a second term they'll have been the two most powerful people on the planet for 16 years out of the 24 years of this century so far.

Count Down

Travellers were 'Itinerants' or 'Tinkers' and lived in horse-drawn caravans.
The Raleigh Chopper was the bike to be seen on but was unsuitable for cycling any distance over a mile because it was so heavy and the saddle cut the arse out of you. Also the gears were shyte - always slipping and it was virtually impossible to get it to stay in 2nd gear. Otherwise a great bike.
The FA cup final was the sporting event of the year in the 70s and 80s, and our estate would be empty for the 90 or so minutes. Immediately after the final whistle there'd be a mad invasion of the green and everyone would be kicking balls around, re-enacting the goals and saves. Always remember after the 1973 final when Sunderland beat Leeds everyone was raving about Sunderland keeper Jim Montgomery's save, and trying to imitate it by deflecting the ball onto an imaginary crossbar!
It was an era that signalled the end of the British motor industry, with gradual demise of such brands as Hillman, British Leyland, Morris, Austin, and Rover. And partly because of the Japanese brands such as Datsun (Nissan) and Toyota which were cheaper and had better equipment as standard, such as a radio or even a rear wiper!
And Airfix kits! I had loads of them and when I got fed up with them I'd burn them, simulating a crash landing and would attempt to rescue the pilot before the cockpit would be engulfed in flame, often getting burnt fingers in the process.:o

The Crowman

I remember there being a lot of paranoia about cults in Ireland in the 80's. I recall in primary school one of our teachers going on about cults "brainwashing" people, I had no idea what that meant. There were Hare Krishnas in our town and my mother was always warning us to stay away from them. There was also a lot of controversy about what we called "hippys" or what would now be known as new age travellers or crusties though I don't remember that term being used till about the early 90's.

Chris_Heilong

I grew up in the 80s so was too young to see the bad parts, everyday was sunny and we played with friends outside, got to see great sci-fi films like the Terminator, British comedy tv, Early morning kids cartoons. We had a VHS and a home phone but unemployment hit my family from time to time. Saw Video game consoles come around as one of my friends had a Nintendo around 87, everything just kept getting better and the future looked promising, then the 90s hit and you started to see the cracks with social housing, depressed people every where I would say it came down to me being more aware of what was going on. I think it was only around 96 things started to get good again.

jmayo

Count Down wrote: »

...
It was an era that signalled the end of the British motor industry, with gradual demise of such brands as Hillman, British Leyland, Morris, Austin, and Rover. And partly because of the Japanese brands such as Datsun (Nissan) and Toyota which were cheaper and had better equipment as standard, such as a radio or even a rear wiper!

By 1970 British Leyland with Tony Benn cheerleading had Austin, Morris, MG, Rover, Land Rover, Jag, Triumph all as part of the one state owned strike ridden stable.

And what did they do, but dole out shyte such as Morris Marina, Austin Allegro, Rover SD1, Triumph TR7.
Even the original Range Rover was using a hodge podge of parts from BL.
Ever notice the same door handles as a Marina.

It wasn't just cheaper and more standard equipment that made the very rust prone Japanese cars a better bet, it was the way superior build quality and reliability.

By the 1980s BL were using the Austin, Jag, Rover branding instead of an association with BL and they had split the business into cars for the masses and more upmarket stuff.
And that decade they gave us such delights as the Metro, Maestro, Montego.
They had a bit of M thing going on.

Hell the Williams developed Metro 6R4 was a flop and hardly finished a world rally championship event even if it sounded great.

Even the link up with Honda could not save them.

Today the only British owned motor car manufacturer is Morgan AFAIK.

dermo888

begbysback wrote: »

Stolen cars - where I grew up there was no facilities to keep older lads occupied so they usually stole cars, they even stole back out of the Garda station when they took them.

Strangely enough one of my foremost memories is of being able to leave the key in the hall door permanently.

The men you don't see any more, the insurance man, the video man, the toffee apple man.

Break dancing and roller skating, football matches with jumpers as goalposts.

Trips to frawleys and the denim shop a couple of doors away (can't remember it's name) on Thomas street for the latest fashion!!

Ear phones with a player as big as a book

The shop on Thomas Street for Denim was Fitzgeralds.

knipex

topper75 wrote: »

.

An Irish CB ran the rate for the punt. It was a currency/rate for OUR economy, not for a depressed German banking sector or a roaring Parisian property market. It was ours. By us, for us.

You have a very selective memory. The punt was pegged to sterling until (I think) 1979 when it joined the the EMS.

topper75 wrote: »

.
And our politicians gave that away without ever asking us.

Do you not remember the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty

Billy86

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Of course the 21st century so far has brought us:

- 9/11
- Iraq War
- Afghanistan War
- Big Brother/X factor and other Reality TV programs
- Worldwide Financial crisis (worst since the great depression)
- Islamic extremism and terrorist attacks across Europe (albeit terrorism was around in the 20th century)
- Disintegration of Iraq and the middle east & Syrian civil war
- Austerity (well it is in the UK where I live)
- Brexit/potential disintegration of the EU
- Erosion of civil liberties

The 20th century will see your list, and raise you a war that killed 36mn people or 2.5% of the entire global population, and was still a few weeks away from it's end by this point in the 1918.

Neyite

All the passive smoking.

My parents didn't smoke but even so, there were always ashtrays on the coffee table of the good sitting room for any potential visitors. It would have been the height of rudeness to suggest someone step outside your gaff for their smoke.

People smoked everywhere - in cars and buses and at work. I remember the fug of smoke coming out of the staff room at school. I remember when people could smoke in a hospital ward!

We must have all smelled like ashtrays.

Ipso

Billy86 wrote: »

The 20th century will see your list, and raise you a war that killed 36mn people or 2.5% of the entire global population, and was still a few weeks away from it's end by this point in the 1918.

And the the flu that came afterwards.

Gravelly

the purple tin wrote: »

Remember when people gave wedding presents to newlyweds rather than cash money.
You would get useful things for the house like cutlery set, crockery, bedsheets, an iron, towels and of course the ubiqitous toaster . It would sort of set the couple up in their new house, it must have been quite charming; to use a teapot or something and remember your wedding and think of the person who gave it to you.
I'm not sure when exactly it became the norm to give a big wedge of money in a card as a wedding present, but I imagine if you turned up to a wedding now with a toaster or the like under your arm they would look at you like you had just escaped from the nuthouse.

Badly Drunk Boy wrote: »

It's probably because people these days are 'living in sin' before getting married and have all those everyday appliances (and sets of delph and cutlery) that used to be given as presents.

When myself and my missus got married we got 3 toasters, 3 kettles, and a deep fat fryer. I don't actually remember anything else we got, but for some reason those always stick in my mind. The worst part was that we had been living together for years so we already had a toaster and a kettle. I'd imagine all 3 kettles, toasters, and the deep fat fryer are stuck in a corner of our attic to this day.

SharpshooterTom

Billy86 wrote: »

The 20th century will see your list, and raise you a war that killed 36mn people or 2.5% of the entire global population, and was still a few weeks away from it's end by this point in the 1918.

The first half of the 20th century was a total disaster. Obviously the first 20 years of this century are far better than the first 20 years of the last one.

What to me is a more interesting debate is the comparisons last 20 years of the 20th century vs the first 20 years of this century, which what I was getting at and what this thread is about.

1980's/90's vs 2000s/10s

In terms of music, movies, computer games, TV, politics which decade wins?

SharpshooterTom

Trump and Bush will undoubtedly be a huge part of the 21st century's legacy so far, no getting away from that, particularly if Trump becomes a 2 term president.

James Brown

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Exactly, if AIB had been forced to hand over ~25% of the bank to the state in exchange for the ICI bailout then maybe they would have learned their lesson and actually started to run their business properly...

Bailed out by the tax payer and not having to pay any tax on profits for the next 30 years? They don't need any help.

the purple tin

All mammys' knew how sew, knit, cook and bake. Baking is 'in' at the moment, but all that means is that people like to watch others doing it on the telly.
Back in the day nearly every dessert or afters you got would have been baked: fairy cakes, apple tarts, bread and butter pudding and best of all, baked alaska. Yummers

topper75

knipex wrote: »

You have a very selective memory. The punt was pegged to sterling until (I think) 1979 when it joined the the EMS.





Do you not remember the referendum on the Maastricht Treaty

This sterling link was the case, you are correct, but only because we felt it to be right for us, what with the UK being by far our biggest trading partner. When we chose otherwise, we were free to do so. There is no such choice now for an Irish puppet CB. The euro lock-in was a disaster for Irish banking and we still have not recovered. All our debts are in euro. We can't devalue. We can't set rates. Sovereignty isn't compatible with that.

Hmmm about Maastricht. Were we really about doing away with the punt by vote of the people? I don't think so technically. Admittedly it did tie us into fiscal limitations and it did establish criteria (for all potential entrants) for entry into the euro. But did we actually vote to do the changeover? I would contend no. There was no consultation.

Deise Vu

Neyite wrote: »

All the passive smoking.

My parents didn't smoke but even so, there were always ashtrays on the coffee table of the good sitting room for any potential visitors. It would have been the height of rudeness to suggest someone step outside your gaff for their smoke.

People smoked everywhere - in cars and buses and at work. I remember the fug of smoke coming out of the staff room at school. I remember when people could smoke in a hospital ward!

We must have all smelled like ashtrays.

We had a smoking room ...... in school!! :eek::eek::eek: Mount Sion CBS - Yep a smoking room for fifth and sixth years, what could possibly go wrong?

Masala

Deise Vu wrote: »

We had a smoking room ...... in school!! :eek::eek::eek: Mount Sion CBS - Yep a smoking room for fifth and sixth years, what could possibly go wrong?

I remember 'forging' letters of authorizations from my parents to allow me smoke in 6th Year!! There was never a problem from teachers with it. What an upside down world we lived it.

But to be caught drinking at that age was ' a disgrace' to your parents!!

DEFTLEFTHAND

I think it used to be over 16 for purchasing cigs back in the day.

So makes sense that 5th and 6th yrs could be legally smoking.

hot buttered scones

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote:

I think it used to be over 16 for purchasing cigs back in the day.

As far as I remember there was no age in the 80s anyway. I was regularly sent to the shops to get my dad's fags and newspaper as a primary school kid.

Billy86

Neyite wrote: »

All the passive smoking.

My parents didn't smoke but even so, there were always ashtrays on the coffee table of the good sitting room for any potential visitors. It would have been the height of rudeness to suggest someone step outside your gaff for their smoke.

People smoked everywhere - in cars and buses and at work. I remember the fug of smoke coming out of the staff room at school. I remember when people could smoke in a hospital ward!

We must have all smelled like ashtrays.

One of my earlier childhood memories was being brought to Captain Americans' on Grafton Street for dinner by my parents, and even at probably 5-6 years of age being utterly mystified as to how they planned to keep the smoke from the smoking section out of the non-smoking section.

Even as a smoker now, few things would seem less enjoyable than a long distance flight full of smokers. Even a short flight to Spain or the UK would be a pain, but a 4+ hour flight would be an absolute nightmare.

Hotblack Desiato

The Crowman wrote: »

I recall in primary school one of our teachers going on about cults "brainwashing" people.

God Ted, I’ve heard about those cults. Everyone dressing in black and saying our Lord’s going to come back and judge us all.

Neyite wrote: »

People smoked everywhere - in cars and buses and at work. I remember the fug of smoke coming out of the staff room at school. I remember when people could smoke in a hospital ward!

My mother's aunt used to turn off her oxygen tube, smoke a fag and then turn the oxygen back on again.

Billy86 wrote: »

One of my earlier childhood memories was being brought to Captain Americans' on Grafton Street for dinner by my parents

Did you get to see the picture with the rude word

Billy86

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

The first half of the 20th century was a total disaster. Obviously the first 20 years of this century are far better than the first 20 years of the last one.

What to me is a more interesting debate is the comparisons last 20 years of the 20th century vs the first 20 years of this century, which what I was getting at and what this thread is about.

1980's/90's vs 2000s/10s

In terms of music, movies, computer games, TV, politics which decade wins?

Movies - 80s/90s quite easily. Movies cost too much to make now and TV has bridged the gap in such a way that all the cinema can offer for most is more noticeable visual spectacle (also needed as China is a bigger player than ever, without it the box office market would implode but they also have different language and culture of course - this is why the rom-com and the likes of the buddy cop movie have died a death over this century). The film industry has always been that - an industry there for the purpose of making money - but this is why in more recent times movies have moved further and further from 'works of art' and become more and more simply just 'products'.

TV - 2000s/10s, probably the easiest of the lot to call. All the innovation that has been sucked out of the box office has landed here instead and I think the last 20 years in TV has been one of the more incredible explosions of storytelling and narrative styles and improvements over such a short time in recorded history. You even see the reverse of cinema's change in model at times, where companies are quite happy to take a stab at something or carry on with it through iffy ratings if the reviews are good. This is not out of some form of purism, but because of binge watching/not being bound to it being on at a particular time, they know it can pay off in a big way in the long run. Examples being how Breaking Bad went from a niche show for 3-4 years, to the biggest thing on the planet in it's last year or two, or the sheer amount of money/reputation made off The Wire by HBO since it finished, even though they could barely keep it on the air during it's run.

Music - 80s/90s, but today's music is a lot better than most make out and there is far more choice than there used to be, it's just the chart stuff that is mainly brutal.

Computer games - 2000s/10s, by a huge margin even allowing for time and technological innovations. Some very worrying industry developments have come in more recently, but many of the sheer amount of things you can do now in games weren't even seen as remotely realistic in the 90s, never mind the 80s.

Politics - harder call than I would have thought, nationally I would say now is a lot better but globally I would say things are worse. Interestingly though, the moves to where we now are globally really caught traction in the 80s and continued through the 90s and '00s, and now the 2010s.

SharpshooterTom

Billy86 wrote: »

One of my earlier childhood memories was being brought to Captain Americans' on Grafton Street for dinner by my parents, and even at probably 5-6 years of age being utterly mystified as to how they planned to keep the smoke from the smoking section out of the non-smoking section.

Even as a smoker now, few things would seem less enjoyable than a long distance flight full of smokers. Even a short flight to Spain or the UK would be a pain, but a 4+ hour flight would be an absolute nightmare.

Wasn't smoking banned or partly banned on planes in the 1980s? The ban certainly first came somewhere in that decade.

Billy86

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Did you get to see the picture with the rude word

There was a rude word? And nobody told me!? Ah for f*ck's sake lads, it was 25 years ago, in all that time would someone not have let me know?

SharpshooterTom

Billy86 wrote: »

Computer games - 2000s/10s, by a huge margin even allowing for time and technological innovations. Some very worrying industry developments have come in more recently, but many of the sheer amount of things you can do now in games weren't even seen as remotely realistic in the 90s, never mind the 80s.

Interesting you say that, all my favourite games and favourite consoles are from the 90s.

N64, SNES, NES, Playstation 1 & 2, Sega Megadrive/Mastersystem/Dreamcast etc. Games have better graphics today but I don't think gameplay and innovation is better (again that's just my personal opinion).

You stick me on a remote island for a year and was able to take a set gaming consoles with me I'd easily those consoles listed above over Wii's, XBox, Playstation 3's & 4's.

Billy86

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Wasn't smoking banned or partly banned on planes in the 1980s? The ban certainly first came somewhere in that decade.

Yep, it began in 1988 and was fully done by the late 90s. Then the move to the workplace began in 2004 apparently, though I turned 18 in July of that year and have zero recollection of seeing smoking in any pubs or nightclubs I would have snuck into on a fake ID a friend made for me at around 16 years of age. Maybe most voluntarily began that trend earlier?

Though I do have a very vague memory of Red Box (back when it was Red Box, and seemingly nobody was over 18) being very smoky the first time I went to it. No idea if that was from cigarettes or a smoke machine though because, well, it was Red Box.

Billy86

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Interesting you say that, all my favourite games and favourite consoles are from the 90s.

N64, SNES, NES, Playstation 1 & 2, Sega Megadrive etc. Games have better graphics today but I don't think gameplay and innovation is better (again that's just my personal opinion).

There are some classics from back then for sure and I personally would have had Mario 64 as my favourite game ever made until I played The Witcher 3 about two years back; I've never seen storytelling like in that game before and it blew my absolute mind. To me that is probably the main driver, that the storylines and narratives have become so much better (plus I have a big bias towards open world games, so I'm more than a little skewed toward the more modern in that sense ).

There have been less consoles over the last 20 years but when you look at the likes of the 3D GTA titles, the Fallout, Elder Scrolls and MGS series', just how far strategy games like XCom or Civilization or Total War have come, the continuation of the likes of Mario and Zelda and FF to churn out classic after classic, and then the move into other areas like Minecraft being used as an extremely effective teaching tool, World of Warcraft (really not my style of game, mind you) changing the landscape forever, and scale to where GTAV making more money than any piece of media in the history of humanity, the developments have just been surreal.

I did grow up with 90s games though and do love them, it's just that I feel the medium has pushed on to a whole other level compared to back then when they were essentially viewed as 'kids toys' for the most part... and to be fair the jump to 3D on the PS1 will always be one of the bigger 'WTF!' type of moments in the history of games, even over a hundred years from now.

I'd be bringing my PC (...partly it's got emulators for all those old consoles on it too! ).