If you could change one thing about Ireland...

sportsfan90

If you could change one thing about Ireland, what would it be?

For me it's the courts system and the sentences handed down. I'm so sick of lenient and suspended sentences that I now just avoid reading about court cases in newspapers. People on 100+ previous convictions pleading with the judge about their tough upbringing and how they've now turned their life around. Absolutely infuriating how it's repeatedly allowed to happen!

I don't care what it takes - they can double my USC to pay for extra prison officers, they can build a massive prison next door to my house, I really don't care how it's done once the scumbags are taken off the streets and there's an actual deterrent for the type of people that feel the law doesn't apply to them.

So what is the one thing (serious or trivial) that you'd like to change about Ireland?

Gimme A Pound

The culture of little to no personal responsibility.

Timberrrrrrrr

The drinking culture.

ArnoldJRimmer

Get rid of Joe Brolly by whatever means necessary

corner of hells

I'd like for winters to be colder, so when the Liffey freezes over , I could skate along it in a sort of winter wonderland scene.
Ok , I'd have to avoid the frozen traffic cones and shopping trolleys but you get my gist.

corkboy38

snakes

Mantis Toboggan

The weather, think France has the best all round climate, I'd happily change ours for theirs.

Gorteen

Inept political and public service decision making

spakman

Weather. It's like fkcng winter out there!

Former Observer

Outlaw private health care and private schools.

Everybody should contribute to the same system. If rich people want their children to go to better schools then they should invest in the whole system.

lawred2

Not so expensive

OldMrBrennan83

The current people.

Junkyard Tom

Its location - the Bay of Biscay would be nice.

dxhound2005

Seize every car, motorbike, bicycle or pedestrian that breaks the rule of the road, and put them into a big crusher.

freshpopcorn

I'd like to change the school system. Mainly the secondary one.
Firstly I'd like to see more practical classes(I know people say your meant to learn it at home but we don't live in an ideal World).
I'd also like to see more subjects/courses being offered especially in the second half of secondary. Some would be for the more academic students and others for the more vocational students.
I'd also look into the amount of subjects you have to study.

Omackeral

I'd like people to support an Irish football team as well as a British one.

Cee-Jay-Cee

Geographical location.

Move it down near the Canary Islands.

JustAThought

The instututional apathy and lack of accountability.

milehip

A few less scumbags would be nice.

Your Face

Pay.

stampydmonkey

Fcuking regulate the legal and insurance professions properly

Church on Tuesday

Midges.

Fr_Dougal

Everyone has to do a minimum of 1 years service in the army upon finishing/dropping out of school.

riclad

Make the housing crisis the no 1 priority ,build 30 k housing units per year ,
give the council money to repair the 1000,s of empty council flats.
Even working people find it hard to find quality rental housing.
The tds, politicians are on high wages ,they are not looking to rent
a small flat or share a house with 4 other tenants .
Some international companys are now avoiding irish citys as a base , because there is a shortage of quality rental units.

Theres no accountability for any one in the government or the civil service,
if someone screws up they might maybe retire early with a nice pension .
When theres a big screw up, the people responsible will not be named .
But there will be committees and investigations which cost millions .
A report will be published which will be vary vague and no person will be named .
eg this happened, that happened ,
some dept or governmnet body did something or was not quick to react to certain events .
Unless someone commits financial fraud , or commits a serious crime ,
no one in the civil service is held to be responsible for anything

imme

Issue people with a love for

Personal Responsibility

jimmycrackcorm

Former Observer wrote: »

Outlaw private health care and private schools.

Everybody should contribute to the same system. If rich people want their children to go to better schools then they should invest in the whole system.

It doesn't improve healthcare. All that does is encourage consultants to move abroad to make money.

And people won't put extra money to the whole education system. I'm fact it's been demonstrated before that many people paying for private schooling are ordinary workers who are making sacrifices to try to give their kids an advantage.

But if the objective is to bring everyone down to the lowest common denominator then why stop there? Nan cars and make everyone just use public transport. Or in fact just go whole North Korea.

Strumms

imme wrote: »

Issue people with a love for

Personal Responsibility

This ^^^

When individuals act in any way to hurt another... instead of doing some sort of digging mission and creating a dossier of ‘hardship’ and using it as a green card to authorize past and further discrepancies...how about we look after those who have and are victimized first and foremost. Bad actions and bad people to in turn pay the price, regardless.

TuringBot47

Fr_Dougal wrote: »

Everyone has to do a minimum of 1 years service in the army upon finishing/dropping out of school.

Yeah, give every scumbag training in how to attack and kill... I can see that ending well.

TuringBot47

While it's all we have at the moment, democracy gives us some of the most inept leaders. Maybe introduce a system where people have to train and complete courses in leadership, do exams and go through serious interviews and screening to become a member of government.

Elemonator

Change the Irish attitudes of begrudgery and the acceptance of mediocrity. Irish people, in my opinion, hate to see their own get ahead and you are instantly communally beaten down for showing any sort of confidence or aspirations and you would be considered to have "notions". I didn't encounter this attitude in the US.

Acceptance of mediocrity. While we are extremely lucky to have what we do have, there is a prevalent attitude of acceptance of mediocrity in all aspects of Irish society. I'd call it the "be grand attitude", whether that be our public transport, wasted potential or our health system.

Nikki Sixx

The people. Nosy, gossipy, back stabbing, begrudging, spiteful, sneery and judgmental. If you broke your back suddenly in Ireland and were wheelchair bound, people would love “feeling sorry” for you.

For Forks Sake

The same threads repeating themselves every three weeks.

Harry Palmr

The "cute hoor" mentality - and the many ways it manifests itself. Politics, law, social attitudes.

sportsfan90

The fact that Conor McGregor was born here.

It's embarrassing when you're abroad that he's the first person some people think of when you mention you're Irish.

olestoepoke

We are a passive aggressive nation. Every month there's a new scandal and as a nation we complain a little and move on. The homeless, the trolleys, the 1m breathalysers, Maurice McCabe, the bankers and the latest one from ESB oil leaks. Dunphy hit the nail on the head when he said we are living in a kip.

Nikki Sixx

The narrow mindedness of most Irish people. Particularly in rural areas.

screamer

I’d give the people here a spine to stand up for themselves. If we did, a lot of the other ****e would change.

olestoepoke

Nikki Sixx wrote: »

The narrow mindedness of most Irish people. Particularly in rural areas.

Yep

_blaaz

Id outlaw needless cynicism and spiteful bitterness



Life is too short for the way so many carry on

Sajid Javid

RTE

Blinky Plebum

How come we are apparently a nation of begrudgers and yet every single person in this country complains about all the begrudgers.

Clearly the real problem is that we're not really a nation of begrudgers we're just a nation of hypocrites.

quokula

Less rain

Sonny noggs

Not enough foreigners

Wheeliebin30

I treat people the way I expect to be treated.

So when I fund their lifestyle, housing and kids financial burden I would like a little in return for my kids even.

Unfortunately it doesn’t happen that way, they don’t care about me or my kids only their own selfish existence.

Cut the leeches off.

Mad_maxx

sportsfan90 wrote: »

If you could change one thing about Ireland, what would it be?

For me it's the courts system and the sentences handed down. I'm so sick of lenient and suspended sentences that I now just avoid reading about court cases in newspapers. People on 100+ previous convictions pleading with the judge about their tough upbringing and how they've now turned their life around. Absolutely infuriating how it's repeatedly allowed to happen!

I don't care what it takes - they can double my USC to pay for extra prison officers, they can build a massive prison next door to my house, I really don't care how it's done once the scumbags are taken off the streets and there's an actual deterrent for the type of people that feel the law doesn't apply to them.

So what is the one thing (serious or trivial) that you'd like to change about Ireland?

Media diversity, might as well be North Korea

Charlie19

Underground rail system linking the airport to the Connoly and Huseton stations.

Mad_maxx

riclad wrote: »

Make the housing crisis the no 1 priority ,build 30 k housing units per year ,
give the council money to repair the 1000,s of empty council flats.
Even working people find it hard to find quality rental housing.
The tds, politicians are on high wages ,they are not looking to rent
a small flat or share a house with 4 other tenants .
Some international companys are now avoiding irish citys as a base , because there is a shortage of quality rental units.

Theres no accountability for any one in the government or the civil service,
if someone screws up they might maybe retire early with a nice pension .
When theres a big screw up, the people responsible will not be named .
But there will be committees and investigations which cost millions .
A report will be published which will be vary vague and no person will be named .
eg this happened, that happened ,
some dept or governmnet body did something or was not quick to react to certain events .
Unless someone commits financial fraud , or commits a serious crime ,
no one in the civil service is held to be responsible for anything

So even though you believe that the state completely lacks accountability, you want to hand the councils a tonne of cash to build

Are you a taxi driver?

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I'd like to change the school system. Mainly the secondary one.
Firstly I'd like to see more practical classes(I know people say your meant to learn it at home but we don't live in an ideal World).
I'd also like to see more subjects/courses being offered especially in the second half of secondary. Some would be for the more academic students and others for the more vocational students.
I'd also look into the amount of subjects you have to study.

Cooking and nutrition should be taught. And a basic exercise plan.

Save alot on obesity.

Neames

I'd put a roof on it.

rom

Former Observer wrote: »

Outlaw private health care and private schools.

Everybody should contribute to the same system. If rich people want their children to go to better schools then they should invest in the whole system.

They do. It's call taxation.

Hal3000

Stricter sentencing for violent repeat offenders.