You've become a philanthropic billionaire: how do you change Ireland for the better?

benjamin d

As the title says, what changes could a billionaire realistically make to the country that would really make a huge difference?
Would you pay for the national broadband plan? Would you throw a wad of cash into a black hole like the children's hospital, a new motorway, metro north, DART underground?
Is there something we need that no government will pay for?
Maybe provide a new grant for renewable home energy projects? Set up a comprehensive set of bus routes?

StopWatch

benjamin d wrote: »

As the title says, what changes could a billionaire realistically make to the country that would really make a huge difference?
Would you pay for the national broadband plan? Would you throw a wad of cash into a black hole like the children's hospital, a new motorway, metro north, DART underground?
Is there something we need that no government will pay for?
Maybe provide a new grant for renewable home energy projects? Set up a comprehensive set of bus routes?

Pay your taxes.

howardmarks

.

hatrickpatrick

Buy every apartment block in Dublin and drop the rents to whatever it costs to maintain them and not a cent more.

TheValeyard

Hyperloop rail network that connects, Dublin, Galway, Cork, Athlone.

Vinculus

Monorail

kikilarue2

I’d build high-speed train lines (500km/hr) connecting all the major cities so that you could conceivably get from Cork, Limerick or Galway to Dublin in under an hour.

kikilarue2

TheValeyard wrote: »

Hyperloop rail network that connects, Dublin, Galway, Cork, Athlone.

We can go halves!

ArnoldJRimmer

Build the much needed motorway from Dublin to Derry/ Donegal. Before anyone mentions the politics of the north, the DUP have a great track record in accepting bribes, so there are no obstacles

Give enormous amounts of money to the 31 GAA counties which actually need it

Sharp MZ700

I'd set up an Immigration Office that works, holiday visa for 6 weeks or work visa for 3 months.
Break any condition or no work after 3 months, first plane back to wherever you came from.

Augme

I'd privately fund mental health clinc and addiction centres around the country and fund after school/community centres in disadvangted areas.

benjamin d

Another one for me would be to massively fund the League of Ireland. Dismantle the FAI and start from scratch, with the ultimate goal of making the League of Ireland the primary source of international team players, and teams in the Champions League and Europa league group stages as the norm. Hopefully create a regional feeder system that junior football is happy to buy into too.

It would take very little money to effect huge changes in Irish football

Guy:Incognito

I've become a billionaire?

I'm sorry, I can no longer hear you from my large house on a sunny island somewhere.

Sharp MZ700

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

I've become a billionaire?

I'm sorry, I can no longer hear you from my large house on a sunny island somewhere.

Very true! Neckar Island anyone?

gozunda

Invest in the local community, employ people and provide jobs. It's not difficult really...

pablo128

kikilarue2 wrote: »

I’d build high-speed train lines (500km/hr) connecting all the major cities so that you could conceivably get from Cork, Limerick or Galway to Dublin in under an hour.

You would do that in a good Ferrari no bother.

So build autobahns and give everyone a Ferrari.:D

Ipso

gozunda wrote: »

Invest in the local community, employ people and provide jobs. It's not difficult really...

Jobs doing what?

pablo128

Ipso wrote: »

Jobs doing what?

Washing people's Ferraris.

d8491prj5boyvg

Bring back bibi baskin

Irishphotodesk

Already have a plan for 100million euromillions win.... I estimate I would make 250k a month in interest, so over a period of time everyone I know would have their mortgage paid .

If I'm upgraded to a billion.... I'm sure I could upscale to include random strangers, so essentially everyone in the country would benefit over time , without really putting a dent in my original capital....it might take a bit of time but within 20 years I should be in a position to help more people.

I would enjoy travelling the world with my family.

Harry Palmr

A billion for a whole country is nothing, so I'd just spend it in one place - the place I live. I'd sooner transform one town/city than piss the money against the national wind

Waterford would get a university and keep it's young.

Paying off the countries debt would be a start!

Ensure that working is always a lot more profitable than benefits

benjamin d

Harry Palmr wrote: »

A billion for a whole country is nothing, so I'd just spend it in one place - the place I live. I'd sooner transform one town/city than piss the money against the national wind

Waterford would get a university and keep it's young.

That's why I said realistically rather than unlimited imaginary money. Think Denis O'Brien level wealth if he realised he's a monstrous príck and decided to give back to society... how could someone like that use their money to most benefit the country as a whole?

gozunda

Ipso wrote: »

Jobs doing what?

Do you really need an answer for that? If you invest in the local ecomomy - there will be jobs. Whether that is tourism or sport or agriculture or industry take your pick.

Fann Linn

Harry Palmr wrote: »

A billion for a whole country is nothing, so I'd just spend it in one place - the place I live. I'd sooner transform one town/city than piss the money against the national wind

Waterford would get a university and keep it's young.

It'd be wasted in Waterford.

Harry Palmr

You're witty I give you that.

Fann Linn

Harry Palmr wrote: »

You're witty I give you that.

Just shootin' the breeze.

Panthro

I'd buy a massive telescope. Then pop myself and the telescope on a rocket and fcuk off to a nice quiet planet for myself.

And just sit up there looking at shyt on yer tvs through my massive telescope. And not have to worry about a TV licence.

That there, is the dream.

4068ac1elhodqr

Changes need to occur on a global level, a large club of bn's could solve most issues very quickly, so 'one for one country' won't do much overall. Intsead:

i) Expedite immediate cold-fusion development (pre-2030).
ii) Drive down the base and franchise cost of Hyperloop for massive global productivity efficiency increase.
iii) Universal free basic Healthcare, full absoloute ban on tobacco and (white cane) sugar.
iv) Universal free Education, openshare type cloud-VR access via Musk's Starlink.
ii) Plant trees (everywhere). Job done.

Don't repeat the mistakes that other 'philanthropic billionaires' have made, or are making. Too many to list.
A mix of SFA, to providing reasonable source material for many conspiracy books, right down to those that are true masters of their own sin.

Even those with the benchmark of 500m (still obscene wealth), think nothing of lecturing everday plebs from their sunny, gated, off-shore tax havens.

This week one born into privledge posed barefoot (aw look at me with no shoes) at a photoshoot, while at the same telling the Western world to stop having kids, and stop flying too.
Hollywood royals also think nothing of flying 1st class (takes up 4 seats), across the Atlantic, to attend a street demo and instagram their fancy big meal on the way back to Lalaland.
Aged music queens fly the other way to the land they abondoned, to hypocritically lecture dustbelters in fiscally-ravaged cities what to think, before returning to their 'material world'.

Philanthrocapitalism is the new blurry line, self-interest usually prevails above empty pledge re-funneling.
When 1% own half of the world’s wealth, there is always room for improvement.

Maybe there are some good guys, Gates has asked to be taxed more, and seems (from the outside) along with Buffett to have given the highest% back to causes.
Then again he did make Windows 98, if you can forgive that.

Id hire a sniper
To take out the government
Id put kids in charge..theyd do better..

Realistically
I'd travel the world with my family.
Build a mahoosive house with everything I need and become a mojito drinking,taco eating housewife
Id move all my family and friends in and live the dream..
Where I'd build that house i don't know.

Sharp MZ700

Fann Linn wrote: »

Just shootin' the breeze.

I thought you were kind.

YFlyer

benjamin d wrote: »

As the title says, what changes could a billionaire realistically make to the country that would really make a huge difference?
Would you pay for the national broadband plan? Would you throw a wad of cash into a black hole like the children's hospital, a new motorway, metro north, DART underground?
Is there something we need that no government will pay for?
Maybe provide a new grant for renewable home energy projects? Set up a comprehensive set of bus routes?

Have 500 vedic pundits.

Your Face

I'd give money for animal shelters to expand their operations.

As for the people - let them eat cake.
I would buy a predetermined number of people one cake each.

every major town would get a creche and after hours childcare centre/youthclub.

BuboBubo

I'd stick a giant retractable glass roof over the whole island and only open it at night to let in the rain.

Sure it's be a grand little country if there was a roof on it

the-island-man

High speed rail\Hyperloop between the main cities like others suggested or failing that I'd buy up the land along as much of the existing rail lines as possible to prevent Land Owners looking for their slice of the pie when it comes to upgrading the line (prioritising Galway to Dublin line because I live in Galway!).

Or build sizeable indoor arena's in all the regional cities. I could stand to be corrected but the only sizeable indoor arena's on the island are the 3 Arena and the Odyssey\SSE Arena. Seems illogical that in such a rainy country most funding seems to go to outdoor GAA stadiums.

Mad_maxx

I'd buy a solid gold House

Greentopia

Buy up as much land as I can get my hands on. In cities, towns and villages around the country divide some of the land up into thousands of Schrebergartens- allotments with little sheds and rules, so that everyone who wanted to have a little plot of land to grow some veg and chill out with their friends for a barbecue and a few beers could do so.
I'd lease them out for a nominal amount, same as in Germany.

I saw loads of them in little villages and towns there, especially in the former GDR and they look so nice with the little red huts.
Too many waiting for allotments here for years and not nearly enough being offered by councils.

The rest of the land where appropriate I'd plant broad leaf forests (Ireland still has too low a percentage of forested land), and I'd plough time and money into helping set up a lot more housing co-ops with the latest eco-technology for services on the rest of the land so people can have better access to affordable, sustainable housing.

I'd put a lot of money into animal welfare charities and rights organisations.

That should keep me going for a while.

Filmer Paradise

Reform the Legal Profession.

It would solve a lot of problems here.

kikilarue2

Sharp MZ700 wrote: »

I'd set up an Immigration Office that works, holiday visa for 6 weeks or work visa for 3 months.
Break any condition or no work after 3 months, first plane back to wherever you came from.

This would make zero difference to most Irish people.

Mad_maxx

Filmer Paradise wrote: »

Reform the Legal Profession.

It would solve a lot of problems here.

Reform the medical profession while you are at it.

B.A._Baracus

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

Already have a plan for 100million euromillions win.... I estimate I would make 250k a month in interest, so over a period of time everyone I know would have their mortgage paid

Would it really be that much?
Genuinely asking. No clue when it comes to interest. Would it not be another thing of banks saying they give you a certain % but when it comes down to it here's 10 euro for your 100 million per year lol.

Fusitive

Irishphotodesk wrote: »

Already have a plan for 100million euromillions win.... I estimate I would make 250k a month in interest, so over a period of time everyone I know would have their mortgage paid .

If I'm upgraded to a billion.... I'm sure I could upscale to include random strangers, so essentially everyone in the country would benefit over time , without really putting a dent in my original capital....it might take a bit of time but within 20 years I should be in a position to help more people.

I would enjoy travelling the world with my family.

Good to hear but where will your interest come from if no one is paying loan interest on mortgages?

I would build a whole new town like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poundbury but with more cars and superb public transport links to Dublin. It would be a mix of social housing, affordable housing and private housing. It would have superb amenities and schools. It would be beautifully landscaped and have lots of green areas and parks and some sort of water-based amenities such as a river walk or a lake walk.

It would be interesting to see if it became some sort of nordic type paradise where all social groups mix or proof once and for all that culture is the main factor in thse things working.

mariaalice

mariaalice wrote: »

I would build a whole new town like this https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poundbury but with more cars and superb public transport links to Dublin. It would be a mix of social housing, affordable housing and private housing. It would have superb amenities and schools. It would be beautifully landscaped and have lots of green areas and parks and some sort of water-based amenities such as a river walk or a lake walk.

It would be interesting to see if it became some sort of nordic type paradise where all social groups mix or proof once and for all that culture is the main factor in thse things working.

it wouldnt, unless you got to choose your social housing occupants very carefully

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Same idea I suggested in the "you become a dictator of Ireland..." thread.

Also - please refer yourselves to the obvious flaws in most of your ideas that I posted in said thread.

Boom_Bap

I'd make sure that all shops start selling sweets by the quarter again.
Nothing like a quarter of fudge and a quarter of dolly mix.

InTheShadows

Id invest billions in transforming somewhere like Galway into a major city to take the pressure off Dublin.

I would make the building of social housing an absolute priority as it benefits both private and social tenants and the lack of same is a major reason why we have the ridiculous situation we do now.

Build a massive super port in Rosslare.

Build a small town somewhere and provide jobs and homes for families who need shelter from war torn region's. Only families to be housed, no single men and all must comply with our laws and sign a contract to state this or else be deported post haste back to war torn country.

Lobby the government to make PE and various sports compulsory for 2 hrs per day in all schools for kids between the ages of 8-18. Build PE into our leaving cert in some form with points rewarded for kids who are more active.

Invest billions into an all Dublin football team with state of the art facilities in preparation for the coming European super league and champions league.

Finally make the building of prisons a priority.

Ubbquittious

Rebuild the villages on abandoned islands and repopulate them, get some companies to move over to them.

Build a coal powerstation just south of the border with it's chimney in post brexit Norn Iron so the EU will leave us alone about the emissions

Ultimate Seduction

I'd leave Ireland with all my money.

Cee-Jay-Cee

TheValeyard wrote: »

Hyperloop rail network that connects, Dublin, Galway, Cork, Athlone.

Yeah because there is nothing north of Galway/Athlone....I'd pay for ignorant people like you to receive further education in geography.