FF/FG/Green Government - Part 3

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122579336#Comment_122579336

As government supporters on here would say " a nothing burger".

howiya

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122368417#Comment_122368417

McGahon's political ambitions still alive I see. Selected at selection convention to run in the general election. The party of law and order....

Floppybits

Poor auld Neale Richmond. Who let him out without a minder? Calls for 20% stamp duty to be put on bulk buyers, 8 months are voting down the SF/Soc Dem motion in the Dáil calling for the same thing. There must be an election coming.

https://twitter.com/caulmick/status/1832830259080683546

howiya

Speaking of an election Green Party TD Francis Noel Duffy has a gofundme set up to fund his reelection campaign.

Earning a TD's salary and his wife earning a ministerial salary and he has the hand out for donations.

He has the various donation limits on the page but I wonder how these are enforced. Does gofundme provide him with sufficient detail? What happens if one of his social media followers from another country makes a donation?

https://twitter.com/FNDuffy/status/1833148295226483105?t=5KmxrD2lAESaJiMcp3gzdA&s=19

0ph0rce0

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122599368#Comment_122599368

Himself and the missus probably pull in about half a million a year with salary , expenses and no doubt they have some sort of business or side hustle going bringing in extra income.

The tax payer has been paying for his bills and lifestyle for years.

And he's online looking for 3,000 quid.

If it means that much put your hand in your own pocket ffs.

That's pennies to that family.

Some neck on the ****.

Galwayguy35

Shower of clowns spent the last 8 years fighting a case to stop the country getting 14 billion.

Delighted the European Courts put them in their place.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122573884#Comment_122573884

The driving out of the big investment funds is a big problem.

Ireland has the lowest number of apartments in the EU. We need to build more densely, and on brownfield sites within our city boundaries. Investment funds are the best source of investment for these apartment blocks.

Traditional developers in Ireland have favoured building traditional housing estates, selling as they go, to finance the building of the rest. That doesn't work with apartment blocks as you can only sell at the end. Even in mixed estates, they build the 3 and 4 bedroom semis first.

If SF were to succeed in driving out the investment funds immediately, but took time to get their public building proposals going, we could see house numbers drop below 20,000 in 2026 (2025 will be ok for completions because of work started under this government).

CarProblem

The runaway train is getting run away-ier

https://x.com/gavreilly/status/1833497845875286480

Tenzor07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604401#Comment_122604401

If you travel to the UK you can see that all new apartment blocks are at least double the height of the low rise buildings we have here, so need to build higher..

No doubt someone will come on here and tell me it's because our Fire Brigades ladders are too small..

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604401#Comment_122604401

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604437#Comment_122604437

Have you lived in apartments in Ireland?

I have, I spent 10 years living in an apartment and I am sure there are many on here that have lived or are living in apartments and I bet most of them will say that the apartments are OK if you are living on your own or maybe as a couple but the apartments built here are not places where you can have a family. It doesn't matter on the number of bedrooms, it is the size of the apartments especially the living space, they tiny and space is cramped. Compare to the apartments I was in when I lived in Paris and the people were raising families in them, they were plenty big with a generous sized living space, unlike here where you can barely swing a cat in the living space. Apartments in this country are built with short term living in mind rather than long term.

I have no argument about building more apartments but they have to be more appealing to people than the shoeboxes that have been built and also contain amenities like say a Laundry room where residents in the apartment buildings can do their laundry instead of trying to do it in an already miniscule apartment. Just things like that to make it more appealing. Secondly they government needs to regulate the management companies, it is like the wild west in that area, the management companies charge through the nose in management fees and you would be lucky if they paint the common areas.

Tenzor07

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604603#Comment_122604603

A wide set of issues there, however people need a place to live and if high rise apartments are the way to provide that then let's do it.. all these low-rise low density apartments are useless and once built and occupied there's no adding more floors. Every major city in the UK are building up apartment blocks with twice the number of floors as here.. Young people who want to live independent lives after they leave school/college/get their first jobs will gladly live in an apartment that meets their basic needs.. I mean how much space do we need?

In Dublin city it's an ultra low density city, there's enough private garden space in the city for 300 x St. Stephen's Greens.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604432#Comment_122604432

…as we d say, its all 'relative', i.e. it depends what that money is being spent on….

…for example if its being spent on trying to provide us with our needs, including our long term needs such as our long term infrastructure needs, its very likely to be a good thing, but if its being wasted on not so important things such as over priced needs, we ve got a problem!

…and the fact, we have a slowly aging population, state spending is just gonna have to keep increasing, in order to try catch up with our aging needs…..

….i.e. get use to increasing state spending, as theres just no other way out of that….

Lofidelity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604603#Comment_122604603

You are years out of date with this post. The shoebox apartments you are referring to are probably those built over twenty years ago, such as along the Dublin quays, Parnell st and Christchurch areas or Dock Rd Limerick. They were small but were affordable and in good locations. Yes they were built with renters in mind who would later move to a house in the suburbs. Modern apartments are better in every way but that makes them much more expensive. Paris has been a large city for many, many years, unlike Dublin so apartment living is the norm.

There has been regulation of management companies for many years by the PRSA. Owners can vote to replace the management agent at the AGM if they are not happy with the service. The previous years accounts are examined at the AGM and the next years budget too. The fee the management agent takes is also made clear. To say its the wild west is again, a decade out of date.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604401#Comment_122604401

Exactly.

SF need to explain how they would finance and deliver the workforce required to build the volume of homes they are promising.

I agree with you that there would be a natural dip in new home output, whilst the local councils prepped and recruited, meaning 2025 (if not 2026 also) output would drop off a cliff.

The irony is that under their proposal, SF are still expecting the majority of the homes to be built by the private market, even though they plan to starve that market of investment....go figure.

I am yet to see any logical reason to believe that SF would deliver more homes than FFG over the next term.

Mr. teddywinkles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122602549#Comment_122602549

Only thing it might set a precedent for future investment. That's the worrying outcome by these companies.

corcaigh07

https://x.com/nick_delehanty/status/1834480539039899775?s=46

Interesting thread on Twitter, was Paschal involved with the bike shed sh*tshow?

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604981#Comment_122604981

Most Irish people still don't want to live in apartments though - at least not long term, and certainly not at the rental prices being asked in Dublin.

They (and renting in general) are seen as a stepping stone to the semi-D in the suburbs/country, and they're built and treated (by the people, by builders, by councils and Government) as such.

Until you change THAT mindset it will make little difference even if they were huge with great facilities onsite.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122604981#Comment_122604981

I lived in a mixed development for a few years, the developer still owned the majority of the units so had the majority of AGM votes. They held the AGMs midweek during the day.

Blut2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122611376#Comment_122611376

What exactly are you basing that on? Do you have any actual studies or polls to back that up or is it just entirely anecodtal?

Because people everywhere in the rest of Europe, and even in the UK and US, live in apartments at a far higher rate than Ireland. And we're not some unique apartment-phobic national race.

But even if Irish people were, 22% of the country is now foreign born as of last year, and thats rapidly increasing - to the tune of about 1% a year. And none of those people are apartment-phobic.

_Kaiser_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122611694#Comment_122611694

Ah that's grand then. We'll keep importing people wholesale (many of whom are here under false pretences or we can't verify who they are at all) and let them live in apartments so we can be like our good European neighbours(!!)

The changing demographics and the speed at which they're changing because of these artificial measures are a wholly different, but I'll grant you far more important, topic. We can't support many of the people here now (native or otherwise) and that's going to bring far deeper consequences and wider impacts to Ireland and our society.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122611739#Comment_122611739

The vast majority of migrants are here legally, to work or study. Sure there are some asylum claims that may not be legit, but they do not represent the majority of people moving here.

JP Liz V1

The bike shed money could be used for wheelchairs

https://www.thesun.ie/health/13802229/chi-special-wheelchair-sweden-scoliosis-patient-safety-issue-halo/

Blut2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122611739#Comment_122611739

Thats rather a large moving of the goalposts there.

But I'm on the record in this very thread plenty of times posting about how we should follow Denmark's example and dramatically reduce the number of asylum seekers Ireland is taking in each year. We could copy their measures tomorrow, while still being part of the EU and following all of our "international obligations", and reduce arrivals by 90%.

Very few people (outside of Fine Gael, the Greens, Labour and the SocDems) would disagree these days.

But reducing future immigration doesn't change the fact that approaching a quarter of the population of Ireland is now already foreign born, so definitely doesn't have any very theoretical uniquely Irish aversion to apartment living of the kind you were claiming exists.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122612463#Comment_122612463

I hope there is no aversion to apartment living, because pretty much every new build going up in Dublin is an apartment.

Lofidelity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122611376#Comment_122611376

I agree that most Irish want houses, especially a garden for children. But much of the demand for housing today is from non Irish people who have no problem living in an apartment long term and raising a family. Apartments are generally in more central locations with amenities in walking distance so they make sense. Houses are a luxury as there is not enough suitable land and they cost too much.

The big issue i have with modern apartments is that very few are available for the public to buy.

Lofidelity

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122611484#Comment_122611484

Thats rare today, most developers portfolios went into Nama years ago. Its more likely that an investor would own a chunk of units.

You get a months notice of the AGM so you would have to find a way.

Blut2

https://www.businesspost.ie/article/nearly-e1bn-spend-on-refugee-accommodation-in-first-half-of-2024-here-are-the-top-private-sector-e/

Its emerged today our government is on track to spend €2bn this year on refugee housing. That works out to about 500euro from the pocket of every single adult in Ireland.

2% of total government expenditure, almost double what we spend on our entire defense budget, or enough to literally double the entire national budget of the Garda overnight.

I wonder what the public would say if asked if they approve of this government use of tax revenue?

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122660425#Comment_122660425

You seem to be on a par with Leo these days. He is saying similar things.

Blut2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122661648#Comment_122661648

Leo can say what he wants now that hes retired. His actions in office were completely different - it was under his watch that the state completely lost control of its borders.

No asylum seekers refused, no arresting of people breaking the law destroying their passports, no deportation orders carried out, an explosion in the numbers of asylum seekers arriving every year etc etc. Its all down to government inaction, or incompetence, or both. And now the whole thing is finally reaching breaking point.

Do you think the Irish state spending €2bn a year on housing refugees (and thats just housing, nevermind all the other expensive costs of doing so), and that number is increasing rapidly every year, is good governmental policy?

Danye

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122661831#Comment_122661831

Has Leo’s comments highlighted how little control we have over immigration? Is it a matter of Ireland being good little boys and girls and doing what the powers that be in Brussels tell them to do?

When LV was in opposition he seemed to have strong views on immigration. When he was in the top job, he flipped on that. Now, no longer involved he’s flopped back on immigration. Leo “Flip Flop” Varadkar.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122661831#Comment_122661831

Or whatever suits FG. Whether or not they were premeditated to this end, Varadkar's comments are signalling to voters "concerned about immigration" that FG's "heart is in the right place" on the issue without committing them to any specific policy changes as of course that's not Leo's responsibility any more…

Blut2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122662379#Comment_122662379

Ireland's inaction/incompetence on controlling immigration is entirely down to our own government. All the talk of "international obligations" when they're questioned is just an attempt to avoid taking blame.

Brussels also doesn't care. Denmark introduced a number of restrictions on asylum seekers and successfully reduced their arrivals by 90%, while still remaining part of the EU. Theres nothing (at EU level or elsewhere) stopping us from copying the Danish measures word for word tomorrow other than our government not wanting to.

Loafing Oaf

Wonder is there going to be an opinion poll this weekend? Even a slight slump for FFG could see the election pushed out to the New Year…

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122662685#Comment_122662685

Election is in November. 100%.

I see the budget has been leaked again this year.

Cluedo Monopoly

I am watching Prime Time and the Aoife Johnston story. Harrowing stuff.

Then I remember the interview earlier with the INMO general secretary a couple of days ago. You have to wonder what the government is doing.

Health recruitment cap 'biggest own goal ever scored' (rte.ie)

The General Secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation has said a cap on recruitment in the health sector will result in the "biggest own goal this country has ever scored".

The INMO and SIPTU are appearing before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health to discuss staffing levels.

Already this year we know that we are spending around €500,000 extra n agency (staff) a month," she said, noting that this "defeats the purpose of any moratorium".

In a document submitted to the committee, Ms Ní Sheaghdha warned that increased demand on services means that "unsafe staffing levels and shortages still exist in our acute hospitals, community, and long-term care settings".

"Over 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts have been effectively abolished as they were vacant on 31 December 2023."

……….

The frontline health service is still completely understaffed. We will see more needless deaths as a result. No wonder our healthcare workers are leaving in droves.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122662685#Comment_122662685

Not last weekend but there is this one

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/exclusive-poll-small-gains-for-fine-gael-as-fianna-fail-down-in-poll-following-giveaway-budget/a470142921.html

Pretty much as you were. I'm guessing government parties lost a bit over 'wasteful spending' scandals bit recovered on the back of the budget. I think FF-FG have to for an autumn election on the back of a combined 45%, should translate into 50%-odd Dail seats unless they're pretty unlucky…

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122688058#Comment_122688058

There minor bump isn't surprising. FFG seem to be struggling to read the room.

Most respondents said they would like the Government to spend the €14bn Apple windfall on infrastructure projects (32pc), as well as fixing the health service (28pc) and building more houses (25pc).

Only 1pc believe the money should be used for more ‘giveaway’ budgets

It's seems give away budgets and wasting public money is the best FFG can achieve.

Loafing Oaf

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122688186#Comment_122688186

Most respondents said they would like the Government to spend the €14bn Apple windfall on infrastructure projects

AFAIK that's where most/all of it is going:

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/politics/arid-41487212.html

My understanding is it'll be up to the next government to allocate it specifically.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122688186#Comment_122688186

They are not reading the room yet their combined vote is up on the last election? What a weird conclusion.

Mr. teddywinkles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122688058#Comment_122688058

Such boring gobshites. The lot of them.

Politics in ireland needs a massive shakeup or this country's going down the jacks.

Augme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122688575#Comment_122688575

There vote was down at the last European and county elections. I know FG are fans of democracy and would rather voters were decided by opinion polls but thankfully that not yet been implemented.

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122688678#Comment_122688678

Comical Ali stuff, their vote at the last European and locals was up on the general election.

Think you are the one not reading the room.

99nsr125

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122690096#Comment_122690096

By percentage and total number FF and FG's vote was down from the general election