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How would you improve Ireland in 10 ideas.

dd972

I know these are mostly political, practical and economic impossibilities but just imagine some genie could grant them

1) Allow pubs to open to 3-5am like they do in mainland Europe, will cut down binging and our ridiculous infantile 'forbidden fruit' attitude to alcohol.

2) High Speed Rail lines linking Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Cork and Limerick cutting journey times down to an hour.

3) Legalise and decriminalise drugs, let's put the gangster's out of business.

4) Legalise and decriminalise prostitution.

5) Massively fund the Garda to clean up Dublin City Centre and the problem areas beyond.

6) Huge house building programme, both private and public sector.

7) Stop the U.S using Shannon Airport for nefarious activities.

8) Less Dublin-centricism, relocate certain Govt departments regionally.

9) A total re-examination of how Irish is taught and used, encouraging it's usage to the point where we become a genuinely bi-lingual country, this would have massive cultural benefits.

10) Huge investment in the new economies, clean energy, etc.

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Beyondgone

17larsson wrote: »

Opt out organ donation so everyone is automatically signed up to donate. If they don't want to donate their organs when they die they have to let the state know.
Many countries already do this, it makes so much sense

9 more good ones and you're the new Leader.

I want an eleventh - make kids learn the difference between "There" "They're" and "Their". No more "leaving certs", just a spelling and grammar test. Fail and it's euthanasia. Make "It" "It's" and "It is" part of that too. Catch out the unwary with a swift "thought/taught" question. Use passing this test to abolish Universities. Spend the money saved on really fast Cop cars. Use those fast cars to detain slow drivers and tractors that don't pull in.

lazybones32

1: Make Judges appointments by election, not political appointments. Every 4-5 years alongside local/Natl elections. No cushy pension for 1 or 2 term
2: Empower County Councils.
3: Make myself Emperor.
4: Tell the EU to suck my balls and ban the UN from sending delegates to my empire.
5: Make National Service mandatory for 2 years.
6: Introduce hard labour for prisoners
7: Introduce night Courts - if you're out of your head on a Fri night, you won't get to appear before a judge 3 months later, in a suit with lots of character witnesses. The judge will get to see you in the condition you were picked up in.

the_pen_turner

scrap the dole for everybody even older , disabled etc.
then replace it with a fas ce type scheme. basically you have to do 19 hours a week for the comunity or you get no money
every one has skills or interests.
get carpenters etc fixing stuff, gardeners planing flowers etc, painters painting derelect buildings , anyone that cant do their trade or interest does general work like cutting grass
even people with disabilities (milder end of the scale maybe) can drive around organising, managing , getting stuff etc

get all criminals doing manual labour . minor crimes do a comunity work like picking up rubish . basically caught litering, drunk in public etc then do 50 hours comunity service

more serious crimes sent out to quarries during the day with a hammer and told to break rocks. prison at night

Professor Moriarty

Ban whinging, whining and moaning.

BorneTobyWilde

Professor Moriarty wrote: »

Ban whinging, whining and moaning.

Yea, get rid of all the women.
Good idea.

Jim Bob Scratcher

Why are people on the dole so hated on this forum ?

Jack the Stripper

Switch off wifi in the Guard stations, if they gave as much timing gaming as they would out in rural areas crime wouldn't be as bad.

Professor Moriarty

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Yea, get rid of all the women.
Good idea.

And political correctness.

Beyondgone

Jim Bob Scratcher wrote: »

Why are people on the dole so hated on this forum ?

No idea. Maybe they're all tax-payers on here. It's bound to grate. The whole "working while they don't" thing?

Yourself isit

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

Remove the Irish language from the curriculum as a compulsory language.

Cut funding for the Irish language to 0

Seperate Church and State.

Legalise abortion with basic legislation to protect women.

Legalise and marajuana and apply a fair tax.

Sell RTÉ. Failing that, give it away.

As above with Bus Éireann.

Introduce a tax-free income threshold and lower income tax as much as possible with the aim of shrinking an absurdly huge public sector.

Invest in proper infrastructure and internet.

Introduce a tax for people who don't have a cat (I've gone mad with power at this point). Proceeds to be used for cat charities.

You should run on that platform, it's always amusing to see libertarians lose their deposits.

Of course it would change bog all, since teaching Irish or funding it, is not really the source of all evil.

the_pen_turner

scrap the hse
create a system where you have
pharmacies do basic stuff like colds etc
gp s do more serious but still basic stuff
small comunity hospitals in each town that do small operations (ingrown townails, warts etc)
loads of medium hospitals that do day sergeries in each area. seperate from a and e
make a and e seperate so it doesnt effect normal day to day stuff
then larger hospitals that do larger operations , have them central to 2 or 3 counties

Widdershins

Jim Bob Scratcher wrote: »

Why are people on the dole so hated on this forum ?

It's the ones who are on it for life, I think.

BorneTobyWilde

Before the first self efficient country in the world. Ban all imports.

Jack the Stripper

Jim Bob Scratcher wrote: »

Why are people on the dole so hated on this forum ?

They get to have a high post count

meeeeh

1. ban separate hot and cold water taps
2. Fines should be deducted from people's wages up to being left with 80% of minimum wage until they are paid off. 20% of dole deducted at source.
3. Religion out of schools
4. abortion
5. Heavy fines for littering, more bins on the streets
6. Ban strikes in public sector (we probably can't ban public sector so this is next best thing)
7. Dutch type health system reform. Now that brexit is happening there really shouldn't be too much of a push to copy failed British health system.
8. Better cycling paths
9. Better education of cyclists to know how to use them
10. Ban words handcrafted, gourmet and similar nonsense for food

They are not exactly in order of importance but the first one is by far the most important. Separate hot and cold taps are testament to stupidity and stupidity really shouldn't be advertised.

yermanoffthetv

1) Complete reform of planning laws and ABP. Remove right to appeal if project fits within planning guidelines and have sensible plans regards height density and zoning for urban areas. Strategic planning laws to allow for more apartments in high pressure rent zones.(and more parks!)

2) Proper public transport and cycle lanes, a metro for Dublin and trams/segregated bus corridors for regional cities.

3)If you turn down council accommodation your not classed as homeless.
People who trash their accommodation only get offered a converted shipping container until they pay back the damage.

4)Personal responsibility, If you get pissed or take drugs you foot the bill for your actions weather that be yourself or someone else you affect or their property. No exceptions. That goes for any feral scrotes you've spawned as well.

5)Reform of the Judiciary. End suspended sentences for violent crimes. Also see the above point. Being under the influence is no excuse no matter how sorry you claim to be. Send repeat offenders to a for-profit prison to reduce their burden on society. Judges should have some oversight, some are quite frankly living on a different planet.

6)Let RTE sink or swim. TV Licences should fund public service programs only (I would include TG4 and RnaG as such) The rest should go into a pool and bid by different studios to make domestically produced programs. Ad revenue can pay for any foreign imported shows or former RTE "stars".

7)Complete separation of church and state in relation to education. Any pressure groups that are religiously backed or funded must clearly state so.

8) Strengthened animal welfare laws with jail time for illegal puppy farmers and permanently ban from owning or jailing scum who willfully neglect or abuse animals.

9)Proper public body oversight and the ability to sack or suspend under preforming managers and staff who they employ.

10) I think we as a nation need to host a major international event to boost our collective spirits. WRC 2023 would be a good start. If we win we should go all out and put on one hell of a party!

Beyondgone

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Before the first self efficient country in the world. Ban all imports.

Even Fosters?

[Deleted User]

Apprenticeships and training courses to replace the leaving cert or two year college certs

Hobby degrees shouldn't be funded by the state. Scholarships for proven and tested talent in writing, music, media, arts.

State funded degree courses should be linked to demand for skills on a sliding scale.

Tax on empty habitable property, fines for uninhabitable property.

Government mortgages for first time buyers.

Ghetto the sh1t out of workshy skangers, twenty miles out of town. Taxpayers covering their housing costs near city centre only to have them wreck the area is a disgrace

Police on every street in Dublin, battering the above if they show up.

75% tax on profit upon sale of undeveloped residential zoned land

Decentralisation of govt depts, start with shared service hubs for IT, HR, finance on a regional basis.

Professor Moriarty

Tax stupidity at source.

the_pen_turner

make a rule that you have to keep you house clean and tidy at the front. ( i mean not a siht hole) . if you dont someone will come and clean it and paint it etc and you will charge you.
especially for abandoned houses

meeeeh

the_pen_turner wrote: »

make a rule that you have to keep you house clean and tidy at the front. ( i mean not a siht hole) . if you dont someone will come and clean it and paint it etc and you will charge you.
especially for abandoned houses

Welcome to the Disneyland.

Anyway I'm not sure I would want that. Rough areas should look like rough areas, how else would you know to avoid them.

nice_guy80

gramar wrote: »

..says ancapailldorcha...

I'd criminalise Irish
the Irish language would probably grow once it was outlawed
seems to happen to everything else that is banned

Yourself isit

1) elect judges. Bring in impeachment for the kind of muppets who leave rapists go free or bail known dangerous criminals who will of course use the bail time to engage in free criminality.
2) increase sentencing for serious crimes and have nobody walking the streets with multiple convictions.
3) have a housing policy designed to stabilise prices. That is build more houses when supply is low, but curtail building is a surplus of housing is being produced.
4) managers in the HSE and other public service to be banned from unionisation. And firable. They can keep their pensions at a pro rated basis unless fired for corruption or nepotism. Unions are needed for the front line troops.
5) fire lots of incompetent or corrupt officials. Lots.
6) hold high level public servants accountable to the public. That is they, not just the minister, appear in public forums to defend their competency. Get them on Vincent brown. Etc.
6) the gardai need an internal affairs division.
8) the garda need to expand their white collar criminal investigative teams. Next banking crisis needs more jailed bankers.
9) massive two decades infrastructure investment funded by national and local infrastructure bonds
10) aim to reduce tax on earned income and increase it on unearned income.

I didn't mention abortion as that's an issue for the people not the government.

The don'ts :

Don't stop funding Irish. Don't remove it from the curriculum. Keep bus eireann. Do not privatise public transport although we should have a mixed system. No legalisation of drugs.

melloa

free beer for everybody

4068ac1elhodqr

1. Place junkies in compulsory isolated, custom built, remote and isolated 3mth detox facilities. Until sound in health, ideally in mind also.

2. Also place 5-strikes petty criminals in separate similar facilities/terms with a focus on proper societal reintegration, education, psycho-re-orientation and basic skills training.

3. Very high-risk offenders to be placed on an alcratraz type offshore unit, neuro-chipped and castrated if needed.

4. Build a new high-rise Dubai-esq green energy innovation city in the geological centre of the island. Served with 760 mph hyperloop monorail pods to all major population areas, typical 20mins commute for everyone who is office or light-manufacturing based. Previous old town/city centre offices can be converted to housing, leisure and recreation facilities.

5. Replace 90% of civil service admin or pen pushers with ai systems. Allows more funding for health, policing and focus on other 'quality of life' index categories.

6. Replace Irish language with automation-ai-robotic studies in all schools (keep it just for novel tourism specific areas), this will aid the coming 4th industrial revolution.

7. Engage weather modification programs to reduce rainfall and cloud cover, also begin massive SW coastal sea-reclamation up to full territorial boundaries.

8. Introduce multiple re-forestation zonal areas for Ireland, which currently has the 'second-smallest' forested areas in Europe.

9. Make all work weeks 3.5 days maximum with deliberate focus on work-life balance and zero unemployment. This enables 24hr global respondent workforce running on constant triple 8hr day cycles and in either early week and late week alternations. Guaranteed basic jobs for 16yo school leavers without significant academic abilities. Childcare issues reduced.

10. New points based migration, as automation takes the world’s jobs, only so many will be required by 2030.

nice_guy80

put serial offenders for petty crime and road traffic offenses out in bright orange jumpsuits to clean the rubbish along roads, clean out the canals, paint over graffiti etc

build proper mixed use apartment buildings (studios, one bedroom, 2 bedroom, 3 bedroom, ground floor offices, communal washing facilities and bike storage in the basement, communal storage in the attic space) in the city centres which are then run by the residents - like they have had in Scandinavian countries for the last 100 years

hire external officer to head up the Garda

stop allowing our fishing rights to be given to the EU for NOTHING

Proper regeneration of local villages and small towns by giving people access to small sites to build their own houses within a cluster arrangement - keep shops, post offices, small schools open

properly fund the preschool and childcare sector. it should not be a for profit business model. the state should be picking up the tab and ensuring staff have high qualifications, instead of the current yellow pack approach - low wages, profits for creche owners

reform of the legal system and medical profession. both are far too closed. the medical profession themselves shouldn't have a say in how many doctors are trained every year. that's why there is a shortage and why the salaries are so high. we should import a few hundred from Cuba. Or send our doctors out there to be trained. they'd do it cheaper. the legal profession is complete sham of a system - an old boys and girls club.

less emphasis on academic professions for those doing the leaving cert and valuing the trades and craftspeople

get rid of all churches in the running of schools. if parents want their children to learn about a celestial dictator then the taxpayer should not be funding that and the parents can bring them to sunday school at mass (if the parents actually bother to go to mass)

more cycle paths and secure bicycle locking facilities

Tap rooms - please make this happen. the licencing laws need a radical overhaul in Ireland. Why can't I buy a drink after 10pm in an Off Licence? Why can't I buy a drink on Good Friday. Crazy! We're a REPUBLIC, not a church state. Maybe McDowell was onto something in regard to drink laws?

Larbre34

To be fair, no 10 ideas to improve a Country should be so unambitious as to refer to small fry stuff like RTE and marijuana yay or nay or abortion yay or nay. If the Country needs reform, it should be total overhaul of the political and bureaucratic system to bring about a true Republic / representative democracy.

I wont go so far as 10 ideas but among the stuff I would do to affect change from the top down would be:

1) Remove the executive from the Oireachtas. We do not need both a Taoiseach and a President, the President should be elected directly and should hold executive power with a cabinet of experts in their field, not politicians. The Oireachtas should be the legislature and should check and balance the President and verify all public positions of power. The focus of TDs would then never be about getting a ministerial gig.

2) Abolish the Seanad and reduce the Dáil to about 120 seats. We are a nation of 4.6m bodies, 218 national politicians is a joke. The 120 deputies should be elected by list system, the parish pump needs to disappear from national interests. This would be balanced out below.

3) Abolish the joke County Council system. The fact there are 180 Councillors in the 4 Dublin counties would be hilarious if it wasnt so wasteful and inefficient. Divide the Country into about 5 regions with real local Government powers, covering health, social and education spending as well as local planning and recreation. All planning should conform to a strict national strategy or be vetoed at national level. Regional Councillors should number no more than 40 in each region and should be elected, full time and salaried. No vacancies should ever be co-opted.

4) All top public servants should be elected, on an alternate cycle to the President etc. This should include the Chief Justice, Garda Comm, DPP, Central Bank Governor, Health, Infrastructure and Education bosses etc. Their roles should be defined in legislation and open to criminal and financial sanction for non-performance / malfeasance.

5) A total review of public services should examine which are suitable as national bodies (police, fire, ambulance, water, infrastructure) and which should have regional setups (health, education, social care, conservation, recreation)

6) The state should regulate but not participate in markets where maximum efficency is offered by the private sector. Public Service Obligation should be carefully examined and contracted in each case. The likes of CIE belongs in the past.

7) The people should have a system of public initiative and citizen initiated referendums to complement and challenge the legislature and executive, like in Switzerland. Its the closest thing to true democratic participation. It would deal with those social and spending issues, like drugs and abortion and anti-social problems and RTE. The Citizens Assembly is a good idea, but should be broadened and should look at reviewing the whole constitution for fitness for purpose. It would have to be reviewed anyway to bring about all the above.

222233

1. Have people on the dole and job seekers allowance work for the state in return for their payment ( obviously with the exception of disibility allowance etc.)

2. Survey the accomodation that the people registerimg as homeless are moving out of, e.g if they are 18 and werw living with parents then register as homeless.

3. Have cyclists complete a driving and theory test.

4. Remove irish and religion from school cirricumums.

5. Legalise abortion

6. Split up hospitals completely into private and public eg. Stop sending private patients to public hospitals and keep the beds in public hospitals for public patients, increase the capacity and soecialities in the priavte hospitals to help with congestion in public ones.

7. Fix all the windy crappy roads, more motorways.

8. Ensure paople who have commited more than 1 crime at some point go to jail.

9. Spend less money on ceos and organisations tbat actually do little to help causes but instead pay staff huge wages and expenses and put the money to actual good use.

10. Reform the health and AGS entirely

scoey

Zero tolerance on drug possession and use. Enforce the law. Focusing on dealers and suppliers is doomed to fail unless you create major deterrants to use.

Harsher penalties for violent crimes and burglaries.

More police on regular, visible patrol in the many crime ridden areas of the country.

Japan style community police boxes with 3 or so police in each, as opposed to the police all hiding in centralised stations.

Take junkies off the streets and put them in a forced rehab camp cold turkey.

Massive housebuilding efforts by the government. Don't repeat the mistakes of the past and turn them into ghettos. Provide security at flats etc if necessary.

Put the long term unemployed to work doing something useful to society for 25 hours a week in return for the dole. Being idle long term is bad for people.

Cut the dole and housing benefits etc of any violent criminal or drug dealer to zero and throw them out on the streets. If they have children, take them into state care.

Fix the system so that it is impossible for someone to earn more on benefits than they would working.

nozzferrahhtoo

TheFitz13 wrote: »

Why? I feel like they're good ideas

Ah all discussions on progress and change will be punctuated by the doomsayers who simply predict detrimental effects of anything suggested. No actual evidence or arguments for their position, just shrill declarations of "It will all come crashing down!!!!!" with some form of scary jazz hands but no actual substance.

In the SHORT TERM however they are partially right. Take the 24 hour licensing of pubs for example........ or at least any licensing that extends their hours long past what they currently are.

I would predict that for a short time there would be a bit of carnage with that. People who abuse it, or do not know their limits, or simply over do it and so forth. But they will mature and learn as a society and it will likely be perfectly ok in the end.

I live in Germany currently and their licensing laws are fairly liberal. In Frankfurt for example I would not be hard pushed to find a beer on tap any ANY hour. Yet I feel safer, calmer and that the city is more at peace walking around at 3am than I would in Dublin at 3pm. They have quite a mature relationship with alcohol in general here, the carnage of Oktoberfest not withstanding.

Of course it has it's problems, I would be the last to say the ENTIRE attitude to alcohol here is perfect. But the hyperbolic doomsaying of suggesting it would collapse in on itself within a week is just complete nonsense from the type of people who are stuck in a rut where they think "conservatism" means literally conserving everything AS IS UNCHANGED for all time, and change is bad.