Matt Barrett wrote: » SF wanting to give social housing a good spin is enough for me
John2136 wrote: » There is actually one very good reason to vote Sinn Fein, Sinn Fein MPs only take the average wage of an adult which is about 30,000 a year, this is so they can be on more of a level with the problems and life most people in the country live. Then you have the rest of the MPs of other parties voting to give themselves a raise when they are already on around a hundred grand a year.
Seth Brundle wrote: » SF’s housing policy is makey-uppey twaddle though. Abolish property tax - why would you remove a stable form of taxation? Build 100,000 new social homes - where? With what money (especially as you’ve just reduced funding from the local authorities by abolishing property tax)? Build loads of social houses - this won’t solve the entitlement problem though. Force developers to give over 20% of their stock as social housing - this will only increase prices and continues to remove the onus from the state. Provide rent certainty - to who? The tenant who already has plenty of rights or the landlords who have no rights and are leaving the business in droves meaning that in time we’ll be left principally with REITs? The property issue is much greater than the sound bites from SF and the other parties who waffle but will only cause more problems within the system
John2136 wrote: » SF were more than just a political party in the north of Ireland during the troubles they were even the police service from 1975/76 (can't remember which) since the police weren't accepted in nationalist areas and they literally could not police in them areas it was agreed between the British government and the IRA that SF incident centers would be set up so the Catholic areas could keep some sort of law and order which made SF/IRA the police in Catholic areas, for matters within the community, like burglary, threats etc.
blanch152 wrote: » And we all know how badly that worked out. Child abusers moved around like it was the Catholic Church, while decent ordinary people who fell out with an IRA man ended up crippled from kneecapping.
jm08 wrote: » Child abusers moved around like it was the Catholic Church everywhere children were involved. ARe you forgetting swimming for instance, what about that accountant in Waterford who coached children in football and abused them, what about Tom Humphreys in the GAA?
Seth Brundle wrote: » How is that relevant to the conversation? Were these aided by any political party?
Seth Brundle wrote: » Looking at the current government, how have they been corrupt?
What do you mean by progress?
jm08 wrote: » You need an opposition as well to question the Government. Mary Lou was pretty good on the Public Accounts Committee.
crossman47 wrote: » public servants
John2136 wrote: » Basically he was just saying that it happens everywhere.
FrancieBrady wrote: » FG/FF fought Lousie O'Keefe all the way to the European Courts on Child Protection issues. FG were still refusing to take the actions mandated by the court case they lost when Enda was posing with Maria Cahill for the photographers on the steps of the Dail. Is that hypocrisy? There is hardly a party or organisation who hasn't had issues with this.
bilbot79 wrote: » Presumably they hold the only real hope of reuniting the country, a romantic idea that few want to let go of
Snow Garden wrote: » I doubt a majority in the republic want a united Ireland.
blanch152 wrote: » Unbelievable whataboutery.https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/criminal-court/alleged-ira-member-found-guilty-of-raping-boys-at-safe-house-1.3840491 Don't think there are any other political parties with stuff like this in their recent past.
That ruling occurred in the Louise O’Keeffe case in 2014. Louise was a pupil in Dunderrow National School and was one of 21 girls abused by the school principal, Leo Hickey, on almost 400 occasions in the early 1970s. When a parent complained, Hickey resigned his post and took up another in Ballincollig, where he taught for another twenty years. In February 2017, Hickey was convicted of fresh sex abuse charges in Ballincollig between November 1991 and June 1992. All of this occurred without so much as an eyebrow being raised in the Department of Education. A guidance note issued by the department instructed schools to direct complaints to school managers – i.e. parish priests – with no department involvement (see para 168 of the judgment). The department had a laissez faire approach to National Schools, with a hands-off inspection regime and a "see no evil, hear no evil" attitude to child abuse.
Johnny Dogs wrote: » It will take a very stupid party leader to push against the idea when the time comes. Isn't every major party backing the idea at the minute?
blanch152 wrote: » There are very few people who wouldn't want a united Ireland if all the conditions were right. On the other hand, it is also true that it is possible that a referendum tomorrow for a united Ireland would be defeated because of the tax rises involved and the cuts to social welfare required, as well as people not wanting to take on the two groups of mindless sectarian politicians up North.
John2136 wrote: » Plus I doubt FG/FF would want unification as that would mean a large boost in votes for Sinn Fein.
John2136 wrote: » Well we already have one of the those mindless sectarian groups of political parties as our third largest party so what harm would one more do. Plus I doubt FG/FF would want unification as that would mean a large boost in votes for Sinn Fein.
blanch152 wrote: » Unification would mean the end of Sinn Fein, as they have no other reason for existence.
Snow Garden wrote: » But wouldn't a United Ireland require a referendum in the republic? I think it would be defeated very heavily. 70/30. Let Britain bankroll the craziness up there for another few decades.
Fionn1952 wrote: » I'm curious as to whether you suspect it would be defeated by those margins in the North, or in Ireland? I think your numbers are miles off either way, but I cant think of a single place outside Unionist heartlands in the North that would come close to 70% against. There will certainly be areas that wouldn't vote in favour, but I'd be surprised to see anywhere near those numbers. I suspect we're quite a while from finding out though.
