What’s your most controversial opinion? **Read OP** **Mod Note in Post #3372**

I like the idea, but it would open the floodgates for the entitled "what about us non-smokers/vegans/vegetarians/etc" to want their pound of flesh cash too.

Not necessarily, if the nurses/doctors are working 24/7 then when the Monday staff come in they have 3 days of work to catch up on before you start dealing with this week's work If you had staff shadowing the doctors you would be getting your results fairly quickly instead of 4/5/6 days later

(I'm assuming he is talking about support staff and not things like hr/payroll etc)

The private hospitals can do it because they cherrypick the neat, straightforward, profitable cases, and when things go wrong, they dump the patient back into the public system,

They cherrypick the best staff. $$$$$$$ taxpayers money to train and pay for them, then the offer arrives… adios. Two examples…..The best consultant neurologist in the country went from the Mater to The Hermitage, full time…

the best cardiologist ( allegedly, *cough* ) too sits in both the Mater …and a private facility…. How is that allowed..? You are a Mater employee, why doesn’t the contract prohibit that ? Does in any jobs I’ve had…

Jobseekers allowance is complete BS. If you lose your job you should get 80% pay for 1 year while you look for a new one. If you are on long term JSA you should get money preloaded onto a card for a supermarket of your choice. This cannot be used on cigarettes or alcohol, only food items and household essentials.

Women in general have far more low-brow hobbies and interests than men.

They're the target audience for shows where you don't need to use your brain to watch them like Dancing With the Stars and every other reality tv show. I believe there is a Dancing With the Stars podcast too- don't know many fellas that would subscribe to that.

They are the reason why there is a market for celebrity gossip.

Chick-lit novels wouldn't have many complex storylines. The Fifty Shades of Grey and Magic Mike franchises wouldn't exactly be modern masterpieces of cinema but kept getting made because women loved them.

I don't know many women into history or politics. Or even the geography of continents.

They also get away with being more slobbish than men too (wine o'clock, pyjamas in public...)

Yet men watching sport all weekend is bad!

99% of men in relationships are under the thumb.

I left out another controversial opinion I still have. In fact in some corners of boards.ie it has made me somewhat of pariah. And it was as if some spat on the ground, when they saw my username, as a result.

It was during the proposed RIC/DMP commemorations. Which were very erroneously termed 'black and tan' commemorations by many. They were even termed 'celebrations' by some posters, while some were even more hyperbolic with their analogies. When they compared it to the Gestapo/Nazi's.

But the truth was the proposed commemorations were to be a long period in Irish history from the 1800's until the foundation of the Free State. 1816-1922 RIC in Ireland which became permanent in 1836.

I had zero issue with the proposed commemorations, in fact I welcomed them, as a sign of Ireland as nation growing up.

However, I remember now been shocked at normally rationale Irish historians in the media stoking up old fears. There was very little objectivity on the subject.

One of my arguments was many of those who were members of the RIC were more 'culturally Irish' than many of those who were vehemently against the RIC commemorations at the time.

In the Solohedbeg Ambush of 1919 when 10 IRA volunteers ambushed two RIC men both born and bred Irishmen - one from Cork and one from Mayo. Both Catholics as well, men who took their faith seriously. They were named Patrick O'Connell and James McDonnell respectively.

Both men were said to be popular policemen locally. Not the 'oppressors' many spin the blanket narrative as.

I argued that the man from Mayo - Constable McDonnell, aged 50 and a native of Belmullet, Co. Mayo was much more 'culturally Irish' than the majority of Irish people currently alive. And the much more-so than vast majority of those who were 'anti' the commemorations. He was a widower and the father of five young children. Also a very key point, he was a native Irish speaker.

Furthermore, I stated at the time of the commemorations furore - even looking closer at the background of the signatories of the Proclamation of Independence such as Eamon Ceannt. Born Edward Kent his own father (James Kent) served as an officer in the RIC stationed in Ballymoe - Galway, and then Ardee - Louth. Before retiring in Dublin.

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Dublin/Clontarf_West/Fairview_Avenue/1271130/

Beyond the signatories, there are many more with RIC family backgrounds. Such as Tom Barry's father who were members of the RIC. In fact, Barry's father reached the rank of Sgt.

My point is history is much more complex, than simple narrow narratives that are rewritten. All to suit current political viewpoints.

For me, the problem was that they heated the apartment during the day, when I was out, and were mostly out of heat when I came home for the evening and needed heat most.

My controversial opinion is too many people have dogs. Not good for animal welfare, not good for the planet, how much resource goes into producing dog food etc.

I know is a lot of people use dogs for work, farmers etc and a a lot of people have a genuine love for their dog.

However how does one deal with the large number of people who get a dog as a cool attachment to their lives, they see this idealised version of dog ownership but don't realise the work that goes into that and the fact that they may not form a bond with their dog.

There should be some screening mechanism for dog ownership.

I don't expect anyone to agree hence my "controversial opinion" but it is based on my own experience as a novice dog owner that did not end well.

Funny enough now you say that. I was just back from the country a family thing. Old aunt is a widow at this stage. But loves animals. Keeps the dogs until they literally drop.

They have 8 of them in the farm. More dogs than people in her house. They have one little dog who who is about 17/18 deaf and with one eye. A few working dogs. Then they always end up keeping strays etc.

But I would agree with ya there should be some better system. Grand people can love animals etc. But it can get silly.

I don't think they were ordinary. They were often shell-shocked and might have seen all their friends killed right in front of them in France or Belgium. Then they are sent to Ireland to 'police' it and start killing civilians and causing havoc.

That is not normal even by the standards of colonial policing.

Irish people aren't required to be 100% detached from our own history imo. We should take our own side, not just look at ourselves through a laboratory microscope.

We ought to detached about Black nationalism and Ukrainian nationalism, which we are technically on the outside of.

A fair proportion use "the woman" as a handy excuse to get out of things as well - "ah I'd love to head out but she has been at me all week" etc etc

So the men are all stupid and the women are the brains of the operation? like on all those tv and radio adverts, like the one where the husband is eating frozen peas?

A lot of really stupid people ran out and bought dogs and helped create this monster.

Have a good long look at yourselves 'dog lovers'.