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Simmering anger

[Deleted User]

Not joking, but is there a real anger about the state of the country,that's just under the surface?

Over the last few months I've found people are very angry about the state of the hospitals, there is frustration that everyone has known about the problems for 20 years or more, but the crisis continues. People are dying because of the failure to sort it out.

I'm a bit insulated from it thankfully, but there does seem to be a lot of frustration around housing as well, rents in particular are very high. Something I hear a lot of complaints about is social housing, that people are getting near free housing while not working, while people working really struggle. There's also complaints that Ireland has taken in too many refugees, which I think is associated with the housing crisis.

As well as those issues there seems to be issues with capacity at every turn. School places are tight around here anyway, it's near impossible to get a tradesman, you can be waiting months for a dentist.

I think there's a very real weariness and frustration with the direction things have taken in the country. And this is at a stage where we have full employment.

Fianna Fáil and FG are going to get another pounding next time people vote, I'm convinced of it. And SF might benefit, which is strange enough given their recent past, but it's very possible that even more radical people could benefit. As a population we are wealthy but not at all content, I think we are far less satisfied with things than the UK was pre-Brexit.

In general we're not people for coming onto the streets but even since Christmas you've had people demonstrating against how emergency accommodation is provided and the poor state of certain hospitals.

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[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120270736#Comment_120270736

Family member made a suicide attempt towards the end of lahst year. Took until now to get an appointment with Adult Services.

At the appointment, they were asked "are you having any suicidal thoughts at the moment?" They answered no.

Response was "great, we'll renew your prescription and see you again in 4 months".

That was it. In and out in less than 5 minutes, literally NO actual treatment, no, "how are you doing?" Just "Here are some pills. Go away".

[Deleted User]

A lot of older people, like myself (born 1961) are doing ok financially in spite of small income. That small income is steady, I own my apartment plus a larger place that I let to good people. I’m single, don’t have children, grandchildren etc, my bit of money is my own, I skimp on socialising costs (restaurants etc) and save it for as much travel as I can afford, then I enjoy myself. This year I did my research in travel, and found that going selectively long distance with likes of Etihad is cheaper all considered than a week in Europe. Eg, I booked a week B&B in a five star hotel in Penang, all flights from Dublin to Kuala Lumpur via Abu Dhabi, internal connection to Penang, full 20kg luggage, private transfer total €1300. I tried booking various destinations in Europe adding all up, nearest equivalent was a four star for €1400. Ryanair and Aer Lingus are charging a relative fortune short haul atm, go Asia like Thailand and Malaysia for better bang for your buck

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120269028#Comment_120269028

I wish you very well, hope you get seen to satisfactorily. There’s a psychiatrist guy in England I follow on Twitter who I consider inspirational, bern there himself and adores his work as an emergency mental health professional https://twitter.com/ahmedhankir/status/1587728680440274945?s=46&t=9EBcZ4PmFxZdIGxsuv1xgw

Deebles McBeebles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120269028#Comment_120269028

Best of luck with it, genuinely. From all I've heard about the mental health services in Ireland, you'll be lucky to get anything of value. One friend of mine was literally begging to be seen by a professional, told to take some Xanax and await a call. No call. I can't imagine trying to get help if you're having a breakdown, it must be nearly as tough as the mental health issue itself and certainly not what's needed if you find yourself in that situation.

RobbingBandit

On the way to A&E now as my GP can't see me and has recommended going and asking to speak with psychological services am not hopeful of being seen at all and really don't think being in a crowded setting will help with how I am feeling.

[Deleted User]

It's very hard to get a handle on whats happening, apperently Center parks was full during the mid term despite the massive utility bills that's families with children, it's not the well of older cohort, on the other hand some are really struggling.

Dante

Cut down on your internet and social media use and you will be mostly oblivious to all this apparant hate and lead a happier life.

Cluedo Monopoly

It is criminal how much money FFG have wasted over the last 2 decades. We should have much improved infrastructure, transport systems, hospitals etc. The MNCs windfall will not last forever.

It wasnt me123

I think most of our problems lay with a government that doesn’t give a damn.

Population growing, why aren’t the government building new schools. Or better still, stop single sex schools and use all state schools for everyone.

Population growing, government close beds in hospitals and some A&E departments. Why aren’t they building more hospitals and to ensure we have staff in them - make all health/medical graduates work for 2 years in the system - and teachers and stop their 5 year career gap - all employees be treated the same, doesn’t matter if public servants or private.

No housing? Who’s not building? The government. Why aren’t they building houses. When we had no money in the 80’s we could build houses - housing should be back with county councils and anyone between the ages of 18 and 24 who is on social welfare should be made to work for the county councils, learn a trade and build houses.

We need aa change of government - neither FG or FF give a shite about you or me - if we made our TDs actually work for us and vote them out at the next election if they didn’t, then maybe they might actually do something for their big salaries, private health insurance and government cars with drivers.

I bought a house in 1998 in rural irish town on one salary for 45K punts.I lost it thru a bad marriage and will never get another mortgage and no chance of ever having a house.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120262561#Comment_120262561

Defined benefit or defined contribution ?

Defined contribution of the size provided by the tax payer to AIB management for a job tragically badly done are the stuff of dark fairy tales.

[Deleted User]

Better in the past and so on, the correct answer is not that it was better or worse it was different.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260967#Comment_120260967

While you do have a powerful point, pensions are not rare almost 60% of the working population in Ireland I lined the CAO statistics on this in another thread.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260959#Comment_120260959

In all fairness you have to answer the question why did you come back?

Thelonious Monk

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120261206#Comment_120261206

Yep and many of us Dubliners my age got saddled with 500k mortgages for a duplex is feckin Duleek or somewhere

Padre_Pio

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120261159#Comment_120261159

That fortunate demographic was the one who got a kicking in the last recession.

maninasia

You hear this nonsense about our high GDP but if you walk through one of our main train stations like Connolly, it's so unbelievably grotty and shabby and poor-looking. More Irish people have travelled now, and can see what a rubbish deal we're getting for our supposed wealth and the tax we pay compared to other countries. We've been promised a rail link from the airport for decades.

Yup I was also shocked at the state of Connolly. It looks like a 3rd rate old station at the end of a grotty street. To get to the dart there's only one entrance , go up the dirty escalators in the open, then through the single entrance , then a long winding route past the trains to get to the dart platforms. There should be about five entrances into the place and direct from street level not thru the train station. So antiquated. And this is one of the country's main transport hubs lol. WTF are they doing with all the money?

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120252593#Comment_120252593

You see that's because you fall within a fortunate demographic. It's those in 20s & 30s most affected by rising rents and squeeze on property. And their parents in 50s & 60s, many of whom might have expected their 20s & 30s children to be more settled by now and not living back home as often occurs.

I expect the current government to get a right kicking in the next election, not that the alternative offers any better. But just because there are two large unhappy sets of voters.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260303#Comment_120260303

I did, and this quote from the linked article supports what I posted, using inflation alone as a metric is futile.

“The point to be kept in mind here is that an inter-generational comparison of housing affordability is never perfect, as there are too many variables to be taken into account – both in terms of obvious factors like incomes and property prices, but also less obvious socioeconomic issues that must also be considered.”

maninasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120259761#Comment_120259761

Yes ironically Japan now has better value for housing than Ireland and even many other less developed Asian countries. Low immigration and low brith rates do have some concrete benefits.

Apart from the ridiculous taxes and fees on everything in Ireland the country has not really invested in expanding its services even with massive immigration. Running everything on a base built for 3.5 million not 5 or 6 million.

So you either invest more, allow private investment and deregulate areas such as GP services or limit the numbers coming in till you get a handle on it.

YFlyer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260982#Comment_120260982

Well kind of true. Heard of Quinn?

DrivingMrDaisy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120259879#Comment_120259879

If my car was broken and i took it to a mechanic to fix it and it broke down 5 minutes after i collected it from the garage yeah i might give him a second chance to fix it but a third, forth, fifth chance etc.. not a hope. Yet here we are with a broken country yet we've people voting the same mechanics into power time and again expecting a different outcome.

You get the government you deserve.

DrivingMrDaisy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120259623#Comment_120259623

The old adage still rings true, owe the bank 10k and it's your problem, owe the bank 10 million and it's their problem.

SuperBowserWorld

Also, lest we forget, those of us on defined contribution pensions, or none, taxpayers bailed out AIB defined benefit pensions too.

Not only is the pension a very rare defined contribution one. Joe and Mary taxpayer, on lottery stock market pensions, pays for it and bails it out when it **** up.

It's a funny old world. Except it's not.

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/aib-beats-pension-crisis-after-11bn-loans-bailout-30740410.html

maninasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120254815#Comment_120254815

You are.

Pubs and restaurants packed? Nah , not like back in the day at all. I remember when pubs were really heaving.

I moved back a while ago and the health service is shite, expensive and inaccessible, public transportation dire in places, school places extremely lacking, no guards to be seen almost anywhere, hotel costs insane and general cost of living has rocketed (almost everything except groceries are expensive and getting more so). My electricity and gas and fuel costs are at least 2x where I used to live. Car Insurance 5x-10x. Medical insurance roughly same but out of pcket costs in Ireland huge. My rent 3x. Need to pay for prescription drugs. Buying a house cheaper than where I lived but going up 10% a year. Many activities are scarce or expensively due to insurance costs. I used to pay 10% plus tax now it approx 40%. VAT is often 23% here whereas at most I paid 5% sales tax before. On top of that my salary is lower although I accept some people would move to Ireland and get a higher salary from poor countries. 33% tax on capital gains, 40% on deemed disposal ETFs. Crazy stuff.

Ireland is being run really badly and is OVERSTRETCHED. You can see it much more clearly if you haven't always lived in the fishbowl. The government is the main reason, taking well over 50% of all earnings with their various taxes.

There's basically no financial reasons for me to live in Ireland whatsoever.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260841#Comment_120260841

Fine Gael New Politics document 2011

Under Fianna Fail a political culture developed which ensured that the bankers and the developers were not dealt with before it was too late. A culture which tolerates cosy cartels and high costs in the private sector and ignores the need for radical reform in the public sector.

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260841#Comment_120260841

The only argument that could be made for taxpayers continuing to pay for banking mistakes is from the original bailout back in 2008. Taxpayers are probably still paying back interest on the loans taken out for that bailout.

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260841#Comment_120260841

Yep, the State owns about 57% of it but it's not the taxpayer who pays for banking writedowns, it's the AIB customers.

Look at it this way, when the Central Bank raise interest rates what happens? Are taxes raised to cover the bank's higher borrowing costs..........nope. It's not the taxpayer who has to pay extra taxes to cover it, it's the AIB mortgage holders who have to pay because the bank raises their mortgage interest rates. Same with writedowns. It's the customers who have to pay for DJ Carey's loan default.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260818#Comment_120260818

The state owned AIB and still owns a majority chunk of it. Therefore the tax payer continues to pay for banking mistakes.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120260818#Comment_120260818

I have an AIB mortgage too. It's unreal.

But at least Paschal made sure the senior bank managers would get their bonuses again.

BattleCorp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120259623#Comment_120259623

I think a better way of looking at it is that a chunk of it is my money because I have a mortgage with AIB and when DJ Carey doesn't pay back his loans, everyone else (including me) who has a mortgage with AIB has to pay his loans. It's not the taxpayer who pays, it's the AIB customers.