Fighter jets for the Air Corps?

"Policies" that aren't reviewed on the regular/Problems that are let linger on, end up causing a headache further down the line, and the longer it isn't reviewed/fixed, the worse it gets.

Recent developments in Ukraine have shown that Europe isn't as peachy as we all believed. And now it's not not entirely out of the question that our country may need to defend itself in the not so distant future. (By defend I mean for example not allowing Bombers from one country to fly through our airspace to attack our neighbor)

I think the issue is not that we don't have/cant afford expensive military equipment, It's the Kleptocracy and Nepotism that exist in every organization in Ireland, including the defense forces. I get some people feel that the defense forces are one of the most upstanding organisations on the Island, but recent documentaries have shown that that's just not true.

Tackling the "who you know" BS and Rip Off prices sub contracted agencies charge in Ireland, needs to be tackled first before any huge purchase of equipment like this could happen. Example: A hanger to house a plane that would normally cost Y would now cost Y x5. Cost of a runway would be way higher etc. All because sun contractors know there is money knocking about and they're gonna gouge the price as much as they can and deliver the absolute minimum (celtic tiger era crap apartments come to mind, there's not reason to believe supporting infra for fighter aircraft would be any different). Usually the person on the board of the sub contracting agency is "plays golf" with the local politician.

I believe this is the reason all sorts of infra projects are not moving in Ireland, not just military related ones.

And this has been an issue in Ireland for longer than the 70 years mentioned in the article. I've not idea how to tackle it.

First off, do you really think such issues only exist in Ireland? Hell we’re below average compared to some EU nations let alone regimes like Russia, second we are talking about defence related issues, backhanders and trade offs are par for the course for pretty much very nation in that regards (some are better at hiding it than others) but since we don’t even have a domestic defence industry we just end up screwed anyway both by that lack, and by the weaknesses of the DOD procurement team.

As for issues in the wider economy, that’s more to do with the fact that we are effectively at full economic employment in the economy and absolutely within the Construction sector meaning it doesn’t really matter how much money you throw at things, it can’t be spent.

Agree with you, one of the things “forgotten” during the Crash when everyone was cursing everything to do with construction was exactly what you mentioned, how many important contractors went under or were bought up leaving the market massively reduced and the total workforce for major capital projects crippled. But the time to change that is decades in the past now, and I can’t really think of how it can be changed.

Geographically safe as houses, but yet bombed in WWII. Ships were sank off our shores.

If it wasn't limitation then it certainly isn't now.

Recently infrastructure and commercial activity has been threatened, interfered with. That it only increasing.

So wrong again.

Its always amazing to me how so many other nations can manage to invest and sustain their militaries, yet somehow we in Ireland have a huge faction that think either a) its somehow an impossibility full stop to do, or b) somehow makes everyone else stick a label on us saying "Neutral, do not touch", rather than "LOL, soft target for whatever we want to do".

Why are you bothering to engage with a Troll?

I don't know what he is and to be honest I don't care, I'm going on 50/50 good faith and just laying it out there for whomever wants to read it.

Things have got more accessable not less.

Trying to appease Russia, or ignore them has not worked well. They've already threatened the country more than once, with no provocative.

Policing them has worked though. Which you would know if you'd had any knowledge of the issue.

Orc was taken I guess

I just corrected your many errors with links to the facts. If you dispute facts and history you need to take that up whomever wrote it.

You don't need to expert to take a minute to research the subject. You just didn't bother.

For example you still can't move past the idea the policing our airspace means fighting WW3 for some reason.