New Business openings and closures around you?

Are you not describing the entire voting base of your own political party there?

Correct. Yet listening/reading the media and reading some posters here would make you think everyone is on the breadline.

You'll have the usual silly season surveys out from barnardos etc that parents are struggling, xx% are in poverty, whine whine whine again. Ask the right people questions in a certain way and you are GUARANTEED to get the "survey results" you want.

The truth is Ireland is a well off country. About 550,000 people have mortgages. About 500,000 rental units - so about 1.2 MILLION properties with no mortgage. (2.3m residential properties here). Virtually no unemployment for anyone who wants to work. Very low personal taxes for those earning under 40k. Even earning 80k, your overall personal tax is low by other country standards.

So plenty of people who appreciate good coffee, decent pastries in a nice relaxed setting and will have no issue paying €30

Name me one local cafe where 2 coffees and 2 pastries come to €30 please?

Aren't their eclairs €7? Two would be €14, what kind of coffee's were you buying?

I have had the eclairs on a couple of occasions and they are very nice. But certainly not enough for 2 people and I dont eat big portions. Are they worth €7 well thats upto the person paying. To me they are a very occasional treat. I do see they are now selling croissants.

I always say if you dont like the price dont pay.

isn't that what an eclair is? 😀 Iced topping (sugar), filled with chantilly cream (sugar) in a pastry. Not for me either. But they do get excellent reviews from food critics. Their website suggests 17% sugar on average which isn't too bad. A bar of milk choc is about the same.

Size is 110g, so nearly twice the size of normal cafes (60g). If your tase buds says mediocre, then fair enough. I tend to look at ingredients and try and avoid filler ingredients, sugars and things like palm oil. (read the ingredients of staffords eclairs and you'll never eat one again)

They started in Bucharest and price there is €5.20 - considering the wage difference, that's expensive for Bucharest https://frenchrevolutioneclairs.com/

Here's the ingredient comparison

Choc Hazelnut - french rev

Choux : eggs, butter, milk, flour, sugar, salt;

Cream : milk chocolate, cream, egg yolk, milk, hazelnuts, sugar;

Decoration : cream, sugar, milk chocolate, hazelnuts.

Chocolate eclair - staffords

Dairy Cream (Milk) (60%), Water, Egg, Vegetable Oils (Palm, Rapeseed), Sugar, Wheat Starch, Maize Starch, Glucose Syrup, Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder (Milk), Modified Starch, Wheat Flour, Milk Protein, Raising Agents (Diphosphates, Sodium Carbonates), Colours (Iron Oxides, Beta Carotene), Emulsifiers (Mono and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids, Soya Lecithins, Lactic Acid, Esters of Mono and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Thickeners (Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Cellulose), Humectant (Sorbitol), Salt, Acidity Regulators (Lactic Acid, Potassium Phosphates, Sodium Citrates), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Flavourings

I might be tempted next time i'm in Dun Laoghaire

Dundrum centre, cafe on top floor is shuttered.

They were charging EUR 20 for coffee and cake (X2).

Now they are "Baked".

Yew Tree Terenure gonzo

The word you were looking for was hypocrisy.

But I am perfectly entitled to be against one thing and for something different. Its not that difficult a concept.

And I will continue to be. Anyone looking at the months long, total and utter waste of money, going on currently between Bakers Corner and Glenageary Road Upper / Mounttown should agree with me.

I think it’s great. Provides safe , fast and easy access to IADT for students and staff aswell as other people commuting to work, shops, friends . Activities.

With all the extra apartment been built in the area. We need to make transport safe and a viable alternative to a private motor car

you’re generalising a lot there.

Some cyclists and scooter drivers break the lights. As do some cars. Most notable are ones turning right long after lights change

The behaviour you describe is poor, yes, but (a) not the fault of cyclists and (b) not a valid reason to argue against the infrastructure being built. I think most cyclists (and indeed motorists) would appreciate if there was greater enforcement of rules of the road for everyone.