Has Ireland Gone To The Dogs?

Schlemm · 07-03-2007 09:44PM #1

Dunno if this is the right forum....but what dya reckon? How do you see Ireland in the next 10, 15 years? How do you think things will change?
Just curious on everyone's opinion is all...a lot of people seem to think that things are changing and the country is about to go downhill, eg, with the bad traffic and pollution, public transport, the M50, escalating violence and 'gun culture', general attitudes, e.g. snobbery, poor government policies (both past and present), urban sprawl, inflation, etc.

So have we never had it better or are things about to change? Is Ireland the sort of place you'd like to live in the future or present?

FlutterinBantam · 07-03-2007 09:54PM

Full of chavs and jackasses with no education or manners to be honest, all looking for the quick buck,and the stroke ,without putting anything back into the country.

Expecting the state to bail them out and behaving like there was no tomorrow.

Trying to get away with everyrhing they can and dragging the place down to their level.

antSionnach · 07-03-2007 10:03PM

Ireland will be the same as it always was - some good stuff, some bad stuff, and of course the obligatory whinging!:p

Probably the most irritating book floating around my house at the moment "Is it just me or is everything sh1t" - FFS, If you don't like it, leave! (and who bought that bloody book...)

mike65 · 07-03-2007 10:08PM

I'm sure that somewhere in the Book Of Kells is a panel that depicts 9th century Skangerati and Squeegius and seeks our deliverance from same.

Mike.

Overheal · 07-03-2007 10:11PM

You see; Ireland needs the bad traffic and pollution, public transport, the M50, escalating violence and 'gun culture', general attitudes, e.g. snobbery, poor government policies (both past and present), urban sprawl, inflation, etc. because thats what keeps Ireland behind the times and thats why people adore it.
The only thing we might stand to lose is pollution and gun crimes.....possibly the government....but the bollocksed attitudes and the traffic must never change

MooseJam · 07-03-2007 10:21PM

I blame it all on the immigrants

iwincosimcool · 07-03-2007 10:22PM

I find that most people who complain about Ireland, havent lived in another country apart from travelling

brianthebard · 07-03-2007 10:29PM

iwincosimcool wrote:

I find that most people who complain about Ireland, havent lived in another country apart from travelling

I doubt the majority of any nation has travelled abroad to live for X amount of time, just so they could justify bitching about home.:rolleyes:

iwincosimcool · 07-03-2007 10:35PM

brianthebard wrote:

I doubt the majority of any nation has travelled abroad to live for X amount of time, just so they could justify bitching about home.:rolleyes:

oh yeh, was just saying though

connundrum · 07-03-2007 10:45PM

Where's the poll?

and no.

Ickle Magoo · 07-03-2007 10:56PM

What do you mean gone to the dogs? Did I miss the futuristic infrastructure, great public transport, cosmopolitan attitudes, honest polititions & fabulous wealth that wasn't based on credit cards & european subsidies? The only way is up! Can't wait to leave tbh...:p

mickoneill30 · 07-03-2007 11:02PM

iwincosimcool wrote:

I find that most people who complain about Ireland, havent lived in another country apart from travelling

Absolutely. One term I hate is "whinge whinge whinge in this country". When 9 times out of 10 it's the same in every country. Well I don't know if it's the same in every country but I've lived in 3.

BlitzKrieg · 07-03-2007 11:09PM

I find that most people who complain about Ireland, havent lived in another country apart from travelling

completely agree

Ireland's not that bad.

I spent 3 years in cambridge and even in a city that is stereotypically a centre for prunes, students and posh people I saw as much scummery there as I do today living in phibsboro.

connundrum · 07-03-2007 11:13PM

BlitzKrieg wrote:

I spent 3 years in cambridge and even in a city that is stereotypically a centre for prunes, students and posh people I saw as much scummery there as I do today living in phibsboro.

I lived in Johannesburg for 12 years and the family moved because we felt our lives were under constant threat. Ireland ain't that bad tbh

monkeyfudge · 07-03-2007 11:16PM

I wish it would go to the cats... that cat thread is hilarious.

Dyr · 07-03-2007 11:16PM

We always want to play catch up with our neighbours. So we'll happily repeat the mistakes they made ten years ago even though it's obvious now that they ballsed up. :rolleyes:

brianthebard · 07-03-2007 11:47PM

Bambi wrote:

We always want to play catch up with our neighbours. So we'll happily repeat the mistakes they made ten years ago even though it's obvious now that they ballsed up. :rolleyes:

Indeed. Anyone want another housing estate with your overpriced cappacino?

jester77 · 07-03-2007 11:53PM

iwincosimcool wrote:

I find that most people who complain about Ireland, havent lived in another country apart from travelling

So that must qualify me to complain

In fairness there is so much wrong but it's not as bad as a lot of countries. In saying that I can't see myself returning anytime soon. Same job and salary here as I had in Ireland but living is so much easier and cheaper. Fantastic health and infrastructure where I am and I must also mention the beer

To quote another thread, at the end of the day it's all about being happy and if you're not happy leave!

Pherekydes · 07-03-2007 11:55PM

FlutterinBantam wrote:

Full of chavs and jackasses with no education or manners to be honest, all looking for the quick buck,and the stroke ,without putting anything back into the country.

Expecting the state to bail them out and behaving like there was no tomorrow.

Trying to get away with everyrhing they can and dragging the place down to their level.

And that's the Government!!

partholon · 08-03-2007 12:55AM

well personally im glad im not starting out now. if i had to drive 3 hours from the arse end of nowhere just to get to work i'd go mental.

i dont buy into the whole gun culture and violence thing, it was always as bad as that in the 80's. the only difference is the press dont have the wet dream of the IRA blowing the crap out of things to put on page 1 now so they have to do something to fill up the colums. anyone who thinks towns bad now should remember what the harp bar used to be like. bearly a week went by with out some scumbag knifeing another outside that place

but i have to confess the social scenes collapsed. the price of a pints ridiculous and most pubs bar a saturday night are like fecking morgues compared to the early 90's,and that was technically a recession !

my dad earned half of what im on but he's had four kids and a home. ive no bloody chance of that cause the house is taking up most of my cash. in fact what im seeing now is mates emmigrating to australia to have families because they dont want to pauperise themselves :eek:

its death by a thousand cuts in my opinoin, not one thing in particular but quality of life is definelty secondry to "the economy" and it shows in our daily lives . like i said im lucky, i got my act together just before it all went mental. i have a reasonably secure job which pays enough to keep me going and a roof over my head. but TBH i feel a great swell of pity for my neices and nephew, theyre ****ed.

InFront · 08-03-2007 01:33AM

Slow coach wrote:

And that's the Government!!

lol. but sadly qft as well.

biko · 08-03-2007 02:51AM

I blame the arse end (east)

/gets crisps and flak jacket

ballsofire23 · 08-03-2007 02:57AM

I had two marriages in my life, Irish and Dutch man I married. I much preffered Ireland and I stayed here but I preferred my Irish husband, my Dutch husband was very easy going and Irish very uptight.
So the steretype that Irish are easy going is not accurate, it's a problem here if you're any way different.
If you go to the Netherlands, you'll notice how approachable people are, but Ireland it depends what the person you approach thinks of you'd dress sense, you're general attire before they keep walking. It's the only problem with Irish people, they are not very friendly but I think as they learn, they'll change. It's a shame to see such sweet ladies ignore you when you are in a car crash and you'r son bleeding when they walk past without saying ok I'll help you.

mickoneill30 · 08-03-2007 10:08AM

partholon wrote:

my dad earned half of what im on but he's had four kids and a home. ive no bloody chance of that cause the house is taking up most of my cash. in fact what im seeing now is mates emmigrating to australia to have families because they dont want to pauperise themselves :eek:

They'll learn. Australia was one country I lived in for 5 years. They have many of the issues there that we have (including expensive housing unless you don't want to live near a major city with lots of jobs.)

Archeron · 08-03-2007 10:17AM

I love good old soggy Ireland, and I think a lot of the problems we have are a result of the affluence we've experienced over recent years. I reckon no matter how perfect things may be, if someone wants to winge, then they will always find something to winge about.

While I can kind of nearly semi-understand people from Ireland bitching about things (as someone said, a lot dont know what they are comparing it to anyway), what I really dont get is people from other countries constantly attacking Ireland and Irish ways. If you hate it that much, then why are you here? Surely if you find things here that annoying you could just open your email inbox and find some sort of North African princess who would be more than happy to take you in (in exchange for your bank account details of course).

A good friend of mine is from Nigeria and he absolutely loves it here. He lived in France and the UK and came here because he likes the Irish people and our ways. If he just gave out all the time about bad attitudes and backwards infrastructure and so on and so on, my honest advice to him, as a friend, would be to go back to the UK, or France, or Nigeria, or whatever.

With the exception of very few people, there isn't a bungee cord holding you here.

Dr.Bunson · 08-03-2007 10:25AM

My biggest complaint is that the government tends to look after non-nations entering the country before the Irish people. Look around Dublin city, it's only Irish people that are homeless and living on the streets. There's talk in the press about bringing in foreign language teachers in Irish schools to facilitate the foreign nationals, yet I have to fight to get my child into school, and I've been paying taxes all my life.

The Brits have got it right, they brought in a law recently that says you can't claim social welfare unless you can speak the English language... smart move.

mickoneill30 · 08-03-2007 10:43AM

Dr.Bunson wrote:

There's talk in the press about bringing in foreign language teachers in Irish schools to facilitate the foreign nationals, yet I have to fight to get my child into school, and I've been paying taxes all my life.

While I agree with you (that Irish people in Ireland should get priority) I don't agree with your example. What would your fix be for those kids? Seperate schools? Struggle with trying to understand their English speaking teachers thus holding back other kids and themselves? Go back to where they came from?

08-03-2007 10:48AM

Ìts called evolution it happens

Dr.Bunson · 08-03-2007 10:54AM

I'm not asking to segregate people, the government have already started that. They are segregating the Irish out of society...

If I moved to, lets say Latvia, Nigeria, Pakistan, I would be expected to abide by their customs and laws, they would not accept my customs to be their own. In Ireland, we are changing our customs to be the customs of the foreign nationals entering the country. I don't think that's right.

We have two national languages, Irish and English, yet most advertising from certain financial institutions is in Polish. I know is economics, and they want business, but it's destroying our national identity...

zuutroy · 08-03-2007 10:56AM

ballsofire23 wrote:

I If you go to the Netherlands, you'll notice how approachable people are, but Ireland it depends what the person you approach thinks of you'd dress sense, you're general attire before they keep walking

Thats crap....outside Amsterdam they're the most insular unapproachable bunch in any country I've been to. In this part of the world (belgium, holland etc) there's no real spark between the people. In my experience anyway, very few people will wave or flash for doing them a good turn on the roads, very few people will thank you for holding the door for you etc, very little general banter in everyday situations.
For all Ireland's problems at least there's a *bit* of warmth between the people, whereas around here, its just people sharing a country.

galah · 08-03-2007 11:19AM

iwincosimcool wrote:

I find that most people who complain about Ireland, havent lived in another country apart from travelling

Nope, I see it the other way round - a lot of people who complain actually have lived somewhere else, and can compare between countries...

I for one love it here, but I do see a lot of problems that Ireland needs to solve - the shocking state of health care (and the price you pay for it), traffic (well, not traffic as such, just road planning), house prices, alcohol abuse etcetc.

But it's not enough to make me move elsewhere (well, the weather would, but I knew that when I moved here...)

Ireland has changed a lot, from the cosy, dozy land of the inbred leprechauns to a "real" first world country (bar the third-world healthcare) with immigration, high-flying rich people etc and it will continue down that way, with all the ups and downs...

It's not necessarily all bad, but I guess it takes a bit to get used to...

Has Ireland Gone To The Dogs?

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