Damp dismal depressed - welcome to Ireland 2008

mike65 · 17-07-2008 11:23AM #1

Its (semi) official - Ireland is the craphole of developed western Europe (and worse than Poland too!).

from rte.ie

Ireland has come last in a study of quality of life, according to U-Switch, a British service comparison website.

Despite having one of the highest average income in Europe, it comes bottom in terms of quality of life issues.

Spain and France are at the top of U-Switch's European Quality of Life Index.
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People in Ireland and Britain have to pay high prices for fuel, food and other essentials, while having among the shortest holidays, latest retirement age and lowest life expectancy, according to the survey of ten European countries.

The study assessed 19 factors affecting quality of life, ranging from income and working conditions to healthcare, education and cost of living.

Britons have an average net income of more than £35,000 sterling (€44,000) a year, about £10,000 more than the European average, while Ireland comes second on more than £29,000 (€36,600).

But they pay between 6-18% more for fuel and 49% more for gas, not to mention spectacularly high housing costs. Ireland's gas bills are more than twice the European average.

At work, Ireland comes worst in terms of retirement age, with an average of 64.1 years, followed by Britain on 63.2 years, while life expectancy is 78.1 years and 78.9 years respectively, the lowest barring Italy.

At the other end of the scale, Spaniards have the lowest average income at £16,800, but low taxation and cheaper essential goods prices put them at the top of the overall quality of life indicator.

France comes second, notably benefitting from the longest holidays in Europe at 40 days and the second-lowest retirement age at 58.9 years, just later than Poles who retire at 58.4 years old on average.

1. Spain
2. France
3. Germany
4. Netherlands
5. Denmark
6. Sweden
7. Italy
8. Poland
9. UK
10. Ireland

and we have the fewest hours of sun as well (but you knew that).

Back in the good old days( 2004)

Mike.

zuutroy · 17-07-2008 11:28AM

I think I'd believe the UN over U-Switch in fairness!

Sherifu · 17-07-2008 11:28AM

Feels like a recession. :pac:

ntlbell · 17-07-2008 11:29AM

mike65 wrote: »

Back in the good old days( 2004)

When men wore pink and lemon shirt's and the girls sat in toni and guy sipping mocha's

I remember them well...

Bring back the 80's ftw

KTRIC · 17-07-2008 11:30AM

Hello from sunny Munich

Pighead · 17-07-2008 11:32AM

It's better this way. Most Irish people have horrible teeth and look terrible when they're smiling. The hungdog look sits on our shoulders much much better.

Anyway Mike these surveys are all a bit rubbish really aren't they? Pighead knows for a fact that he's at least 20% happier than he was in 2005. And chances are, you are too. Instead of damp dismal and depressed let's be delighted, delirious and drunk with happiness.

Steve_o · 17-07-2008 11:33AM

U-Switch?? I'm gonna go with the UN one i think... I also agree with Pighead i'm happy and content...and a little bit drunk nowadays!

Wertz · 17-07-2008 11:37AM

Jesus talk about swings and rounndabouts....why it was only 2 yrs back we were top spot of some of these surveys for standard of living and such.
Meh, I'm perfectly happy if not ecstatic...I'd be even happier if I'd some work to go to, but f*ck it, there'll be plenty of time for work when I'm 70...

pickarooney · 17-07-2008 11:47AM

40 days holidays in France? Does that include strikes and sick leave? Cause I'm getting ripped off by 15 days if not.

Note to self: whip unmotivated colleagues into striking frenzy.

I'm pretty sure petrol prices in Ireland are on the low end of the European scale, which leads me to believe this is bollocks.

Steve_o · 17-07-2008 11:49AM

pickarooney wrote: »

I'm pretty sure petrol prices in Ireland are on the low end of the European scale, which leads me to believe this is bollocks.

+1

L1011 · 17-07-2008 12:19PM

I'm more depressed than two years ago but thats solely because its harder to get my precious precious Irn Bru than it used to be....

Blisterman · 17-07-2008 12:23PM

That pole's a load of crap
How does having a lower retirement age make any difference to quality of life?

It only makes any difference to people between the lowest retirement age in Europe and Ireland's retirement age, which is a very small minority of people.

Also, does retiring really improve anyone's quality of life? I'd be bored out of my head, if I retired.

Wertz · 17-07-2008 12:41PM

There's a train of thought that reckons people who retire earlier die younger, something to do with lack of place and sense of duty or that...

Pompey Magnus · 17-07-2008 12:53PM

Wertz wrote: »

There's a train of thought that reckons people who retire earlier die younger, something to do with lack of place and sense of duty or that...

I heard this before alright, but not according to this study, we retire the latest and die the earliest. What exactly have we going for us?

Trev M · 17-07-2008 01:18PM

Pighead wrote: »

It's better this way. Most Irish people have horrible teeth and look terrible when they're smiling. The hungdog look sits on our shoulders much much better.

Anyway Mike these surveys are all a bit rubbish really aren't they? Pighead knows for a fact that he's at least 20% happier than he was in 2005. And chances are, you are too. Instead of damp dismal and depressed let's be delighted, delirious and drunk with happiness.

Im voting Pighead in the next election. . . . he's definitely a pint half full kinda head.

SimpleSam06 · 17-07-2008 01:22PM

Aaahahhaha, this is just a pile of Brits upset the Ireland got the highest quality of life, as opposed to the dear ould yuk. I'll be trusting the economist for my results, if its all the same.

What a load of todger.

Terry · 17-07-2008 01:24PM

So now we're 10th in the world instead of first?*
10th out of almost 200 countries is good enough for me.

*I'm quite aware it was a poll of European countries, but Europe overall has a better quality of life than the rest of the world.

Latchy · 17-07-2008 01:32PM

To go from the top to 10th place in 4 years is some drop .It's only a stat to take with a pinch of salt unless we go back to the grim 80s again .

SimpleSam06 · 17-07-2008 01:34PM

latchyco wrote: »

To go from the top to 10th place in 4 years is some drop

We didn't, this is some nothing publicity group. The original quality of life estimates were done by the Economist.

Latchy · 17-07-2008 01:38PM

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

group. The original quality of life estimates were done by the Economist.

A more relibable source for sure

mike65 · 17-07-2008 01:44PM

Dissapointed to see so much denial here - look if this is not proof of our impending penury what is? Think of Chloe and Aoife!

Mike.

colly10 · 17-07-2008 01:46PM

It's bollox tbh, ye stuff is more expensive but we get paid quite a bit more. I remember chatting to a Polish lad and he was saying that over here ye pay for all the essentials and still have a load left to go on the beer where as when he was at home he could just afford the essentials.
He also said that it was hard to get a job over there (at the time) even with a degree and that it was much easier to get a job over here.
I know things are going downhill lately but lets not get carried away. The only thing that ****ty about living here is the weather

Edit: I remember going on some website and you enter your annual wage and it tells you how you compare to the world average. A lower than average Irish wage will put you in the top 4% in the world. If you earn a grand a year that will put you in the top half, Irish people just like to moan

SimpleSam06 · 17-07-2008 01:46PM

mike65 wrote: »

Dissapointed to see so much denial here - look if this is not proof of our impending penury what is? Think of Chloe and Aoife!

Mike.

Denial of what? I don't see anything here even worth discussing tbh. Also what does some overpriced developer dropping a golf club deal have to do with the quality of life in Ireland? Do you measure quality of life by your proximity to a golf club?

mike65 · 17-07-2008 01:50PM

SimpleSam06 wins todays prize for straight faced literalism.

Like I give a fvck about a golf club and its 'impovrished' membership. :pac:

Mike.

SimpleSam06 · 17-07-2008 01:52PM

mike65 wrote: »

SimpleSam06 wins todays prize for straight faced literalism.

Whats the prize?

colly10 · 17-07-2008 01:55PM

mike65 wrote: »

Dissapointed to see so much denial here - look if this is not proof of our impending penury what is? Think of Chloe and Aoife!

Mike.

It's a step back from a huge boom though (just cause were at our peak doesn't mean things are bad), it's not like people a sewing patches over holes in our clothes again. If Poland really has a better standard of living then we would be going there to work rather than the other way around.
Things are getting worse (but thats doesn't mean really bad, just worse than it was)

mike65 · 17-07-2008 01:57PM

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Whats the prize?

A correspondence course studying dry humour!

Mike.

SimpleSam06 · 17-07-2008 01:58PM

mike65 wrote: »

A correspondence course studying dry humour!

Mike.

Thanks. Still in its original packaging, is it?

Terry · 17-07-2008 02:05PM

SimpleSam06 wrote: »

Thanks. Still in its original packaging, is it?

Comes with this.

SimpleSam06 · 17-07-2008 02:07PM

Terry wrote: »

Comes with this.

Brilliant. See, I don't need that course after all.

mickoneill30 · 17-07-2008 02:13PM

colly10 wrote: »

It's bollox tbh, ye stuff is more expensive but we get paid quite a bit more. I remember chatting to a Polish lad and he was saying that over here ye pay for all the essentials and still have a load left to go on the beer where as when he was at home he could just afford the essentials.
He also said that it was hard to get a job over there (at the time) even with a degree and that it was much easier to get a job over here.
I know things are going downhill lately but lets not get carried away. The only thing that ****ty about living here is the weather

Absolutely. I lived abroad where everything was a lot cheaper. Including my wages (for a similar job to what I'm in now). At the end of the day my standard of living was pretty much the same as here (except for the weather). It's dead easy to go abroad and look at how cheap everything is and say it's brilliant. Try working there for a while to really be sure.

Damp dismal depressed - welcome to Ireland 2008

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