The Recession......your solutions?

AudreyHepburn · 18-01-2012 09:50PM #1

Everytime the government introduces an new tax or cut or rise in price or possibility of a bailout as a method of combatting the recession there is an outpouring of moaning and protesting against. But I have yet to see offer anyone a viable solution. And no taxing the super rich only or cutting only TDs salaries do not count.

So I ask my fellow Boardsies/AHers, what would you do if you were Taoiseach/TD? If the Government is not allowed to bring more cuts/taxes/price raises/bailouts then what can they do?

Lets have some genuine answers please, not the usual 'tax the rich, cut TDs salaries' cop outs.

Guill · 18-01-2012 09:56PM

Big **** you to the EU and Merkel. Then i would close all borders, we have enough in Ireland to survive.

amacachi · 18-01-2012 09:57PM

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

So I ask my fellow Boardsies/AHers, what would you do if you were Taoiseach/TD? If the Government is not allowed to bring more cuts/taxes/price raises/bailouts then what can they do?

Well then the deficit would stay the same. Unless they inflated the **** out of everything, but that would act like a cut in SW/Public Spending.

amacachi · 18-01-2012 09:58PM

Guill wrote: »

Big **** you to the EU and Merkel. Then i would close all borders, we have enough in Ireland to survive.

Survive? You're an awful ambitious person.

Doc Ruby · 18-01-2012 09:58PM

Cut spending in places it won't hurt the economy too much, and reduce tax rates. But less than you cut. Government ends up with a net increase in revenue and the economy isn't beggared. Heres what baffles me:

In good times, you can't cut spending because its politically impossible.
In bad times you can't cut spending because its austerity.

So government spending continually spirals upwards, with the endgame being Greece. Time to wake up and rein in the public balance.

Oranage2 · 18-01-2012 09:59PM

Clear mortgage debt - Joe Soap will have more money to stimulate the economy.

seantorious · 18-01-2012 09:59PM

How about we all just live within out means. [Awaits Nobel Prize]

Guill · 18-01-2012 10:00PM

amacachi wrote: »

Survive? You're an awful ambitious person.

We eat the weakest then when numbers are low enough we will be okay. Simples.

dxhound2005 · 18-01-2012 10:00PM

There is no solution. But in time things will get better. I'm saying this because we have always had a cycle of good and bad times for some people.

Immaculate Pasta · 18-01-2012 10:01PM

My solution - The country just does one massive whip round. If you want to contribute, contribute if you don't, nee bother and then we should have enough to clear the debt.

That's my take anyway :cool:

DEFTLEFTHAND · 18-01-2012 10:01PM

Overhaul the social welfare system with severe means testing and introduce food stamps for the destitute.

18-01-2012 10:01PM

I propose we all hide under a bunch of coats until it all blows over.

Suryavarman · 18-01-2012 10:01PM

Slash spending, cut taxes, deregulate and privatise almost everything the Government does.

Suryavarman · 18-01-2012 10:02PM

Oranage2 wrote: »

Clear mortgage debt - Joe Soap will have more money to stimulate the economy.

What about peoples savings?

Guill · 18-01-2012 10:02PM

seantorious wrote: »

How about we all just live within out means. [Awaits Nobel Prize]

For spelling?

Ian64 · 18-01-2012 10:03PM

Guill wrote: »

Big **** you to the EU and Merkel. Then i would close all borders, we have enough in Ireland to survive.

Well said!!!
Our oil reserves would last decades, our coal and stell production would feed our heavy industry, we dont want to sell our agricultural produce abroad, and who needs Intel,MSand D etc, our motor production industry would see us ok for cars and trucks, we could invent our own medicines, and with NO tourists we could turn our hotels in communal homes for the destitute.
We never liked oranges or melons, who needs coffee or tea (sure we could grow them ourselves), and as for cigarettes and chocalate they are a nusance.
Eh on the other hand closing our borders and choosing national economic suicide might not be as good a solution as you thought!

My name is URL · 18-01-2012 10:04PM

tayto lover · 18-01-2012 10:05PM

Lets suck up to the Chinese and the Japs they have loads of dosh. Then we can tell Europe where to go.

SafeSurfer · 18-01-2012 10:09PM

Completely scrap the overseas aid budget. Replace it with a voluntary contribution of salary collected through PAYE and self assessment.

Scrap the army. There is no need for them and they cant protect us anyway.

Make the universal social charge applicable to corporate profits. It is supposed to be universal after all.

Scrap all payments county councillors. It was until recently a voluntary role and should be again.

Cut down unnecessary duplication. Do we really need to pay separate county managers, chief engineers, head planners etc with large salaries for each and every county?

My own personal bugbear stop wasting money on public service ads. If you don't cook your chicken properly or wash your hands after taking a crap you deserve to get sick.

amacachi · 18-01-2012 10:09PM

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Cut spending in places it won't hurt the economy too much, and reduce tax rates. But less than you cut. Government ends up with a net increase in revenue and the economy isn't beggared. Heres what baffles me:

In good times, you can't cut spending because its politically impossible.
In bad times you can't cut spending because its austerity.

So government spending continually spirals upwards, with the endgame being Greece. Time to wake up and rein in the public balance.

There's a 35%ish deficit, that's a lot of tax rises and cuts.

I'd just prefer if we didn't give the government power to get us all into debt.

Ian64 · 18-01-2012 10:09PM

seantorious wrote: »

How about we all just live within out means. [Awaits Nobel Prize]

A concept like that will never catch on in a country suffering from Entitleditis!

mattjack · 18-01-2012 10:09PM

Dónal wrote: »

I propose we all hide under a bunch of coats until it all blows over.

I've no coats left...lost them all in the "great coat war"...I've a nice poncho and a glove left.

Seanergy · 18-01-2012 10:10PM

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

I have yet to see offer anyone a viable solution.

So I ask my fellow Boardsies/AHers, what would you do if you were Taoiseach/TD?

There will be an outpouring of moaning and protesting against this but to answer your Question I would legalize Weed and stop wasting tax payers money on adding waste chemicals to the drinking water.

Suryavarman · 18-01-2012 10:16PM

tayto lover wrote: »

Lets suck up to the Chinese and the Japs they have loads of dosh. Then we can tell Europe where to go.

Rubbish. China's housing bubble is on the verge of popping and it's going to make Ireland's look like a picnic. Japan hasn't grown in about 20 years and has a debt to GDP ration of about 200%. Neither of those countries is in a position to be supporting us.

starbelgrade · 18-01-2012 10:19PM

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome before any type of normality returns is to inject a huge dose of confidence back into the economy.

The media certainly didn't cause the recession - as some people would have you believe - but they certainly aren't helping us to get out of it. The likes of Newstalk for example are absolute gloom & doom merchants - an hour of listening to Ivan Yates in the morning would have you think that the sky was going to fall in.

As a result, people are afraid to spend & are squirreling away money like there's no tomorrow. Obviously there are a lot of people who aren't as they don't have it, but despite that, we still have the highest rate of personal savings per capita in the whole of the eurozone.

The result of that is that local businesses are finding it harder to survive, cutbacks are being made, people are losing jobs, the dole queues are getting longer and the whole thing just keeps rolling on like that.

In my own business, I've cut my fees quite a bit, yet there are still people who say that they're too expensive. Personally I don't give a fuck - I'm not that pushed for the work, but I know some people in the same business as me who are working at or below cost just to keep the doors open & the staff on their books. That is simply unsustainable & the absurd thing is that I work in an area of business that in essence a luxury service - the type of people who would employ my services actually have money but they're either afraid to spend it or are just penny pinching in the extreme.

So, to cut a long story short... a bit of positivity would go a long way indeed. The recession is ****e, but in fairness, no-one has died, no-one is starving, it's not the end of the world... it's just that people have a bit less money than they did a few years ago.

Bullseye1 · 18-01-2012 10:21PM

mattjack wrote: »

I've no coats left...lost them all in the "great coat war"...I've a nice poncho and a glove left.

I'm sure ive seen that in a movie.....although not on RTE.

AudreyHepburn · 18-01-2012 10:23PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome before any type of normality returns is to inject a huge dose of confidence back into the economy.

The media certainly didn't cause the recession - as some people would have you believe - but they certainly aren't helping us to get out of it. The likes of Newstalk for example are absolute gloom & doom merchants - an hour of listening to Ivan Yates in the morning would have you think that the sky was going to fall in.

As a result, people are afraid to spend & are squirreling away money like there's no tomorrow. Obviously there are a lot of people who aren't as they don't have it, but despite that, we still have the highest rate of personal savings per capita in the whole of the eurozone.

The result of that is that local businesses are finding it harder to survive, cutbacks are being made, people are losing jobs, the dole queues are getting longer and the whole thing just keeps rolling on like that.

In my own business, I've cut my fees quite a bit, yet there are still people who say that they're too expensive. Personally I don't give a fuck - I'm not that pushed for the work, but I know some people in the same business as me who are working at or below cost just to keep the doors open & the staff on their books. That is simply unsustainable & the absurd thing is that I work in an area of business that in essence a luxury service - the type of people who would employ my services actually have money but they're either afraid to spend it or are just penny pinching in the extreme.

So, to cut a long story short... a bit of positivity would go a long way indeed. The recession is ****e, but in fairness, no-one has died, no-one is starving, it's not the end of the world... it's just that people have a bit less money than they did a few years ago.

I couldn't agree more. Like you, I do know there are those who are genuinely on the breadline but for most of us I firmly believe it is simply a matter of tightening the belt a notch.

We are not in Third World country yet and I wish people would stop acting like we are.

Bullseye1 · 18-01-2012 10:24PM

I can foresee a huge right off of soverign debt across the board. Too many countries are running unsustainable deficits.

mattjack · 18-01-2012 10:25PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

One of the biggest obstacles to overcome before any type of normality returns is to inject a huge dose of confidence back into the economy.

The media certainly didn't cause the recession - as some people would have you believe - but they certainly aren't helping us to get out of it. The likes of Newstalk for example are absolute gloom & doom merchants - an hour of listening to Ivan Yates in the morning would have you think that the sky was going to fall in.

As a result, people are afraid to spend & are squirreling away money like there's no tomorrow. Obviously there are a lot of people who aren't as they don't have it, but despite that, we still have the highest rate of personal savings per capita in the whole of the eurozone.

The result of that is that local businesses are finding it harder to survive, cutbacks are being made, people are losing jobs, the dole queues are getting longer and the whole thing just keeps rolling on like that.

In my own business, I've cut my fees quite a bit, yet there are still people who say that they're too expensive. Personally I don't give a fuck - I'm not that pushed for the work, but I know some people in the same business as me who are working at or below cost just to keep the doors open & the staff on their books. That is simply unsustainable & the absurd thing is that I work in an area of business that in essence a luxury service - the type of people who would employ my services actually have money but they're either afraid to spend it or are just penny pinching in the extreme.

So, to cut a long story short... a bit of positivity would go a long way indeed. The recession is ****e, but in fairness, no-one has died, no-one is starving, it's not the end of the world... it's just that people have a bit less money than they did a few years ago.

You have a business ? fcuk off .....I always looked up to you...thought you were "the man"....

SafeSurfer · 18-01-2012 10:25PM

Not to be negative but lots of cosy middle class opinions on here.

Hank_Jones · 18-01-2012 10:26PM

A pony for each person of the republic.

And it will be the law that everyone must brush their teeth.

Our think our country has leaders stupid enough to adopt these things and charge people enough taxes to implement them.

The Recession......your solutions?

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