why is Ireland so expensive?

Jellicoe · 06-10-2012 05:21PM

So other than your posts, you can posting nothing to support your views about the golden circle, after demanding other do so. Quel Surprise. You bluffers are all the same.

Father Damo · 06-10-2012 05:27PM

dd972 wrote: »

Look at the sort of nation Germany is as regards infrastructure, jobs, services, health, transport, the list goes on......and it's cheaper over there !!:eek:

The reason, quite simply, is that we are sheep. If the typical German nightclub tried to charge 6 euro for a bottle of beer, or 8 euro for a double vodka and splash, like they do in Dublin, they would simply boycott it. They would stay out of their city centres until the price was brought down to an acceptable level.

An email campaign went around about 8 years ago urging us to do the same for a month. A national boycott weekend after weekend until the pubs brought down drink prices to a comparable European level.

Did we boycott?

Did we fcuk. We grumbled about the price and proceeded to spend a quarter of our weeks wages in the space of five hours on a Saturday night getting wrecked.

The funniest is when Irish people in Australia moan about how expensive Australia is. Give or take, Oz is, generally, just slightly less expensive than Celtic Tiger Ireland. Albeit a country where a manual unskilled worker can, if they play their cards right, earn more than alot of management positions do/ did back home. You get more bang for your buck. For the cost of a CT era terraced house in Dublin with walls so thin you can hear your neighbour farting, in Sydney you would get a detatched four bedder with a swimming pool and a quarter football pitch garden out the back. Australia is by no means cheap but in terms of wage vs what you can buy with your money, it is years ahead.

andrew · 06-10-2012 05:28PM

The price level in a country (how much things cost in general) is usually correlated with how developed/underdeveloped it is, but it's caused by the level of development, but the rate of development. Ireland's an expensive country because it had, up until recently-ish, a high level of economic growth. This pushed up prices across the board (in a relatively short period of time) compared to our neighbours, making us more expensive than them. ie. led to inflation.

Helix · 06-10-2012 05:30PM

Jellicoe wrote: »

So other than your posts, you can posting nothing to support your views about the golden circle, after demanding other do so. Quel Surprise. You bluffers are all the same.

again, i think you need reading classes. you said

Jellicoe wrote: »

Ordinary wages are higher, because the cost of living, after the golden circle and their crorrupt cronies get their fat cut, is much higher.

and i asked you to explain it. you didn't do that. you posted a pdf that talks about 39 people and their roles as high level execs with major companies. that doesn't explain why the cost of living is higher because of them getting their cut. they get the cut of their businesses income. i fail to see how that increases the cost of living. if they didnt get a cut of it, would anything be different? would those companies charge less? of course not. it's the same as any other country in the world, companies will charge what people will pay. if people will pay more, companies will charge more

homerjay2005 · 06-10-2012 05:32PM

one word answer - greed.

wages are higher, thus the cost of everything is higher.

UCDVet · 06-10-2012 05:34PM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

one word answer - greed.

wages are higher, thus the cost of everything is higher.

I don't think that makes sense.

Other countries have greed.
Other countries have higher wages with lower cost of living.

I think there has to be more to it.

Geuze · 06-10-2012 05:35PM

Many reasons.

(1) Lack of competition / cartels

(2) Irish people's willingness to pay more

(3) Higher operating costs, e.g.

commercial rents
LA rates
waste costs
energy costs

(4) Higher profit margins

Higher gross margins are required to cover the higher costs / overheads

Higher net margins due to greed, etc.

(5) In some sectors, higher indirect taxes, e.g.

new cars
alcohol
tobacco

keithclancy · 06-10-2012 05:38PM

Tax is lower than here (The Netherlands)

http://energy.eu/

Petrol is cheaper - 1.88 / liter vs Irelands € 1.698

Cars are cheaper, BPM Tax is higher than VRT.

Electricity and Gas is cheaper

Gas
€ 0.0727 per kWh of Gas vs Irelands € 0.0506

Electricity
€ 0.2208 per kWh of Electric vs Irelands € 0.1920

Health Insurance is between 1100-1200 euros / year per working person and its mandatory.

My motor tax on a 2 liter diesel Volvo is 1286 euros / year.

About the only thing cheaper here is tulips, beer and fags. (and maybe weed)

Emeraldy Pebbles · 06-10-2012 05:57PM

Helix wrote: »

bit of a leading question that isnt it? no im someone who left ireland at 26 after getting fed up with the lack of action by the irish people to actually do anything constructive to fix the country.

What action did you take to fix the country before you left? You must have done something, right? Or were you waiting for someone else to?

Helix wrote: »

saved until i could get out, and left like anyone with any common sense

Soooo, you didn't try to fix anything. But expected others to?

ejmaztec · 06-10-2012 06:11PM

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

Soooo, you didn't try to fix anything. But expected others to?

Nothing gets fixed here, which is where there are 70 million in the Irish diaspora worldwide.

Emeraldy Pebbles · 06-10-2012 06:17PM

ejmaztec wrote: »

Nothing gets fixed here, which is where there are 70 million in the Irish diaspora worldwide.

That's fine but bitching about nobody moving to try and fix anything whilst not attempting to yourself is hypocritical.

Helix · 06-10-2012 06:44PM

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

That's fine but bitching about nobody moving to try and fix anything whilst not attempting to yourself is hypocritical.

all you can do is what you can do. i didnt buy anything that was overpriced. i didnt spend money with companies i didn't agree with the values or ethos' of. i spent my earned money on reasonably and fairly priced items only. that may sound like absolutely nothing, but if every single person in ireland did it, you can be your arse that the country wouldn't be half as expensive as it is right now

this thing with "ah sure jaysus i've no money sure" spoken by someone sitting in a house with sky hd, a couple of flat screen tvs, a couple of cars out the front, high end phones, overpriced broadband and designer labels in the wardrobe played as much a part in getting me out of ireland as the inept, corrupt governance of the country

priorities and principles. get them sorted in terms of spending money and the irish people will be grand

bending either will just continue things the way they are. i don't think people realise the power that consumers have in ireland and the uk. it's a very noticeable thing elsewhere, where service and keeping the customer happy is the single most important thing in business - because if you can do that you WILL make more money

06-10-2012 07:21PM

homerjay2005 wrote: »

one word answer - greed.

wages are higher, thus the cost of everything is higher.

What's with all the terrible posts around AH these days? I mean seriously.. An entire cycle of boom and inflation reduced to the word greed.

Pottler · 06-10-2012 07:22PM

Ireland is so expensive beacuse we pawned it back in the '70s. Everyone knows how much interest them feckers charge and someone has to pay the man. How cheap do you want it to be OP?

Eden3 · 06-10-2012 07:39PM

Ireland isn't expensive - the big LOAN Enda borrowed from Europe IS ...! Great example we've been set:rolleyes:

We used to be a nation known for our hard working tradesmen/women - with simple lifestyles, saving our fortune under our mattresses!

Bertie opened the flood gates with the Celtic Tiger, people got greedy, some people opted to languish on excellent benefits, others borrowed big to get "really rich", extra houses, extra cars, overseas properties ..etc. etc. YAWN

Now it's time to pay the price ... ! No time for moaning and groaning

hyperborean · 06-10-2012 07:43PM

Its not expensive?

jester77 · 06-10-2012 07:49PM

Germany is not really cheaper. It might seem cheaper if you are here for a weekend and just drinking beer. Electricity, gas, water, health insurance, petrol are all more expensive here than in Ireland and rent in the big cities is high (apart from Berlin). Groceries are a little cheaper. Cigarettes and booze are a lot cheaper, but thats about it.

Eden3 · 06-10-2012 07:53PM

hyperborean wrote: »

Its not expensive?

You're missing the point - it is expensive to live in Ireland now as a result of the debt our Country is in. If the debt wasn't there .... it would not be. The Country is not the problem, it is the administration of it that is ....

It's time for a general election - anyone agree?

hyperborean · 06-10-2012 08:03PM

Eden3 wrote: »

You're missing the point - it is expensive to live in Ireland now as a result of the debt our Country is in. If the debt wasn't there .... it would not be. The Country is not the problem, it is the administration of it that is ....

It's time for a general election - anyone agree?

The link between the current government and the cost of living is non existent, so effectively your argument is non existent, rabble rabble rabble

the real problem with this country is that the population have been molly coddled too long, spiolt brats with no clue

Dwellingdweller · 06-10-2012 08:55PM

Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »

That's fine but bitching about nobody moving to try and fix anything whilst not attempting to yourself is hypocritical.

It takes more than one person 'doing something' to radically change the perspective of the population of Ireland. The Irish perspective on things is what drives so many Irish people away from Ireland.

They (the Irish) are lazy unmotivated feckers who'll plonk themselves down on a bar stool and complain about that 'state of affairs' with their mates over an overpriced pint, go home to sleep in their overpriced Celtic Tiger-era shíthole apartment, then get up the next morning and forget entirely about their gripes.

They never stay pissed off for long. This wouldn't be a problem if Ireland was a massively productive nation or something where everyone is super-ambitious and wants to get somewhere with their lives, but when you couple this laxidaisical philosophy at the bar with even more laxidaisical attitude to life in general, then you have a problem.

That's why people move away - like my uncle, who worked for MS in the mid '90s in Dublin.

He was on an interview panel assessing new applicants for a position in software engineering. The other 2 lads with him on the panel were from Cork and knew the people applying for the job. Obviously the lad who was friendly with the Cork fellas got the job - the same lad who had no qualification in computer science and graduated with a degree in Classics.

Shortly after, my uncle applied for a work transfer to the States, because he knew his career progression would be stunted by the backwards attitude that's prevalent in Ireland. To make a long story short, my uncle's now earning $110k+ a year, writing driver software for Windows 8 and is one of the lead software engineers for MS. Would this have been possible for him in Ireland? He says no. I'm inclined to agree.

nbar12 · 06-10-2012 09:06PM

cost me 30c for an animal bar there the other day, I was mortified when I told them I couldn't afford it because I thought they were 25c (which is still a ridiculous price)

Scanlas The 2nd · 06-10-2012 09:24PM

I'd say it's due to many factors including our high minimum wage and social welfare. It generally leads to inefficiency and reduced economic output.

Chucky the tree · 06-10-2012 09:51PM

Most Irish people are to lazy to shop around or find an alternative. Plenty of people where just happy to spend whatever they made and once they could do that to a decent level they didn't care how much they were getting charged.

ted1 · 06-10-2012 09:53PM

The minimum wage is far to high which ripples up the salary scale. Until the minimum wage is abolished we will always be a high cost economy.

Fuinseog · 06-10-2012 09:55PM

dd972 wrote: »

When you think of the infrastructure and jobs situation it rates somewhere about the level of Burnley.

If we were a country on a par with Canada or Australia even that would be understandable.

Look at the sort of nation Germany is as regards infrastructure, jobs, services, health, transport, the list goes on......and it's cheaper over there !!:eek:

greed is a factor.
the compo culture makes insurance more expensive.

EdanHewittt · 06-10-2012 10:40PM

dd972 wrote: »

Why is Ireland so expensive?

The question of why is not important. The "why" is obvious to everyone (greed, and purely Tax-based governments).

The how is more intriguing. For example:

Spar are charging €3.49 for a four pack of 'Mini Munch Bunch" yogurts, which Supermams willingly fork out to feed their kids.

There is an audacity here, not only on Spar's part, but on the consumer's part too. I've said this before on Boards, but these need to die a slow horrible death. (Preferably with fire):

http://f.cl.ly/items/2w1a1G3B2l34062z251x/doubleup.jpg

Emeraldy Pebbles · 07-10-2012 03:08PM

Dwellingdweller wrote: »

It takes more than one person 'doing something' to radically change the perspective of the population of Ireland. The Irish perspective on things is what drives so many Irish people away from Ireland.

They (the Irish) are lazy unmotivated feckers who'll plonk themselves down on a bar stool and complain about that 'state of affairs' with their mates over an overpriced pint, go home to sleep in their overpriced Celtic Tiger-era shíthole apartment, then get up the next morning and forget entirely about their gripes.

They never stay pissed off for long. This wouldn't be a problem if Ireland was a massively productive nation or something where everyone is super-ambitious and wants to get somewhere with their lives, but when you couple this laxidaisical philosophy at the bar with even more laxidaisical attitude to life in general, then you have a problem.

That's why people move away - like my uncle, who worked for MS in the mid '90s in Dublin.

He was on an interview panel assessing new applicants for a position in software engineering. The other 2 lads with him on the panel were from Cork and knew the people applying for the job. Obviously the lad who was friendly with the Cork fellas got the job - the same lad who had no qualification in computer science and graduated with a degree in Classics.

Shortly after, my uncle applied for a work transfer to the States, because he knew his career progression would be stunted by the backwards attitude that's prevalent in Ireland. To make a long story short, my uncle's now earning $110k+ a year, writing driver software for Windows 8 and is one of the lead software engineers for MS. Would this have been possible for him in Ireland? He says no. I'm inclined to agree.

This seems like a post to brag about your uncle, TBH. Word of advice, glory reflected off someone else isn't glory.

There are lots of people on six figure sums in Ireland and not just because they're corrupt.

Hidalgo · 08-10-2012 03:11PM

[QUOTE=Father Damo;81119076

The funniest is when Irish people in Australia moan about how expensive Australia is. Give or take, Oz is, generally, just slightly less expensive than Celtic Tiger Ireland. Albeit a country where a manual unskilled worker can, if they play their cards right, earn more than alot of management positions do/ did back home. You get more bang for your buck. For the cost of a CT era terraced house in Dublin with walls so thin you can hear your neighbour farting, in Sydney you would get a detatched four bedder with a swimming pool and a quarter football pitch garden out the back. Australia is by no means cheap but in terms of wage vs what you can buy with your money, it is years ahead.[/QUOTE]

To get the above property in Sydney would mean a long way from the city. Possibly the equal of buying something in a commuter town like Portlaoise.

I thought property prices in Sydney were very expensive, both to rent & buy??

Hidalgo · 08-10-2012 03:14PM

Eden3 wrote: »

You're missing the point - it is expensive to live in Ireland now as a result of the debt our Country is in. If the debt wasn't there .... it would not be. The Country is not the problem, it is the administration of it that is ....

It's time for a general election - anyone agree?

And a general election will change what?????

Duggys Housemate · 08-10-2012 03:15PM

Why are we comparing Australia with Celtic Tiger Ireland, anyway?

why is Ireland so expensive?

Comments