steddyeddy wrote: » I get the impression some bus drivers think they're doing me a favour
steddyeddy wrote: » Even when I'm going into Dublin city I walk in and out to avoid the ridiculous bus fare of 2.60 each way for a 20 minute or less drive.
Valetta wrote: » Where would you like to compare us to?
Elmo wrote: » Reports and consultants. Lots of stuff could be done without complication but for some reason we need a report and consultants to comprehend that report. The leap card is a good example. The government should have used those travellers with bus passes to test the service. This would 1. Test the Leap Card services for fee paying passengers 2. It would show how often the free service is used by people 3. It would integrate free and paying passengers across all routes 4. It might mean the use of Leap cards in other cities and towns.
Duracell Bunny wrote: » 20 minute drive so that's gotta be at least 40mins of a walk, if not more? Whether or not you think public transport is value for money, I'd place a higher value than €5.20 on 80+ mins of my free time.
pundy wrote: » go to a canary island and then you will realise it is a LOT more than just tax that we pay extra for on our goods. you can get a bottle of whiskey for 8euro in the supermarket for example. the same bottle here costs 32euro (on "special offer"). Pints for a euro, cigarette for 2euro... dinner for 7 including beers, whiskeys and wine was never more than 70euro. Ireland's ridiculously expensive.
William F wrote: » I was just discussing this with my partner the other day when our internet happened to break down. I went into an internet cafe to get two scans and I was charged 3 euro. I used my laptop in Starbucks and was charged just under 3 euro for a bottle of water. The laundry service next door to me charges 5 euro for a half an hour drying cycle and another five euro for a wash cycle. Considering the price of rent in the city and compare all the above essentials with a minimum wage salary and you don't get value for your money. The prices in this country are unjustified.
The_Captain wrote: » I wouldn't like to compare us to another country at all because there's never going to be a good comparison. If you look at the cost of living index, we're in the top ten no matter how you try to calculate the data, but in terms of GDP we're barely in the top fifty, the country is massively in debt, and we have one of the highest levels of unemployment in Europe.
TheDoc wrote: » In regards even just internet, our communications minister will happily peddle how we have great coverage, great speeds and infrastructure that is rapidly growing. Obviously anyone with an ounce of interest in that field knows this is horse****. For some personal examples. Living in Donabate, had choice of two ISP providers. Both of whom rented the line from Eircom. Paying €67 a month for a 24mbps ADSL line. To clarify, this technology first came into Ireland in 2000. This technology first reached main EU cities in 1997. In 2014, charged €67 a month, for 20+ year old technology. And the best part, nothing but troubles for the 12 months I was there. So much so I didn't renew my lease, and moved to Swords, where I had a rafter of choice. Paying €25 a month on a deal with UPC for a 150mb line Fibre, which actually IS one of the best packages you can get in Europe. However Eircom for some reason seem to be able to get injunctions on UPC moving into areas where Eircom have a foothold. It's so counter productive.BT had fibre lines in this country from the late 90's, they are all i nthe ground here, idle. Why? Because the courts granted an injunction in favour of Eircom, that BT couldn't turn them on for competitive grounds. ie Eircom dont like spending money upgrading infrastructure, and would be wiped out. BT gave two fingers and left the country, leaving behind fibre cables, still sitting idle, nearly all over the country. And the comparison? Well in Sweden you can get a 500mb line for a juicy €10 a month. I struggle to think of ANYTHING here, that is somewhat cheaper then abroad, when you consider our population.
Specialun wrote: » If you work for 40 Mins in a min wage job then you can barely afford a pint in some parts of dublin
TheDoc wrote: » I lived in Gran Canaria with the misses for a summer. Went with about 2 grand in the pocket and assumed I'd have to pickup a job. turns out we had a three month holiday, enjoying lovely meals out, drinking myself senseless every second night and watching every kick of the Euros on that year. But obviously their came some cons to the whole situation. There is no employment law there, so if you did work you most likely got shafted along with the complete lack of infrastructure, for even simple things like broadband. Enjoyed my summer, wouldnt make a permenant move though
Vito Corleone wrote: » If anything, the minimum wage is too high in this country.
Specialun wrote: » Its now taxed isnt it?
steddyeddy wrote: » How do you expect people to live?
Vito Corleone wrote: » Within their means.
Vito Corleone wrote: » I see no reason why it wouldn't be.Within their means.
steddyeddy wrote: » Yesterday I had to get the bus from Donnybrook to Dunlaoghaire and was charged 3.05 each way for the privilege. This is a relatively expensive country but I wouldn't mind that if we got good return for our money. The problem is we usually don't. The bus service is terrible, the drivers can be rude and the buses don't appear to follow a timetable :S. That's just a small example but ultimately I wonder it's a microcosm of bigger issues. For instance considering the amount we pump into health, education or housing are we getting value for money? Personally I think there is massive waste in our society and we definitely don't get good value for our money. The three biggest examples of this are third level education, health and transport. Can you think of any massive wastes of money in this country or do you think we don't pay enough into certain services?
darkpagandeath wrote: » That sounds a lot like the old don't get ideas above your station.. Who decides what the means are now ? Celtic tiger prices have not gone down only up. So clearly the minimum wage is to low.
darkpagandeath wrote: » That sounds a lot like the old don't get ideas above your station..
steddyeddy wrote: » In my experience it's uttered by those who had someone else pay for their means (parents ect).
Vito Corleone wrote: » Ireland has the 7th highest minimum wage in the world. The minimum wage has increased greater than price levels in recent years. Look it up. Plenty of people have managed to get "above their stations" as you put it through hard work, I don't see why increasing an already very high minimum wage is necessary.18K + a year (minimum wage in this country) is enough to live on in most cases.
Vito Corleone wrote: » I'll respond to this later, I'm too busy at the moment getting a foot massage from our butler, and this evening I'll be off playing backgammon in my private jet that my parents got me. :rolleyes:
AlexisM wrote: » It's actually the exact opposite. It would be great for society if lots of people had 'ideas above their station' and worked hard to achieve upward social mobility - I don't think anyone is objecting to that at all. It's not really reasonable to have ideas above your station if you just expect a higher lot in life to be handed to you though, is it?
Vito Corleone wrote: » Ireland has the 7th highest minimum wage in the world. The minimum wage has increased greater than price levels in recent years. Look it up. Plenty of people have managed to get "above their stations" as you put it through hard work, I don't see why increasing an already very high minimum wage is necessary. 18K + a year (minimum wage in this country) is enough to live on in most cases.
steddyeddy wrote: » Yes a lot of people have large ambition and it's great to see but the days when minimum wage jobs were a stepping stone to a high pay job are dying out.
