Ireland v The UK

21-07-2015 04:05PM #1

I watched the documentary on C4 last night called how to get a council house, a bit depressing however it struck me watching it that the poor in the UK are poorer than in Irish society yet we would have the impression that the UK is a far wealthier country that we are but maybe not.

LDN_Irish · 21-07-2015 04:07PM

mariaalice wrote: »

I watched the documentary on C4 last night called how to get a council house, a bit depressing however it struck me watching it that the poor in the UK are poorer than in Irish society yet we would have the impression that the UK is a far wealthier country that we are but maybe not.

I very rarely see the poverty in Dublin that I used to see in most of London, even ones that would be considered middle class like Greenwich for example. I live in South Dublin though so maybe it's different elsewhere.

darkpagandeath · 21-07-2015 04:07PM

They are a far more wealthy country. But class plays a big role. Lots of areas employment black spots.

Menas · 21-07-2015 04:09PM

Aren't our social welfare benefits over here more generous even when cost of living is accounted for?

BoJack Horseman · 21-07-2015 04:10PM

Slightly lower per capita than Ireland.

Their poor certainly seem poorer than Ireland's.

darkpagandeath · 21-07-2015 04:15PM

Menas wrote: »

Aren't our social welfare benefits over here more generous even when cost of living is accounted for?

monitarily yes.

zeffabelli · 21-07-2015 04:17PM

I remember when I visited London how shocked I was of how many of the homeless were Irish.

Fratton Fred · 21-07-2015 04:18PM

How can you compare the two? They are two very very different countries.

I suppose you could try and compare like towns with each other, for example I've often thought Tallaght and Slough are similar, but ultimately you are comparing a small, largely agricultural country of under five million, with a much larger country of nearly seventy million.

Jotunheim · 21-07-2015 04:19PM

I's like, yeah but no but innit bruv.

Fratton Fred · 21-07-2015 04:24PM

Jotunheim wrote: »

I's like, yeah but no but innit bruv.

It is, to be shure to be shure.

ihavenoname3 · 21-07-2015 04:30PM

thats why they come over here for the dole. go into any post office on a wednesday and there is always some English hippy or some former jeremy kyle guest getting their dole.

blastman · 21-07-2015 04:32PM

LDN_Irish wrote: »

I live in South Dublin though so maybe it's different elsewhere.

I think you could safely assume that.

darkpagandeath · 21-07-2015 04:45PM

ihavenoname3 wrote: »

thats why they come over here for the dole. go into any post office on a wednesday and there is always some English hippy or some former jeremy kyle guest getting their dole.

You could say the same over there.

SEPT 23 1989 · 21-07-2015 04:47PM

ihavenoname3 wrote: »

thats why they come over here for the dole. go into any post office on a wednesday and there is always some English hippy or some former jeremy kyle guest getting their dole.

never met any UK citizen over here who was on the dole

LDN_Irish · 21-07-2015 04:48PM

blastman wrote: »

I think you could safely assume that.

Yeah I know, I just didn't want to let on that I think the north side is a ****hole. Even in places with bad reps like Tallaght and Clondalkin you don't see the same kind of stuff as you do in Woolwich, Deptford, Plaistow, Forest Gate etc.

Harry Palmr · 21-07-2015 04:48PM

The standard JSA "dole" payment in the UK is a bit better than half what it is here £73.10 or €104 for the over 25s

LDN_Irish · 21-07-2015 04:51PM

A lot of South Dubliners are spoilt rotten though and don't even know it. "North of Shankill church is a no go area." "Ballybrack is an awful kip!" "Bray is a very rough town!" LOeffinL yiz haven't a clue.

Arsemageddon · 21-07-2015 04:52PM

If I was to sign on in the UK would I be entitled to 800 years back payment?

There, I said it, 800 years!

The_Valeyard · 21-07-2015 05:13PM

They have a large number of obscenely wealthy people but also a very large number of extremely poor people. Some parts of the UK can look like a warzone, but then again look at Dublin city centre, a five minute walk in certain places can take you from a really expensive posh area to a run down area badly in need of investment and refurbishment.

MadDog76 · 21-07-2015 05:18PM

What I've noticed from being over there quite a lot and from programmes like How To Get A Council House, Benefits Street, Skint etc. is that the Social over there take no prisoners ......... if they say "Do this course/take this job or you get no money" they aren't joking ......... likewise if they say "Take this accommodation or you're on the street", again, they are not joking.

Cold War Kid · 21-07-2015 05:18PM

LDN_Irish wrote: »

A lot of South Dubliners are spoilt rotten though and don't even know it. "North of Shankill church is a no go area." "Ballybrack is an awful kip!" "Bray is a very rough town!" LOeffinL yiz haven't a clue.

Aye, some of what's deemed "rough" here is hilarious. And I'm from a middle-class background myself so it's not like I'm really "Street tough" or whatever

Bunch of young fellas in tracksuits hanging around outside Spar in a middle-class area is enough for it to have become rough in some people's minds. I'm from Cork though, which is an incredibly safe area (relatively obviously, it's not perfect) overall. Dublin and limerick would have tougher spots, but even so, like you say, still not always as hard as equivalents in the UK. As said though, an incomparable population.

Sleepy · 21-07-2015 05:26PM

The long term unemployed of the UK holiday in old school campsites in North Wales.
The long term unemployed of Ireland holiday in High Rise Apartments in Santa Ponza / Salou.

Tells you everything you need to know tbh.

eezipc · 21-07-2015 05:30PM

LDN_Irish wrote: »

Yeah I know, I just didn't want to let on that I think the north side is a ****hole. Even in places with bad reps like Tallaght and Clondalkin you don't see the same kind of stuff as you do in Woolwich, Deptford, Plaistow, Forest Gate etc.

Jaysus, I remember going to look at an apartment to rent in Plaistow a couple of years ago. I turned around as soon as I came out of the tube station.

fleet_admiral · 21-07-2015 05:32PM

Most of the Old Kent Road in London reminds me of Dolphins Barn, south Dublin
I walked it alone late at night and the wifes uncle nearly had a heart attack

goose2005 · 21-07-2015 05:36PM

mariaalice wrote: »

I watched the documentary on C4 last night called how to get a council house, a bit depressing however it struck me watching it that the poor in the UK are poorer than in Irish society yet we would have the impression that the UK is a far wealthier country that we are but maybe not.

But if you saw an Irish show about how to get a council house, you'd call them spongers and liars and point out how good their shoes/phones look.

What I've noticed from being over there quite a lot and from programmes like How To Get A Council House, Benefits Street, Skint etc. is that the Social over there take no prisoners ......... if they say "Do this course/take this job or you get no money" they aren't joking ......... likewise if they say "Take this accommodation or you're on the street", again, they are not joking.

Is that a good thing?

Cold War Kid · 21-07-2015 05:40PM

goose2005 wrote: »

But if you saw an Irish show about how to get a council house, you'd call them spongers and liars and point out how good their shoes/phones look.

Is that a good thing?

Ah here, how do you know what mariaalice would say about a similarly themed Irish show?

MadDog76 · 21-07-2015 05:44PM

MadDog76 wrote: »

What I've noticed from being over there quite a lot and from programmes like How To Get A Council House, Benefits Street, Skint etc. is that the Social over there take no prisoners ......... if they say "Do this course/take this job or you get no money" they aren't joking ......... likewise if they say "Take this accommodation or you're on the street", again, they are not joking.

goose2005 wrote: »

Is that a good thing?

What do you think?

fiachr_a · 21-07-2015 06:39PM

zeffabelli wrote: »

I remember when I visited London how shocked I was of how many of the homeless were Irish.

Bet a lot of them had no daddy growing up and teachers made the class aware of it.

21-07-2015 06:42PM

Have been around Yorkshire a lot and the contrast over there seems more obvious than here, you could be in beautiful Haworth in a queue of 4x4s and next you're in Keighley, one of the ugliest roughest towns you could hope to find. Real urban rural divide there, beautiful countryside with everyone voting conservative, grim urban areas racked by unemployment returning Labour MPs.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 21-07-2015 06:42PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

never met any UK citizen over here who was on the dole

There are plenty. And even more from the UK drawing Old Age Pension here because of the additional benefits we have.

SpaceTime · 21-07-2015 06:43PM

mariaalice wrote: »

I watched the documentary on C4 last night called how to get a council house, a bit depressing however it struck me watching it that the poor in the UK are poorer than in Irish society yet we would have the impression that the UK is a far wealthier country that we are but maybe not.

Your impression on wealth levels would be way off. Ireland had a sectoral collapse causing high unemployment in construction related sectors. It's absolutely a wealthy country and on most matrices other than debt levels, is wealthier than the UK per capita.

Ireland v The UK

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