Eamonn Ryan Green Party

Cork Trucker · 25-02-2020 11:18am

Steyr 556 wrote: »

The Greens are just blueshirts on bikes.

LeinsterDub · 25-02-2020 11:20am

Alia Future Squalor wrote: »

Well what is the actual proposal?

You're flatly disagreeing with a lot of posts, but you aren't actually explaining where you're coming from.

The proposal is simply people outside urban areas would have access to a car sharing scheme . No more , no less.

If the scheme is workable for you , only you can decide but you're not being force to used it in anyway shape or form. So come at the proposal that it's a waste or money that could be better spent elsewhere, fine, but the "they are taking our cars" angle is simply untrue.

JohnnyFlash · 25-02-2020 11:25am

Don’t see what the issue is here.

Ryan is the leader of the Green Party. The Green Party believes climate change is the issue of our time, and wants us to take a very different approach to tackle it. This will involve lifestyle changes, behavioural change, and increased indirect taxes. To achieve some of this they need to be in Government. They had a very good election and their message resonated with voters.

Nothing off-piste there at all I would have thought.

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 11:48am

Alia Future Squalor wrote: »

No footpath outside our house. So not safe to walk with our toddler outside.

Why would you live somewhere where your kids can't go outside?

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 11:51am

Any car pooling scheme that helps people get around without having to own their own car sounds like a great idea to me. I don't get why rural people scoff at the idea. There's a town in Canada where uber is subsidised by the local government to act as public transport as it is the only thing currently fit for purpose. We need to be open to new ideas instead of everyone having to own a car in Ireland.

s7ryf3925pivug · 25-02-2020 12:01pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Why would you live somewhere where your kids can't go outside?

Half an acre of mature garden. Multiple forests, parks and playgrounds within a stone's throw. He goes outside every day. Literally just back from the woods with him.

shanec1928 · 25-02-2020 12:01pm

biko wrote: »

If only either of you had sources to back up your claim, that'd be great.

https://twitter.com/ChristyBurkGE20/status/1227599532780814338?s=20

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 12:12pm

Eamon Ryan is not the Messiah, none of us are without sin when it comes to our lifestyles and pollution etc, I just think he'd like to see somewhat more sustainable measures and policies introduced in Ireland. I've met him a few times, he seems to be sincere.

s7ryf3925pivug · 25-02-2020 12:16pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Eamon Ryan is not the Messiah, none of us are without sin when it comes to our lifestyles and pollution etc, I just think he'd like to see somewhat more sustainable measures and policies introduced in Ireland. I've met him a few times, he seems to be sincere.

Yeah I still prefer the Greens' well-meaning but slightly out of touch technocracy over inane populism or cynical exploitation. Best option we have.

He really should get an electric car though.

Cork Trucker · 25-02-2020 12:16pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Eamon Ryan is not the Messiah, none of us are without sin when it comes to our lifestyles and pollution etc, I just think he'd like to see somewhat more sustainable measures and policies introduced in Ireland. I've met him a few times, he seems to be sincere.

He said on RTE during the leaders debate that they (Greens) were the fire brigade and that they will put out the fire

LeinsterDub · 25-02-2020 12:18pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Eamon Ryan is not the Messiah, none of us are without sin when it comes to our lifestyles and pollution etc, I just think he'd like to see somewhat more sustainable measures and policies introduced in Ireland. I've met him a few times, he seems to be sincere.

He says as much in the article I linked to. He wants to focus on the biggest polluters rather than telling people to turn off the lights and unplug your TV.

You often hear people complaining that the individual is too small to tackle climate change, yet when a green TD says as much they are hung out to dry.

blanch152 · 25-02-2020 12:21pm

Alia Future Squalor wrote: »

No footpath outside our house. So not safe to walk with our toddler outside.
So if we were to ditch our second car, I'd need to use the communal car to get to work so my wife could use our private car with our kid.

I can't see there being one reliably available at commuting times.

And what about medical emergencies? Takes ages for an ambulance to get out to us. After our first emergency, we were told to get in the car and start driving and call the ambulance in the way to meet halfway.
Baby's not breathing. I'll just nip down to the village and grab a communal car?

The problem is **** infrastructure which is a result of stingy public spending. Invest in infrastructure to fix the problem. This idea is just window dressing for it.

This is the problem.

People expecting to be able to live on half an acre in the middle of nowhere and have decent infrastructure. If you live that far from services, you and only you are taking the risk that your family will suffer in a medical emergency. The upside is you get the woods and the trees and the peace away from city living, but there is a price in terms of services.

Too many people in Ireland want all the benefits but none of the costs.

s7ryf3925pivug · 25-02-2020 12:27pm

blanch152 wrote: »

This is the problem.

People expecting to be able to live on half an acre in the middle of nowhere and have decent infrastructure. If you live that far from services, you and only you are taking the risk that your family will suffer in a medical emergency. The upside is you get the woods and the trees and the peace away from city living, but there is a price in terms of services.

Too many people in Ireland want all the benefits but none of the costs.

I don't live in the middle of nowhere though. 20 minutes drive to lots of places to work and services. Housing estates just down the road with all the same issues I have except the lack of footpath (they still need to drive past my house to get anywhere though). It's a de facto suburb with the infrastructure of a rural village. Because the government doesn't invest in infrastructure or services in line with growth.

Mr Tickle · 25-02-2020 12:27pm

Cork Trucker wrote: »

He said on RTE during the leaders debate that they (Greens) were the fire brigade and that they will put out the fire

Is it possible that you're mixing that quote up with Brendan Howlin? I know he said something about being the fire brigade after the crash.

blanch152 · 25-02-2020 12:35pm

Alia Future Squalor wrote: »

I don't live in the middle of nowhere though. 20 minutes drive to lots of places to work and services. Housing estates just down the road with all the same issues I have except the lack of footpath (they still need to drive past my house to get anywhere though). It's a de facto suburb with the infrastructure of a rural village. Because the government doesn't invest in infrastructure or services in line with growth.

You really don't get how the distributed pattern of Irish settlement over the last 30/40 years has been the single biggest contributer to the problems in housing and health that we have today, all down to the work of successive FF governments and councils with the public cheering them on.

quokula · 25-02-2020 12:38pm

shanec1928 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/ChristyBurkGE20/status/1227599532780814338?s=20

So he was seen driving a minibus once. The fact that it's a minibus suggests it is very much used for car pooling. Unless he just prefers driving something much more awkward than a regular car?

Car pooling involves picking people up en route / dropping them off. The fact that there's no passengers in it just as it pulls out of a gate doesn't mean there won't be.

We don't know where he was going or what he was doing in that single clip with no context provided by the former IRA man who posted the tweet, but I would contend that if he does really like driving around in a big diesel on his own, a minibus is not the way he'd go about it.

Edit: Seems I was wrong and it is for personal use - the reason for the large vehicle is apparently because it is better for one of his children who has a disability.

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 12:44pm

gmisk wrote: »

He is fairly poor imo Catherine Martin would be a much better leader for them

A stray cat would be a better leader than him

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 12:47pm

quokula wrote: »

So he was seen driving a minibus once. The fact that it's a minibus suggests it is very much used for car pooling. Unless he just prefers driving something much more awkward than a regular car?

Car pooling involves picking people up en route / dropping them off. The fact that there's no passengers in it just as it pulls out of a gate doesn't mean there won't be.

We don't know where he was going or what he was doing in that single clip with no context provided by the former IRA man who posted the tweet, but I would contend that if he does really like driving around in a big diesel on his own, a minibus is not the way he'd go about it.

Edit: Seems I was wrong and it is for personal use - the reason for the large vehicle is apparently because it is better for one of his children who has a disability.

The clip was on the news, are the FG troll farm that desperate they are assigning news footage to the ra?

BarryD2 · 25-02-2020 12:48pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Any car pooling scheme that helps people get around without having to own their own car sounds like a great idea to me. I don't get why rural people scoff at the idea. There's a town in Canada where uber is subsidised by the local government to act as public transport as it is the only thing currently fit for purpose. We need to be open to new ideas instead of everyone having to own a car in Ireland.

It's grand in theory, looks nice in a policy paper. But the history and reality for rural Ireland is one of shrinking facilities and services. It started with amalgamating local national schools decades ago and continues apace. There's a serious credibility issue when parties propose bumping up carbon taxes on fuel with vague ideas about how this will be mitigated for rural dwellers. It's happened so many times before, only recently with Lord Ross and the rural pubs - sure we'll bus yous there & back. Not a hope.

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 12:52pm

LeinsterDub wrote: »

He says as much in the article I linked to. He wants to focus on the biggest polluters rather than telling people to turn off the lights and unplug your TV.

You often hear people complaining that the individual is too small to tackle climate change, yet when a green TD says as much they are hung out to dry.

Here's the thing that seems to go over the Greens head, if everyone changes their lightbulb and don't shower for a month the price of electricity will just increase, they won't get any saving as the power companies won't take a drop in revenue.

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 12:53pm

BarryD2 wrote: »

It's grand in theory, looks nice in a policy paper. But the history and reality for rural Ireland is one of shrinking facilities and services. It started with amalgamating local national schools decades ago and continues apace. There's a serious credibility issue when parties propose bumping up carbon taxes on fuel with vague ideas about how this will be mitigated for rural dwellers. It's happened so many times before, only recently with Lord Ross and the rural pubs - sure we'll bus yous there & back. Not a hope.

I don't know how you're supposed to provide any services to houses sprawled all over the place. It's down to decades of bad planning.

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 12:54pm

blanch152 wrote: »

You really don't get how the distributed pattern of Irish settlement over the last 30/40 years has been the single biggest contributer to the problems in housing and health that we have today, all down to the work of successive FF governments and councils with the public cheering them on.

City centres rampant with crime and junkies wandering aimlessly in the middle of the streets ,why would anyone want to rear their family in that?

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 12:55pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

Here's the thing that seems to go over the Greens head, if everyone changes their lightbulb and don't shower for a month the price of electricity will just increase, they won't get any saving as the power companies won't take a drop in revenue.

So just keep consuming more and more electricity or what?

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 12:55pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

City centres rampant with crime and junkies wandering aimlessly in the middle of the streets ,why would anyone want to rear their family in that?

Do you suggest all city dwellers move to one off abodes? How would that work out?

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 12:55pm

Cork Trucker wrote: »

He said on RTE during the leaders debate that they (Greens) were the fire brigade and that they will put out the fire

They saved all the arsonists and left everyone else to the flames

LeinsterDub · 25-02-2020 12:58pm

BarryD2 wrote: »

It's grand in theory, looks nice in a policy paper. But the history and reality for rural Ireland is one of shrinking facilities and services. It started with amalgamating local national schools decades ago and continues apace. There's a serious credibility issue when parties propose bumping up carbon taxes on fuel with vague ideas about how this will be mitigated for rural dwellers. It's happened so many times before, only recently with Lord Ross and the rural pubs - sure we'll bus yous there & back. Not a hope.

Then stop voting for FF / FG rural Ireland

BarryD2 · 25-02-2020 1:01pm

blanch152 wrote: »

This is the problem.

People expecting to be able to live on half an acre in the middle of nowhere and have decent infrastructure. If you live that far from services, you and only you are taking the risk that your family will suffer in a medical emergency. The upside is you get the woods and the trees and the peace away from city living, but there is a price in terms of services.

Too many people in Ireland want all the benefits but none of the costs.

Very few if any people living in more rural parts expect the same level of public services and infrastructure as available in larger towns and cities. It's par for the course that you make do with less and you travel more. But what people object to is ever shrinking services and cost increases, it's a question of equity.

Take one simple example - the hero David McRedmond 'saved' An Post by closing down many smaller local post offices. In doing so, he simply pushed An Post cost savings onto the public by obliging us to travel further and use more time to access this basic service. It's as good an example as any of one hand of the government being quite at odds with others. It's 'easy' to close services like this but very hard to bring them back.

punisher5112 · 25-02-2020 1:04pm

One thing that could do with a look in is having those that work live within a close proximity of their office or shop or whatever they work at ...

Create more modern towns outside Dublin and house those that don't work and never will....
Put in all the services needed and create space in Dublin....

Sure we are going to be going down the pod living route next where we are running out of space....

Tulip1977 · 25-02-2020 1:06pm

BarryD2 wrote: »

But what people object to is ever shrinking services and cost increases, it's a question of equity.

Take one simple example - the hero David McRedmond 'saved' An Post by closing down many smaller local post offices. In doing so, he simply pushed An Post cost savings onto the public by obliging us to travel further and use more time to access this basic service. It's as good an example as any of one hand of the government being quite at odds with others. It's 'easy' to close services like this but very hard to bring them back.

I haven't felt the need to visit my local Post Office for many, many months and I doubt that I'm the only person in such a situation. The last time that I did was to purchase a TV licence, which I could easily have done online, but I decided to give my local PO a bit of business.

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 1:07pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

So just keep consuming more and more electricity or what?

So say my average bi-monthly bill is E200, I cut my usage by 20%, so does everyone else, Electric company will just increase unit price to make up shortfall, no incentive to even try as no matter what you do you will still be charged the same or more, government won't put pressure on electricity supplier as they'll threaten strike and turn off the power, so what is the point?

BarryD2 · 25-02-2020 1:10pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I don't know how you're supposed to provide any services to houses sprawled all over the place. It's down to decades of bad planning.

?? Ireland has always had a large rural population compared to other European states. You do know the Industrial Revolution hardly came here? In fact, the overall pattern of settlement is away from rural areas and into urban conglomerations. The bad planning is at least in part that cities like Dublin have been encouraged to grow at far greater rates than other areas..

LeinsterDub wrote: »

Then stop voting for FF / FG rural Ireland

What's the best option then? When I look down my ballot paper I see FF, FG in multiples followed Ind FF, Ind FG, some smaller parties and then SF who are basically FF FG on nationalist steroids? Not much real choice.

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 1:11pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

So say my average bi-monthly bill is E200, I cut my usage by 20%, so does everyone else, Electric company will just increase unit price to make up shortfall, no incentive to even try as no matter what you do you will still be charged the same or more, government won't put pressure on electricity supplier as they'll threaten strike and turn off the power, so what is the point?

The point is to use less power and cut out waste, power requires energy to be produced, and in some cases burning of fossil fuels.

LeinsterDub · 25-02-2020 1:12pm

BarryD2 wrote: »

What's the best option then? When I look down my ballot paper I see FF, FG in multiples followed Ind FF, Ind FG, some smaller parties and then SF who are basically FF FG on nationalist steroids? Not much real choice.

They'll always be the smaller parties if you don't vote for them. Haven't SF been accused of been too radical? So how can they be the same?

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 1:12pm

BarryD2 wrote: »

?? Ireland has always had a large rural population compared to other European states. You do know the Industrial Revolution hardly came here? In fact, the overall pattern of settlement is away from rural areas and into urban conglomerations. The bad planning is at least in part that cities like Dublin have been encouraged to grow at far greater rates than other areas..

What's the best option then? When I look down my ballot paper I see FF, FG in multiples followed Ind FF, Ind FG, some smaller parties and then SF who are basically FF FG on nationalist steroids? Not much real choice.

Ok but this pattern of living doesn't really fit with how European countries are supposed to be run, we aren't peasants living off a tiny piece of land any more, and a large percentage of one offs have only been built in the last 20 years. From what I can see going through Ireland is people moving away from urban areas, towns, villages etc., and into huge houses away from everything else. I would have thought that's why towns and villages are dying.

Mr Tickle · 25-02-2020 1:17pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

Here's the thing that seems to go over the Greens head, if everyone changes their lightbulb and don't shower for a month the price of electricity will just increase, they won't get any saving as the power companies won't take a drop in revenue.

Ok, but as it stands, the price of electricity generation is only going to go up as fossil fuel prices increase. So the prices being passed on to the consumer will increase anyway. By reducing our consumption & bringing renewable sources online we can temper that increase.

BarryD2 · 25-02-2020 1:18pm

Tulip1977 wrote: »

I haven't felt the need to visit my local Post Office for many, many months and I doubt that I'm the only person in such a situation. The last time that I did was to purchase a TV licence, which I could easily have done online, but I decided to give my local PO a bit of business.

If you don't use it, you lose it. Put it another way - we have one arm of public policy encouraging home working with a big emphasis on rural broadband.

Ok, so a proportion of these home workers will be working 'out of office' and that's grand. But government policy is also to encourage rural businesses. Let's have a farm enterprise making say fine cheeses, they have the broadband and a fancy website, take in the orders........... How the f*** are they supposed to work the other side of the order chain and get their goods out to customers like you who've ordered them??? Couriers don't like collecting in rural Ireland and if they do, it's a hefty cost. An Post is the state delivery parcel service - but how does this small business get the goods into their chain, if they keep closing the outlets where you place them??? It's half arsed thinking in terms of rural Ireland.

quokula · 25-02-2020 1:23pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

So say my average bi-monthly bill is E200, I cut my usage by 20%, so does everyone else, Electric company will just increase unit price to make up shortfall, no incentive to even try as no matter what you do you will still be charged the same or more, government won't put pressure on electricity supplier as they'll threaten strike and turn off the power, so what is the point?

I'm not sure you understand the reason why greens want people to use less electricity.

This reminds me of that article in the Daily Mail about how the plastic bag tax "failed" because people were avoiding it by reusing bags.

BarryD2 · 25-02-2020 1:25pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

From what I can see going through Ireland is people moving away from urban areas, towns, villages etc., and into huge houses away from everything else. I would have thought that's why towns and villages are dying.

Where are all these huge houses being built in rural Ireland? How can people afford to build them if they can't find work locally?

I think you're talking about commuter belt country around Dublin, Cork, Limerick etc. That's not really rural Ireland.

There are many fine parts of this country where people would happily live.... but in practice they can't either because there's no work or no schools. The only houses which are being built there are holiday houses, empty for most of the year and which are an absolute curse and which IMHO should be taxed to the nth degree.

Eric Cartman · 25-02-2020 1:25pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I don't know how you're supposed to provide any services to houses sprawled all over the place. It's down to decades of bad planning.

But youre living under the ideathat they expect those services. The reality is 90% of people in one off builds do not expect busses, footpaths, cycle lanes, etc.. and are living along roads on our current network.

Broadband is about the only urban convenience most reuest. Im sure theres a minority who want more but sure we were a rural country up till a few decades ago, we survived then and now things like eircodes and gps make ambulance and fire bridgade services easier to manage

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 1:30pm

BarryD2 wrote: »

Where are all these huge houses being built in rural Ireland? How can people afford to build them if they can't find work locally?

I think you're talking about commuter belt country around Dublin, Cork, Limerick etc. That's not really rural Ireland.

There are many fine parts of this country where people would happily live.... but in practice they can't either because there's no work or no schools. The only houses which are being built there are holiday houses, empty for most of the year and which are an absolute curse and which IMHO should be taxed to the nth degree.

Well up around Tuam, Headford, Cong, Achill, the whole of Donegal... Sligo, Kerry, pretty much everywhere in Ireland that I've been in the last year has these massive houses everywhere on every road.

Tulip1977 · 25-02-2020 2:12pm

BarryD2 wrote: »

But government policy is also to encourage rural businesses. Let's have a farm enterprise making say fine cheeses, they have the broadband and a fancy website, take in the orders........... How the f*** are they supposed to work the other side of the order chain and get their goods out to customers like you who've ordered them??? Couriers don't like collecting in rural Ireland and if they do, it's a hefty cost. An Post is the state delivery parcel service - but how does this small business get the goods into their chain, if they keep closing the outlets where you place them??? It's half arsed thinking in terms of rural Ireland.

Cheese deliveries require refrigerated tucks - An Post don't have any.

Quality bit of whataboutery all the same though!

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 2:26pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Well up around Tuam, Headford, Cong, Achill, the whole of Donegal... Sligo, Kerry, pretty much everywhere in Ireland that I've been in the last year has these massive houses everywhere on every road.

Define massive?

RandomViewer · 25-02-2020 2:32pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

The point is to use less power and cut out waste, power requires energy to be produced, and in some cases burning of fossil fuels.

So the electricity company must maintain profits regardless, no one is going to even try and cut usage if there is nothing in it for them, remove all the charges and levies from the bills and just charge for usage would be a good start but nearly every electricity worker getting a big truck to take home every night is more important

LeinsterDub · 25-02-2020 2:56pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

So the electricity company must maintain profits regardless, no one is going to even try and cut usage if there is nothing in it for them, remove all the charges and levies from the bills and just charge for usage would be a good start but nearly every electricity worker getting a big truck to take home every night is more important

Why not generate your own if it's such a major issue for you?

Thelonious Monk · 25-02-2020 3:05pm

RandomViewer wrote: »

So the electricity company must maintain profits regardless, no one is going to even try and cut usage if there is nothing in it for them, remove all the charges and levies from the bills and just charge for usage would be a good start but nearly every electricity worker getting a big truck to take home every night is more important

Regardless of all these things I just try and use as little as possible as I don't like wasting anything really. I would do the same whether cheap or expensive or not.

BarryD2 · 25-02-2020 3:13pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Well up around Tuam, Headford, Cong, Achill, the whole of Donegal... Sligo, Kerry, pretty much everywhere in Ireland that I've been in the last year has these massive houses everywhere on every road.

Please explain how these people afford to build these massive houses in these places and make a living there. Probably go boys from Dublin who've made their money in legal services and the like.

Tulip1977 wrote: »

Cheese deliveries require refrigerated tucks - An Post don't have any.

Pickles if you like, Jam... Jaysus, I give up. Anyway on point of information, cheese does not require refrigerated trucking. We order in cheeses and they do come in insulated boxes delivered by courier or An Post.

StupidLikeAFox · 25-02-2020 3:39pm

Why not just relax the restrictions on taxi/Uber (maybe with some subsidies for rural journeys) to open it up to more people?

This would basically achieve the same "communal car" infrastructure that they are proposing at the stroke of a pen, with minimal investment required

LeinsterDub · 25-02-2020 3:51pm

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

Why not just relax the restrictions on taxi/Uber (maybe with some subsidies for rural journeys) to open it up to more people?

This would basically achieve the same "communal car" infrastructure that they are proposing at the stroke of a pen, with minimal investment required

Wouldn't that be more expensive that car sharing with less benefits?

s7ryf3925pivug · 25-02-2020 4:05pm

I think there would be major issues with insurance and joyriding or other crime.

is_that_so · 25-02-2020 4:09pm

StupidLikeAFox wrote: »

Why not just relax the restrictions on taxi/Uber (maybe with some subsidies for rural journeys) to open it up to more people?

This would basically achieve the same "communal car" infrastructure that they are proposing at the stroke of a pen, with minimal investment required

Taxi licence plate holders are the problem. The last thing they'll put up with is more competition.

Eamonn Ryan Green Party

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