The Big Bailout of the Eurozone (Another crisis coming? - Seriously)

[Rossfan]

But then maybe the only purpose was to try and calm the restless mobs by pretending that we're serious??

Indeed and they've sent "nice" left leaning(perceived) Noel Dempsey out to bat for the Government on a few RTE programmes yesterday and today.

[Main Street]

Inflation is running at 2.1%. Where's the justification for a 6% pay rise?

Companies are closing plants because Ireland is too expensive to do business in. Public servants are taking a pay cut (levy). Ireland has the highest minimum wage in Europe, the smallest tax payer base and the biggest budget deficit.

Wake up and smell the coffee before it's too late!!

http://www.finfacts.ie/inflation.htm

What's the problem with the minimum wage?
It's the maximum wages/income that are out of whack.
Let someone else for a change wake up and smell the coffee during a severe recession.
It's always the same shíte, the rich lose their money, then they swipe the nations tax kitty as compensation for their efforts, then the Government want to penalise the taxpayer for that theft. The scapegoat becomes the lowest paid worker.
Sounds like the con of the century.
Maybe there might be a few more euro in the State kitty if they were not running around like mad bailing out speculators with billions of taxpayers money.

[Declan]

"nice" left leaning(perceived) Noel Dempsey

For anyone who has seen this man in action this must bring a smile to their faces. An arrogant smarmy bully

[johnneycool]

Inflation is running at 2.1%. Where's the justification for a 6% pay rise?

Companies are closing plants because Ireland is too expensive to do business in. Public servants are taking a pay cut (levy). Ireland has the highest minimum wage in Europe, the smallest tax payer base and the biggest budget deficit.

Wake up and smell the coffee before it's too late!!

http://www.finfacts.ie/inflation.htm

What's the problem with the minimum wage?
It's the maximum wages/income that are out of whack.
Let someone else for a change wake up and smell the coffee during a severe recession.
It's always the same shíte, the rich lose their money, then they swipe the nations tax kitty as compensation for their efforts, then the Government want to penalise the taxpayer for that theft. The scapegoat becomes the lowest paid worker.
Sounds like the con of the century.
Maybe there might be a few more euro in the State kitty if they were not running around like mad bailing out speculators with billions of taxpayers money.

I've always wondered about the impact of this minimum wage bollocks a lot of people trot out considering the only ones considering expanding their operations in Ireland are the likes of subway or call centres. If the minimum wage was too high these are the sort of companies that'd be shying away from here.

Are we paying middle to senior management too much, I don't know as you'll get the free market competition line.

I know our managers and senior managers get 10 to 13% less than the fellow UK equivalents for doing the same job based on some form of market data guidelines. I'm also led to believe than teachers and civil servants in the north get paid less than UK equivalents as well but I can't say I've hard data to back that up.

[bcarrier]

Dole is too high so minimum wage needs to be kept higher to make work worthwhile with knock on effect that each "level" within the workforce seeks to maintain their "differentials" . The end result is an overpriced economy.

It is peculiar how people can see the advantage of going north for their purchases but cant see that international companies have even more options when buying labour.

[johnneycool]

Dole is too high so minimum wage needs to be kept higher to make work worthwhile with knock on effect that each "level" within the workforce seeks to maintain their "differentials" . The end result is an overpriced economy.

It is peculiar how people can see the advantage of going north for their purchases but cant see that international companies have even more options when buying labour.

I suppose all wages/salaries are related to the standard of living that said amounts give you.

If the dole in the south gives you a fairly comfortable standard of living then why go out to work for a minimum wage (other than self esteem) which may not essentially improve your lot.

Certainly in the north there are people on DLA/job seekers/single parent suppliment or all of the above who it wouldn't make financial sense to go out to work and i find that wrong but how do you resolve it. I'd bring back the blue fibre glass bubble cars for a start.

[Main Street]

The dole is a strange one.
A regulated social welfare is one which offers you work, even minimum wage work, after allowances for a few refusals the unemployment benefit is stopped if work is still being refused. That way, the aim is to whittle down the numbers to the truly disfunctional unemployed and the unemployable.

[Rossfan]

Dole is too high .

So what can of a life can YOU have on €204.00 per week. Be grand if you could live on fresh air.

[orangeman]

Did any of you read a letter from a reade in Leitrim in the Independent giving his "recovery plan" for the economy


I'll try and list the points he made :

1. Nationalise BOI and AIB - set up a new clean bank into which you put all the bad loans and manage them separately, creating three clean banks.
2. Reduce the mortgages of those homeowners in negative equity down to the current value of their homes and reduce all mortgages / remortgages taken out cince 2005 by 10%.
3. Reduce electricity and gas prices by 33% for a period of 2 years. Reduce hospital, GP, Legal and accountancy charges by 20%. Reduce transport charges incl rail,bus and taxis by 15% and tolls by 20%.
4. Overhaul the political system incl the number of TDs, their wages and the way they are elected.
5. NOW you can reduce wages across the board by 15% ( not applying to those who already have taken a cut ) and raise the tax rate by 2%. and create a new tax rate of 48% for those who earn more thsan 100k.

6. Reduce the minimum wage to €.50 an hour but limit the rate to those who can apply it to tourism and hospitality.
7. Reduce council charges by 15%
8.

What do you think ??

[carribbear]

2. Reduce the mortgages of those homeowners in negative equity down to the current value of their homes and reduce all mortgages / remortgages taken out cince 2005 by 10%.

4. Overhaul the political system incl the number of TDs, their wages and the way they are elected.

2 - I disagree, if you decided to buy a house that was beyond your means there should not be any reason why you now get a discount. Extend the period of the mortgage but lessen the amount you have to pay each month. Your children or relatives should have to take on your burden, thats a life lesson you should not be allowed to forget until it is all paid off or you sell it.

4 - How about a first past the post system. There is no need for 5 TDs in Carlow-Kilkenny etc. Carve up smaller regions but only one TD per area so it would reduce the number of TDs by half. Then they'd have to WORK to keep their position and have less time for all the outside interests.

[pintsofguinness]

Did any of you read a letter from a reade in Leitrim in the Independent giving his "recovery plan" for the economy


I'll try and list the points he made :

1. Nationalise BOI and AIB - set up a new clean bank into which you put all the bad loans and manage them separately, creating three clean banks.
2. Reduce the mortgages of those homeowners in negative equity down to the current value of their homes and reduce all mortgages / remortgages taken out cince 2005 by 10%.
3. Reduce electricity and gas prices by 33% for a period of 2 years. Reduce hospital, GP, Legal and accountancy charges by 20%. Reduce transport charges incl rail,bus and taxis by 15% and tolls by 20%.
4. Overhaul the political system incl the number of TDs, their wages and the way they are elected.
5. NOW you can reduce wages across the board by 15% ( not applying to those who already have taken a cut ) and raise the tax rate by 2%. and create a new tax rate of 48% for those who earn more thsan 100k.

6. Reduce the minimum wage to €.50 an hour but limit the rate to those who can apply it to tourism and hospitality.
7. Reduce council charges by 15%
8.

What do you think ??

What downright complete bullshit.

[Gnevin]

Did any of you read a letter from a reade in Leitrim in the Independent giving his "recovery plan" for the economy


I'll try and list the points he made :

1. Nationalise BOI and AIB - set up a new clean bank into which you put all the bad loans and manage them separately, creating three clean banks.
2. Reduce the mortgages of those homeowners in negative equity down to the current value of their homes and reduce all mortgages / remortgages taken out cince 2005 by 10%.
3. Reduce electricity and gas prices by 33% for a period of 2 years. Reduce hospital, GP, Legal and accountancy charges by 20%. Reduce transport charges incl rail,bus and taxis by 15% and tolls by 20%.
4. Overhaul the political system incl the number of TDs, their wages and the way they are elected.
5. NOW you can reduce wages across the board by 15% ( not applying to those who already have taken a cut ) and raise the tax rate by 2%. and create a new tax rate of 48% for those who earn more thsan 100k.

6. Reduce the minimum wage to €.50 an hour but limit the rate to those who can apply it to tourism and hospitality.
7. Reduce council charges by 15%
8.

What do you think ??

What downright complete bullshit.

Argeed , the solution to toxic debt is to write 10% off mortgages and create more toxic debt?

[orangeman]

I think where he was coming from mainly was that the cost base here is too high, everything is too expensive, so write everything down and start again.

Easier said than done.

[Rossfan]

[
4 - How about a first past the post system. .

NO NO NO NO that would return about 90 to 100 BuilderFF TDs . It would also lead to parachuting of candidates like they do in England where some buck from Surrey represents someplace he's never even seen in Cumbria or the likes.

[tyronefan]

4. Overhaul the political system incl the number of TDs, their wages and the way they are elected.

we have a way too many td,s in this country

there is one for every 25000 people or every 18000 voters here in Ireland. In the US they have a senator/congressperson for every 500000 people
and our td's are near enough earning the same money as the yanks when you take everything into account, as a matter of fact Cowen is earning more that Obama

I believe we could easily cut the numbers in halve and not affect the running of the country

do we need all these chancers sitting in dublin doing nothing