The Fine Gael thread

[Rossfan]

To not have competition in a privatised situation would result in a monopoly, making competition necessary, not impossible as u suggest.

Competition would be great, you could pay a premium and get Ballygowan out of your tap while your neighbours would still have the plain old tap water.

Wonder could Sky get in on the act and deliver water through the oul dish? HD Water?

[mikehunt]

To not have competition in a privatised situation would result in a monopoly, making competition necessary, not impossible as u suggest.

Competition would be great, you could pay a premium and get Ballygowan out of your tap while your neighbours would still have the plain old tap water.

Wonder could Sky get in on the act and deliver water through the oul dish? HD Water?

funny u mention sky. I heard the govt dept in charge of awarding the contract gave it to Sky until Sky informed them that they had not submitted a tender. Govt apologised and told them they had updated theeir records and that Denis O Brien was no longer listed on their records as a major shareholder of Sky.

[muppet]

However, well placed sources said Derek Byrne, Paul Moore and Damien O'Neill had taken full meals in prison on Monday. They had breakfast in the morning, followed by lunch just after midday and a cooked tea in the evening, before being locked in their cells for the night.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/jailed-water-charges-protesters-abandon-hunger-strike-1.2114548?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Conor Lallys tongue was firmly routed to his cheek with this one:

Mr Byrne's partner Siobhán Walsh said on Monday she was "worried sick" about the men being on hunger strike. However, Ms Walsh believed Mr Byrne would persist with his plans unless his "political" transfer to Wheatfield was reversed.
"Derek is a very strong-minded person and if he decides to do something then that's what he will do," she said.
Ms Walsh was speaking before it emerged the men were taking meals.

His partner was whinging about having to travel all the way from Donaghmede to Clondalkin to see her imprisoned husband.

Reminds me of a TD (Ruairi Quinn?) complaining that moving some hospital services to Tallagh would discommode some of his south Dublin constituents unfairly.

Great way to garner the culchie support.

[SLIGONIAN]

Here's a caption competition for you muppet



Templemore's finest keep watch as Fine Gael use their new minions to dig up old election promises...

Ironically that is one of the 2011 promises they kept. They said they would introduce water charges, but then they didn't have a choice either way.

But carry on beating your head off the ground and calling it a wall.

Why didn't they have a choice either way? Are you a fine gael supporter and a supporter of what they are doing?

[muppet]

Here's a caption competition for you muppet



Templemore's finest keep watch as Fine Gael use their new minions to dig up old election promises...

Ironically that is one of the 2011 promises they kept. They said they would introduce water charges, but then they didn't have a choice either way.

But carry on beating your head off the ground and calling it a wall.

Why didn't they have a choice either way? Are you a fine gael supporter and a supporter of what they are doing?

Read the thread, I want them out of Government. This has nothing to do with any party politics. They are all beyond useless as far as I am concerned.

However, we had no choice on water charges because we signed an agreement with the Troika in 2010 to introduce water charges.

Watch Greece closely and see how hard it is to tear up such an agreement.

Especially when, according to David McWilliams, they have the legal right to take a levy from bank deposits if they decide we aren't playing ball.

If the Troika decide we need to pay up more then they can raid your bank account. God help anyone that has just drawn down a loan or mortgage.

This, if accurate, may be the most serious development I've read in 4 years. Did this Government agree to this, or the previous one? I don't have that answer at the moment but will keep an eye out for it.

"So concerned was the IMF about the unexploded landmine deep inside the banks that in its latest Fiscal Outlook, buried deep in the report, is a suggestion that a "capital levy" might be levied on wealth in the event that debt levels are not being brought down quick enough."

[foxcommander]

If the Troika decide we need to pay up more then they can raid your bank account. God help anyone that has just drawn down a loan or mortgage.

This, if accurate, may be the most serious development I've read in 4 years. Did this Government agree to this, or the previous one? I don't have that answer at the moment but will keep an eye out for it.

Surely that can't be legal. Then again wouldn't surprise me if we were signed up for conscription to fight some war as part of this deal.
If it is true then this should have been announced. How can you keep that a secret from the public.

[muppet]

If the Troika decide we need to pay up more then they can raid your bank account. God help anyone that has just drawn down a loan or mortgage.

This, if accurate, may be the most serious development I've read in 4 years. Did this Government agree to this, or the previous one? I don't have that answer at the moment but will keep an eye out for it.

Surely that can't be legal. Then again wouldn't surprise me if we were signed up for conscription to fight some war as part of this deal.
If it is true then this should have been announced. How can you keep that a secret from the public.

Reading McWilliams quote again he chooses his words very carefully.

"So concerned was the IMF about the unexploded landmine deep inside the banks that in its latest Fiscal Outlook, buried deep in the report, is a suggestion that a "capital levy" might be levied on wealth in the event that debt levels are not being brought down quick enough."

I wonder is that exactly how the IMF report phrases it, or is he being careful to protect himself?

[macdanger2]

Especially when, according to David McWilliams, they have the legal right to take a levy from bank deposits if they decide we aren't playing ball.

If the Troika decide we need to pay up more then they can raid your bank account. God help anyone that has just drawn down a loan or mortgage.

This, if accurate, may be the most serious development I've read in 4 years. Did this Government agree to this, or the previous one? I don't have that answer at the moment but will keep an eye out for it.

"So concerned was the IMF about the unexploded landmine deep inside the banks that in its latest Fiscal Outlook, buried deep in the report, is a suggestion that a "capital levy" might be levied on wealth in the event that debt levels are not being brought down quick enough."

How does a "suggestion" become a "legal right"??

Edit: Just saw your response - maybe leave the sensationalism to foxy!!

[mikehunt]

Especially when, according to David McWilliams, they have the legal right to take a levy from bank deposits if they decide we aren't playing ball.

If the Troika decide we need to pay up more then they can raid your bank account. God help anyone that has just drawn down a loan or mortgage.

This, if accurate, may be the most serious development I've read in 4 years. Did this Government agree to this, or the previous one? I don't have that answer at the moment but will keep an eye out for it.

"So concerned was the IMF about the unexploded landmine deep inside the banks that in its latest Fiscal Outlook, buried deep in the report, is a suggestion that a "capital levy" might be levied on wealth in the event that debt levels are not being brought down quick enough."

How does a "suggestion" become a "legal right"??

Edit: Just saw your response - maybe leave the sensationalism to foxy!!

well the govt have already dipped their grubby hands in to the private pension pot so they would have no problem thieving again.

[muppet]

I found a CNBC report where they make the same mistake that I did: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101267557

But I can't find the original quote from the IMF.

[muppet]

Here is an odd article from a couple of months before McWilliams' piece: http://www.mondaq.com/x/277700/tax+authorities/IMF+Proposing+10+Super+Tax+Bailin+On+All+Eurozone+Savings

In its October 2013 Taxing Times report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposed the capital levy (supertax) of 10% on all household savings accounts in the Eurozone, which would hypothetically solve the debt problem, and tax avoidance in most sovereign countries.

[Maguire01]

I wouldn't be a fan of Murphy and would never vote for him however he was elected on the back of the Water Charges. He is doing what the people asked him to do unlike the majority of politicians. Their ideas for the economy are a bit far fetched but Joe Higgins does make some fair points on how the money could be raised. Just because they can talk nonsense some of the time doesn't mean they don't have good ideas.

A stopped clock is right twice a day.

Which would be two nil to the clock when up against you and you're "shir it'll do and stop yere complaining"

You want to tell us how you'd introduce competition for water?

To not have competition in a privatised situation would result in a monopoly, making competition necessary, not impossible as u suggest.

I appreciate it's a monopoly. That's why there's a regulator.

But you want to introduce competition and I want to understand how it would work. Take my own county. How would two or more water (and sewage) utilities operate? Would there be multiple networks within and between every town? Would each utility construct their own treatment works and reservoirs? If so, do you think this would make water cheaper or more expensive.

[muppet]

I wouldn't be a fan of Murphy and would never vote for him however he was elected on the back of the Water Charges. He is doing what the people asked him to do unlike the majority of politicians. Their ideas for the economy are a bit far fetched but Joe Higgins does make some fair points on how the money could be raised. Just because they can talk nonsense some of the time doesn't mean they don't have good ideas.

A stopped clock is right twice a day.

Which would be two nil to the clock when up against you and you're "shir it'll do and stop yere complaining"

You want to tell us how you'd introduce competition for water?

To not have competition in a privatised situation would result in a monopoly, making competition necessary, not impossible as u suggest.

I appreciate it's a monopoly. That's why there's a regulator.

But you want to introduce competition and I want to understand how it would work. Take my own county. How would two or more water (and sewage) utilities operate? Would there be multiple networks within and between every town? Would each utility construct their own treatment works and reservoirs? If so, do you think this would make water cheaper or more expensive.

Eirgrid is the electricity equivalent, but it has not competition for the reasons you outline.

Power stations could have a water equivalent I suppose to have competition, but the network & meters and would still remain with the monopoly as they do with Eirgrid.

[Maguire01]

I wouldn't be a fan of Murphy and would never vote for him however he was elected on the back of the Water Charges. He is doing what the people asked him to do unlike the majority of politicians. Their ideas for the economy are a bit far fetched but Joe Higgins does make some fair points on how the money could be raised. Just because they can talk nonsense some of the time doesn't mean they don't have good ideas.

A stopped clock is right twice a day.

Which would be two nil to the clock when up against you and you're "shir it'll do and stop yere complaining"

You want to tell us how you'd introduce competition for water?

To not have competition in a privatised situation would result in a monopoly, making competition necessary, not impossible as u suggest.

I appreciate it's a monopoly. That's why there's a regulator.

But you want to introduce competition and I want to understand how it would work. Take my own county. How would two or more water (and sewage) utilities operate? Would there be multiple networks within and between every town? Would each utility construct their own treatment works and reservoirs? If so, do you think this would make water cheaper or more expensive.

Eirgrid is the electricity equivalent, but it has not competition for the reasons you outline.

Power stations could have a water equivalent I suppose to have competition, but the network & meters and would still remain with the monopoly as they do with Eirgrid.

Yep, that would be the theory - although I was really interested to see whether mikehunt could get that far - I can see many difficulties in practice.
And if it's a viable idea, i'd be interested in seeing examples of where it has worked in other countries.

[lynchbhoy]

Regulators don't always work out too well - remember the financial regulator around 2007

Loans MR Fitzpatrick took from his bank worth 94 million euros for himself were unethical not illegal because the regulator had no actual financial policies, procedure or actual regulation in place apart from high level references

Water privatization incl meters and f&f could be done in local regions, counties, councils. Not sure if that would be the way to go but certainly under licence without making the Irish water company another public sector lazy ass entity waste of money drain on the taxpayer exercise!