26 County General Election 2020

[Angelo]

Has standards of living of posters from the 26 counties not improved during the time FG has been in power? Mine certainly has. I think Ireland is a great place to live and offers great opportunities.

My kids are in a Deis school, but they work hard and the teachers work hard to help them. They have a great opportunity to go to third level and ultimately give themselves the best chance to have good careers. It's up to them as to what they can achieve, as it should be.

Health system is the biggest worry, but FG are committed to Slaintecare and that looks to me to be the best alternative.

Putting our economic strategy in the hands of SF could be catastrophic. The economy is being well managed. We need to get more growth outside of Dublin, and that is happening to a degree and there are thriving towns up and down the country. But more to do to widen the spread.

My biggest problem with my vote is I don't care for either of the FG candidates in my constituency. But I am confident Varadker and Coveney are the best two people around to lead our country.

So what about the economy? What good is a booming economy when it is only the well healed that prosper from it.

The economic strategy is already catastrophic, the banks and large corporations are the guys who call the shots, the most damning indictment of FF/FG is the state of the housing and health sectors - privatise, privatise, privatise - they have created these problems. How much state money is being received by private landlords and vulture funds each year in rent? They have let the rental market spiral out of control, the economy going well makes no impact as young couples and families with decent jobs cannot afford a roof over their head, it makes no difference to sick people who are dying as they can't get a hospital bed or are misdiagnosed by a health service not fit for purpose.

The policies of FF/FG have always been to benefit the elite in society, there are over 60 sitting FF/FG landlord TDs in the Dail who have vested interests when it comes to solving the housing crisis. They simply don't want to solve the housing crisis, the longer the housing crisis exists then the more it benefits the wealthy landlords and homeowners and the property developers. There are plenty of simple policies that could have tackled an out of control rental market and a shortage of supply in the last few years that weren't taken.

[five points]

So what about the economy? What good is a booming economy when it is only the well healed that prosper from it.

With respect, when the numbers in employment are at an all time high, it's nonsense to say that only the well heeled are doing well from it.

the state of the housing and health sectors - privatise, privatise, privatise - they have created these problems.

The opposite is true. Housing and health are each in a shambles because the State in its wisdom has relied far too heavily on a dysfunctional public sector.

On housing, the FF/Green combo brought in measures a decade ago to basically stop private investment in the building of houses and apartments. The local authorities and state bodies (one of which has made a shambles of the building of the children's hospital) are both incapable of building the tens of thousands of homes that are needed each year, and cant afford to anyway, so hey presto we've a housing crisis that is now 8 years old and at the current rate of going will last another 20 years.

On health, the HSE has been a catastrophic failure from the day it was formed, 16 years ago and both the politicians and the management are afraid to take on the big vested interests (including the staff) who have done well out of it.

there are over 60 sitting FF/FG landlord TDs in the Dail who have vested interests when it comes to solving the housing crisis.

60 is not half enough. We need more people to invest in property, and I'm talking ordinary individual investors, not the conglomerates who are taking up the slack by buying up properties by the shedload. But government policy for the past decade has been all in the other direction.

[seafoid]

So what about the economy? What good is a booming economy when it is only the well healed that prosper from it.

With respect, when the numbers in employment are at an all time high, it's nonsense to say that only the well heeled are doing well from it.

the state of the housing and health sectors - privatise, privatise, privatise - they have created these problems.

The opposite is true. Housing and health are each in a shambles because the State in its wisdom has relied far too heavily on a dysfunctional public sector.

On housing, the FF/Green combo brought in measures a decade ago to basically stop private investment in the building of houses and apartments. The local authorities are both incapable of building the tens of thousands of homes that are needed each year so hey presto we've a housing crisis that is now 8 years old and at the current rate of going will last another 20 years.

On health, the HSE has been a catastrophic failure from the day it was formed, 16 years ago and both the politicians and the management are afraid to take on the big vested interests including the staff, who have done well out of it.

there are over 60 sitting FF/FG landlord TDs in the Dail who have vested interests when it comes to solving the housing crisis.

60 is not half enough. We need more people to invest in property, and I'm talking ordinary individual investors, not the conglomerates who are taking up the slack by buying up properties by the shedload. But government policy for the past decade has been all in the other direction.

Wages are a more important indicator of economic wellbeing than numbers in unemployment.
The UK has low unemployment but a high number of workers earning poor wages. 

[five points]

Wages are a more important indicator of economic wellbeing than numbers in unemployment.

Not really, once you're in work, you're spending and sustaining further prosperity and employment. The 2009 recession here exposed that sharply.

[RadioGAAGAA]

60 is not half enough. We need more people to invest in property, and I'm talking ordinary individual investors, not the conglomerates who are taking up the slack by buying up properties by the shedload. But government policy for the past decade has been all in the other direction.

How on earth do you work that out?!?!

Please don't come back with some pseudo economics bullshit.


Simple supply and demand. If there were not investors buying houses to let, then house prices would drop - and since there are pretty much as many homes as there are folks looking homes - they'd drop to a level where people (who are right now priced out of the market) could actually afford to buy.

Worst is - its only getting harder and harder as investors accumulate more purchasing power off the rent paid by those who are already struggling to save deposits to compete with their landlords in the housing market.

[five points]

Please don't come back with some pseudo economics bullshit.


Simple supply and demand. If there were not investors buying houses to let, then house prices would drop - and since there are pretty much as many homes as there are folks looking homes - they'd drop to a level where people (who are right now priced out of the market) could actually afford to buy.

Worst is - its only getting harder and harder as investors accumulate more purchasing power off the rent paid by those who are already struggling to save deposits to compete with their landlords in the housing market.

Do you want an answer or do you not? I can answer you easily if you wish but if you've made up your mind already, I'd be only wasting my time.

Your call.

[Main Street]

So what about the economy? What good is a booming economy when it is only the well healed that prosper from it.

With respect, when the numbers in employment are at an all time high, it's nonsense to say that only the well heeled are doing well from it.

the state of the housing and health sectors - privatise, privatise, privatise - they have created these problems.

The opposite is true. Housing and health are each in a shambles because the State in its wisdom has relied far too heavily on a dysfunctional public sector.

On housing, the FF/Green combo brought in measures a decade ago to basically stop private investment in the building of houses and apartments. The local authorities are both incapable of building the tens of thousands of homes that are needed each year so hey presto we've a housing crisis that is now 8 years old and at the current rate of going will last another 20 years.

On health, the HSE has been a catastrophic failure from the day it was formed, 16 years ago and both the politicians and the management are afraid to take on the big vested interests including the staff, who have done well out of it.

there are over 60 sitting FF/FG landlord TDs in the Dail who have vested interests when it comes to solving the housing crisis.

60 is not half enough. We need more people to invest in property, and I'm talking ordinary individual investors, not the conglomerates who are taking up the slack by buying up properties by the shedload. But government policy for the past decade has been all in the other direction.

Wages are a more important indicator of economic wellbeing than numbers in unemployment.
The UK has low unemployment but a high number of workers earning poor wages.

It's not wages per se but purchasing capacity which is a more accurate indicator of economic well being and both FG and FF have similar weak effect on Ireland's  inequality status, low trade union membership  and low levels of collective bargaining.
According to the very well researched tasc.ie annual report Inequality in Ireland  (Robert Sweeney), the labour market institutions are employer friendly. Though unemployment levels are reasonably low, Ireland has high levels of low pay, poverty and deprivation.



 

[five points]

It's not wages per se but purchasing capacity which is a more accurate indicator of economic well being and both FG and FF have similar weak effect on Ireland's  inequality status, low trade union membership  and low levels of collective bargaining.
According to the very well researched tasc.ie annual report Inequality in Ireland  (Robert Sweeney), the labour market institutions are employer friendly. Though unemployment levels are reasonably low, Ireland has high levels of low pay, poverty and deprivation.

Tasc is funded by Chuck Feeney's left-wing Atlantic Philanthropies, the EU, and the trade unions. Its reports will naturally blame employers and excuse featherbedding in the HSE and elsewhere.

[Main Street]

It's not wages per se but purchasing capacity which is a more accurate indicator of economic well being and both FG and FF have similar weak effect on Ireland's  inequality status, low trade union membership  and low levels of collective bargaining.
According to the very well researched tasc.ie annual report Inequality in Ireland  (Robert Sweeney), the labour market institutions are employer friendly. Though unemployment levels are reasonably low, Ireland has high levels of low pay, poverty and deprivation.

Tasc is funded by Chuck Feeney's left-wing Atlantic Philanthropies, the EU, and the trade unions. Its reports will naturally blame employers and excuse featherbedding in the HSE and elsewhere.

This report is very well researched and evidenced based.  The stats are unimpeachable.

[five points]

This report is very well researched and evidenced based.  The stats are unimpeachable.

But not biased? Show me a Tasc report anywhere that concludes that wages in any sector are too high.

[seafoid]

So what about the economy? What good is a booming economy when it is only the well healed that prosper from it.

With respect, when the numbers in employment are at an all time high, it's nonsense to say that only the well heeled are doing well from it.

the state of the housing and health sectors - privatise, privatise, privatise - they have created these problems.

The opposite is true. Housing and health are each in a shambles because the State in its wisdom has relied far too heavily on a dysfunctional public sector.

On housing, the FF/Green combo brought in measures a decade ago to basically stop private investment in the building of houses and apartments. The local authorities are both incapable of building the tens of thousands of homes that are needed each year so hey presto we've a housing crisis that is now 8 years old and at the current rate of going will last another 20 years.

On health, the HSE has been a catastrophic failure from the day it was formed, 16 years ago and both the politicians and the management are afraid to take on the big vested interests including the staff, who have done well out of it.

there are over 60 sitting FF/FG landlord TDs in the Dail who have vested interests when it comes to solving the housing crisis.

60 is not half enough. We need more people to invest in property, and I'm talking ordinary individual investors, not the conglomerates who are taking up the slack by buying up properties by the shedload. But government policy for the past decade has been all in the other direction.

Wages are a more important indicator of economic wellbeing than numbers in unemployment.
The UK has low unemployment but a high number of workers earning poor wages.

It's not wages per se but purchasing capacity which is a more accurate indicator of economic well being and both FG and FF have similar weak effect on Ireland's  inequality status, low trade union membership  and low levels of collective bargaining.
According to the very well researched tasc.ie annual report Inequality in Ireland  (Robert Sweeney), the labour market institutions are employer friendly. Though unemployment levels are reasonably low, Ireland has high levels of low pay, poverty and deprivation.

It is the same problem across the OECD. Corporate profits have increased at the expense of worker incomes. This has been going on for 40 years .
It can't go on for much longer.

[Main Street]

This report is very well researched and evidenced based.  The stats are unimpeachable.

But not biased? Show me a Tasc report anywhere that concludes that wages in any sector are too high.

Eh, is that a retort?   The report is about inequality in Ireland. Does the report have conclusions  based on its research? yes it does. They are evidenced based conclusions, well supported by indepth research done in other countries. Is there some particular conclusion you have an issue with?

[Angelo]

So what about the economy? What good is a booming economy when it is only the well healed that prosper from it.

With respect, when the numbers in employment are at an all time high, it's nonsense to say that only the well heeled are doing well from it.

the state of the housing and health sectors - privatise, privatise, privatise - they have created these problems.

The opposite is true. Housing and health are each in a shambles because the State in its wisdom has relied far too heavily on a dysfunctional public sector.

On housing, the FF/Green combo brought in measures a decade ago to basically stop private investment in the building of houses and apartments. The local authorities and state bodies (one of which has made a shambles of the building of the children's hospital) are both incapable of building the tens of thousands of homes that are needed each year, and cant afford to anyway, so hey presto we've a housing crisis that is now 8 years old and at the current rate of going will last another 20 years.

On health, the HSE has been a catastrophic failure from the day it was formed, 16 years ago and both the politicians and the management are afraid to take on the big vested interests (including the staff) who have done well out of it.

there are over 60 sitting FF/FG landlord TDs in the Dail who have vested interests when it comes to solving the housing crisis.

60 is not half enough. We need more people to invest in property, and I'm talking ordinary individual investors, not the conglomerates who are taking up the slack by buying up properties by the shedload. But government policy for the past decade has been all in the other direction.

That's just complete and utter nonsense. Employment might be thriving but there's a homelessness crisis, young people in good jobs with good wages simply cannot afford to buy houses and are being completely and utterly fleeced by a private rental market that has been brought about by government policy by FG/FF that shows no interest whatsoever in controlling the rental market.

Local authrorities are state bodies, who act under the policies implemented by government - if it is a case of them failing to meet the targets, then it's a failure of the government.

FF wrecked the state by selling off council houses into private ownership, it's the FF/FG way - privatise, privatise, privatise valuable resources to big business and vulture funds. Look at they utterly destroyed the health service, their policies have priced out the young people of home ownership and destroyed the health service.

The last part just proves you are on the wind up. The problem is the rental market, the problem is that people cannot afford to buy or rent in the current climate, it's to do with weak policy on rent control, it's to do with the stripping of state owned housing by the FF market. FF/FG are all about privitisation to the wealthy businessmen and vulture funds. Services such as housing and health should have been auctioned off to the private sector.


Ireland is one of the most unequal countries in Europe when it comes to healthcare access and a healthcare crisis exists exacerbates this
Dublin has the third highest residential rents in Europe, mortgage interest rates in Ireland are way above those in Europe and a homelessnes crisis exists due to this.

When these situations exist, and not only to they exist but they continue to get worse, a good economy is merely a sideshow. Wealthy inequality is growing under the policies of FF/FG and that's the aim of their policies.

[five points]

This report is very well researched and evidenced based.  The stats are unimpeachable.

But not biased? Show me a Tasc report anywhere that concludes that wages in any sector are too high.

Eh, is that a retort?   The report is about inequality in Ireland. Does the report have conclusions  based on its research? yes it does. They are evidenced based conclusions, well supported by indepth research done in other countries. Is there some particular conclusion you have an issue with?

I have an issue with Tasc's bias and agenda (for example the supposition that inequality is an issue at all in this country). My earlier challenge stands.

[Rossfan]

This report is very well researched and evidenced based.  The stats are unimpeachable.

But not biased? Show me a Tasc report anywhere that concludes that wages in any sector are too high.

Eh, is that a retort?   The report is about inequality in Ireland. Does the report have conclusions  based on its research? yes it does. They are evidenced based conclusions, well supported by indepth research done in other countries. Is there some particular conclusion you have an issue with?

It doesn't agree with his neo liberal right wing mind.