The DUP thread

[Orior]

I have a Deep State secret meeting this evening and I'll get this budget nonsense sorted.

[tbrick18]

I think it's all underfunded by the Brits regardless. Historically and now.

The NHS is clearly broke. It's a mess and I woukdn't know where even to start to fix it. How would you even start restructure it?

Education is a mess. Schools having to close because of leaks in the roof. Other schools have mould and damp etc. in classrooms. Mobiles falling apart. Again, how and where do you start to fix that?

Housing is a big issue. Not many houses being built nowadays. House prices are crazy now. Where does that end? Another recession?

Public servants e.g. teachersand nurses etc. all looking for more pay. Where does that stop?

Prices of everything going up....from food to car insurance. When's that going to stop?

I'd stick a £20 fee on going to see a doctor. That would help to cut down on the number of 'no shows'. Trying to get an appointment these days is crazy. People decide to just go to AE and at least, after a huge wait, they'll be seen there.

When you think of the billions that has been sent to support Israel in their genocide campaign in the middle east etc., that could have been better spent on the NHS.

Would people on here be happy to pay water charges for example? Or would here be uproar?

We can't have it every way. 

Can't see the metrics around any of these improving in the foreseeable future, dread to think where we will be 5  - 10 years from now.

Yep, it's shocking at the moment and it's getting worse and will continue to do so as there's no quick fix, and any long term fix will take serious money over a prolonged period of time which is not coming.
Regardless of where the blame sits for getting into the position we are in (imo Tory austerity is the main culprit but the inability of the unionist parties in particular to put people before politics is a close second), the way forward is not clear so we sit in a stalemate position with everyone hoping it'll sort itself out by shuffling money around a bit.
I used to dread the thought of my kids deciding to move abroad, now I'd actively encourage it.

Layman's view on how to fix the issues, build more hospitals and schools to increase capacity and reduce waiting lists, train/employ more doctors/nurses/consultants and pay them what is needed to retain them, build more houses to reduce demand and ease the pressures of increasing house prices/rents. All of this takes billions of investment (which we won't get) and decades to do (which we can't wait for) and in the meantime the population keeps growing and aging putting additional pressures on the resources we have.
It's taken decades to get this place into the position it's in, it'll take at least as long to fix it IF there is money and a politicians with the know-how to do it, neither of which we have.
Someone said there the Shinners are out of their depth - that may be the case, but when you have the DUP blocking everything that doesn't suit their electorate it wouldn't matter if you had the worlds top politicians in place, nothing would get done. I'd argue that Labour are out of their depth, the Tories just lined their own pockets, the DUP  are bigots out to line their own pockets and there is no obvious alternative to any of it.

It really is a depressing state of affairs and I genuinely worry about quality of life here now.

Will a United Ireland resolve the issues? Not sure it would fix everything, but I do think it would improve a lot of things. Being back in the EU for one thing. A single island economy is bound be more efficient than the bastardised version of an economy we have now. Reduced/removed UK influence could only be a positive - as realistically the UK Gov are only interested in England.

Slightly off topic, ChatGPT says that in NI the required gross income for a "minimum acceptable standard of living" is 65K-75K for a family of 4. This is basically how much is needed to keep the lights on.
To have a little bit extra to be able to save some or have a modest social life, its 80K-95K.
An average nurses salary in NI is 33K, so in a home with 2 x 33K salaries (i.e. 2 full time workers) you can just about afford the minimum acceptable standard of living - but you prob wont get access to a doctor if needed.
Country is fooked. Our kids are going to be in a worse position than anyone today with the constant increase in cost and decrease in availability of public services. We really need that magic money tree.

[Munchie]

You can't escape the benefit culture in the 6, I in 3 cars are DVLA ffs, the public sector is overloaded with folk doing little or nothing, that's not doctors, nurses, fire fighters, police etc. that is 30000 in the civil service kicking their heels up and folk on the hill paying family and friends to do likewise, it is a shithole and as long as these career politicians orange and green get voted in for doing nothing, nothing will change.

[tonto1888]

You can't escape the benefit culture in the 6, I in 3 cars are DVLA ffs, the public sector is overloaded with folk doing little or nothing, that's not doctors, nurses, fire fighters, police etc. that is 30000 in the civil service kicking their heels up and folk on the hill paying family and friends to do likewise, it is a shithole and as long as these career politicians orange and green get voted in for doing nothing, nothing will change.

you really have an issue with the NICS

[Munchie]

You think it provides value for money?

[Armagh18]

It's a waste of time. But sure where do we go if we lay off x amount of people on it? We need a strong all island economy with actual productive jobs for those people.

[tbrick18]

You can't escape the benefit culture in the 6, I in 3 cars are DVLA ffs, the public sector is overloaded with folk doing little or nothing, that's not doctors, nurses, fire fighters, police etc. that is 30000 in the civil service kicking their heels up and folk on the hill paying family and friends to do likewise, it is a shithole and as long as these career politicians orange and green get voted in for doing nothing, nothing will change.

That's not unique to NI though, people on benefits all over the UK and indeed ROI.
There will always be people who abuse the system - doesn't mean do away with the system, more that it needs to be fixed. But it needs fixed in a way that doesn't adversely affect those genuinely in need.

Growing up, I knew of plenty who "did the double" - mostly because they couldn't afford not to. Of the people I know on who are on benefits all are in need, 1 has a DLA car and it's entirely warranted.
Whilst I agree there are plenty out there abusing the system, I also don't buy the assertion that they're all milking it which is what terms like "benefit culture" suggest. All sounds a bit Nigel Farage-ish.

But to return to my point on what a minimum acceptable standard of living costs, there are many people who do not have the skills or qualifications to earn a household 65K a year for a small family to survive. So of course they will revert to the benefit system, why wouldn't they? If the cost of living was lower, it might reduce the number of people on benefits. At the minute, the UK government approach is to increase the minimum wage and stop the boats and increase taxes, which increases cost of living and that just perpetuates the cycle.

I do agree with the Civil Service issues to a certain extent. Feels artificially bloated in areas. The entitlement to non-performance related pay rises is not conducive to a performant service - instead it rewards those who are not very good at their job. Then there's the pensions they get too, which we all pay for.
It's just another element of society here that's not really fixable in the short term, especially with unions in to the hilt. But remember Civil Service includes doctors and nurses, teachers and bin collectors. All essential - it's more those back office / managerial roles that seem to be where the issues are. At least from the outside looking in. There might be 30K in the civil service, but I'd imagine the numbers that could be trimmed from the service could be small enough.

As for career politicians, genuinely not entirely clear what you mean by that term? Do you mean just in it for the money? If so, I'm sure for some that is the case but others are in it for the ideology of their parties. I think that most do want to represent their own communities, it's just that some are not very good at putting that ahead of their own personal goals.

[Munchie]

It's a waste of time. But sure where do we go if we lay off x amount of people on it? We need a strong all island economy with actual productive jobs for those people.

Sums it up, paid to do nothing whilst employed or paid to do nothing if laid off as these folk wouldn't survive in the private sector.

[GTP]

Our politicians can't even achieve the simplest of changes without backtracking or inventing issues to chuck into the mix.
Council U-turn on busker and preacher noise rules for Belfast city centre | Belfast Live
So, they are very unlikely to be able to resolve the crisis with GP practices and in our hospitals.
I am in a family of 4 and whilst I don't want to say AI is wrong in case it seeks revenge on me, the figure for a minimum acceptable standard of living at 65K-75K for a family of 4 seems high or an acceptable standard of living is more than I expect.
And if the public sector is overloaded with folk doing little or nothing then at least it is people getting a wage. Without this our entire subsidised statelet would be even more screwed.

[Last Man]

"Layman's view on how to fix the issues, build more hospitals"
Has it occurred to anyone why we have an ever increasing sick population? Have we somehow created a system that incentivizes poor health, for as far as I can see most of this is self inflicted.
Also, how about tackling the systematic waste in the NHS. If something is "free", people can't help themselves but take the piss out of it.
I am for paying a bit less tax but paying for healthcare and medications as an when I need it.

[seafoid]

https://m.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/politics/nobody-will-take-to-street-here-as-they-dont-give-a-damn-about-stormont/a587788087.html

Historian and political commentator Dr Brian Feeney believes that Stormont will never work successfully and that Irish unity is "the only answer".

He thinks that the devolved administration shouldn't continue to exist in the event of a united Ireland.

Historian and political commentator Dr Brian Feeney

Feeney, who has a keen interest in Belgian politics, predicts there wouldn't be the same public anger if Stormont collapsed. "Nobody would take to the streets because nobody gives a damn," he says.

"Opinion polls show that support for the Executive is consistently falling, and that's not surprising. Devolution just doesn't deliver. When it collapses what tends to happen is that direct rule ministers cut through the garbage that goes on here and bring in modern legislation on abortion and LGBTQ rights which Stormont can't do."

Feeney claims that Stormont "makes a complete mess" of its budget. "It spends money on all the wrong things. It's not investing enough in education, health or infrastructure, and far too much on agriculture," he says.

"We spend 3.5 times what the rest of the UK does on agriculture. The Executive isn't dealing with the Lough Neagh crisis. It refuses to raise local taxation. Northern Ireland is withering on the vine."

[imtommygunn]

Our politicians can't even achieve the simplest of changes without backtracking or inventing issues to chuck into the mix.
Council U-turn on busker and preacher noise rules for Belfast city centre | Belfast Live
So, they are very unlikely to be able to resolve the crisis with GP practices and in our hospitals.
I am in a family of 4 and whilst I don't want to say AI is wrong in case it seeks revenge on me, the figure for a minimum acceptable standard of living at 65K-75K for a family of 4 seems high or an acceptable standard of living is more than I expect.
And if the public sector is overloaded with folk doing little or nothing then at least it is people getting a wage. Without this our entire subsidised statelet would be even more screwed.

Yeah it is not fully just the fault of politicians now. There has been years of jobs for boys here and we have been over subsidised and are now paying the consequences. I also wonder how much of an impact Brexit has had.

An example if things that could be done - the NHS here should be one trust. That would remove bureaucracy and remove a lot of jobs but it would run much more efficiently. I don't work in it but I know people high up in it who have said that.

I think we are almost too small up here. The state we are in I believe the only way out is a UI and that is not an easy solution either because it would mean 26 counties instead of the. rest of the UK paying for us.

Self sustaining is not something we are and it is hard to see how we get it 

[gallsman]

The whole grade system in the public sector is a complete disaster. Prime getting "promoted" where there are no jobs available and then get to merrily sit on a list for the next job at that grade to come up whether qualified for it or not.

Have a family friend (who is very capable and works hard) in this exact position recently. Got promoted. No job. Job comes up at her grade in a completely different department looking after a completely different sector, and she automatically gets it.

[Munchie]

Our politicians can't even achieve the simplest of changes without backtracking or inventing issues to chuck into the mix.
Council U-turn on busker and preacher noise rules for Belfast city centre | Belfast Live
So, they are very unlikely to be able to resolve the crisis with GP practices and in our hospitals.
I am in a family of 4 and whilst I don't want to say AI is wrong in case it seeks revenge on me, the figure for a minimum acceptable standard of living at 65K-75K for a family of 4 seems high or an acceptable standard of living is more than I expect.
And if the public sector is overloaded with folk doing little or nothing then at least it is people getting a wage. Without this our entire subsidised statelet would be even more screwed.

The gravy train in a sentence.

[Munchie]

"Layman's view on how to fix the issues, build more hospitals"
Has it occurred to anyone why we have an ever increasing sick population? Have we somehow created a system that incentivizes poor health, for as far as I can see most of this is self inflicted.
Also, how about tackling the systematic waste in the NHS. If something is "free", people can't help themselves but take the piss out of it.
I am for paying a bit less tax but paying for healthcare and medications as an when I need it.

Even if they did attempt to raise money, by doing away with free prescriptions for those working or introducing water charges, would you have any faith in them spending the money where needed, waste, waste and repeat and they yap the Brits aren't given them enough money.