Sinn Fein? They have gone away, you know.

[Sportacus]

As an ordinary Joe Public , I do despair at the like of Ulster Hospitality calling the shots , & John O'Dowd folding. E.g Galgorm Group made a £8 million profit on turnover of £32 million but cried about having  tp pay £800k extra in rates. I appreciate they are a major employer but lift the load. I'm sure it is tight in other businesses , but this type of thing needs called out.

Galgorm group would be grand, it's the local pub struggling that would be finished with the new rates hike. Margins are tight enough as it is.

And how big John didn't realise this is a mystery to me.
As for Hospitality Ulster, they sponsor every DUP dinner they can get their hands on and persuaded Lyons to retain the closed shop for pub licenses, even though the recommendation was to free it up. 

[Armagh18]

Daft move all round to be raising any type of rates or taxes at the minute, given the extortionate amounts we already pay and the ridiculous state of silly little things like hospitals and roads..

[johnnycool]

Daft move all round to be raising any type of rates or taxes at the minute, given the extortionate amounts we already pay and the ridiculous state of silly little things like hospitals and roads..

The big elephant in the room is water rates on domestic properties.

We can't build new houses because the sewage system can't cope and the sewage system can't cope because there's no money to invest in it.

Farmers are getting blamed for the algae in Lough Neagh, but NI Water do discharge a fierce amount of sewage into it and the waterways leading to it as well.

Self employed lads get away with a lot less tax than PAYE lads on similar incomes. I'd be inclined to shine a light on that one.

[Milltown Row2]

There is no, zero attempt to do practical politics, I'm bored or numb at the shoddy work being claimed they do. If they were being assessed within a job in the private sector they'd be sacked, incompetent, not fit for purpose

Is there a department being run with any sort of efficiency? Can anyone hold their heads high and say they are doing a good job? Surely they have targets to meet?

Surely London should just close it altogether and sack these clowns   

[gallsman]

Daft move all round to be raising any type of rates or taxes at the minute, given the extortionate amounts we already pay and the ridiculous state of silly little things like hospitals and roads..

Where do you think the money for hospitals and roads will come from?

[Armagh18]

Daft move all round to be raising any type of rates or taxes at the minute, given the extortionate amounts we already pay and the ridiculous state of silly little things like hospitals and roads..

Where do you think the money for hospitals and roads will come from?

[imtommygunn]

It's not the fact they raised rates it's the amount they were trying to raise them by. It would have killed the hospitality industry. The rates that the likes of Belfast city centre businesses pay are already extortionate and putting people out of business.

Yes the businesses that stay afloat will get them more money but they will put loads out of business and cause significant job losses. It was ludicrous what O'Dowd was proposing.

[LC]

There is no, zero attempt to do practical politics, I'm bored or numb at the shoddy work being claimed they do. If they were being assessed within a job in the private sector they'd be sacked, incompetent, not fit for purpose

Is there a department being run with any sort of efficiency? Can anyone hold their heads high and say they are doing a good job? Surely they have targets to meet?

Surely London should just close it altogether and sack these clowns 

They would not even get beyond their probationary period.

[gallsman]

Daft move all round to be raising any type of rates or taxes at the minute, given the extortionate amounts we already pay and the ridiculous state of silly little things like hospitals and roads..

Where do you think the money for hospitals and roads will come from?

Ok, so with nothing more coming in, presumably you think everything can and should be funded through spending cuts?

I'd fully sign up to public sector reform, but we all know it'll never happen.

Welfare reform? Good luck with that.

Perhaps you disapprove of how so many of your fellow county men (as openly discussed on this forum) readily avoid paying VAT and insist on cash. You'd advocate a real clamp down on this, yeah?

[Rossfan]

Grown up world comes to 6 Counties!

[playwiththewind1st]

Grown up world comes to 6 Counties!

You can certainly sneer, once you've got rid of your corrupt political system, comprised of gombeen men, spivs & shysters, openly asking for their brown paper bags, stuffed with backhanders.

[Rossfan]

Ooooh you nasty little maneen.....

[Armagh18]

Grown up world comes to 6 Counties!

Maybe if you's hoors hadn't abandoned us back in the day...!

[Armagh18]

Daft move all round to be raising any type of rates or taxes at the minute, given the extortionate amounts we already pay and the ridiculous state of silly little things like hospitals and roads..

Where do you think the money for hospitals and roads will come from?

Ok, so with nothing more coming in, presumably you think everything can and should be funded through spending cuts?

I'd fully sign up to public sector reform, but we all know it'll never happen.

Welfare reform? Good luck with that.

Perhaps you disapprove of how so many of your fellow county men (as openly discussed on this forum) readily avoid paying VAT and insist on cash. You'd advocate a real clamp down on this, yeah?

Where on earth is the money going? The ordinary man is paying more than his fair share of VAT, tax and rates. Start by taxing the 1% of earners a lot more.

Not too bothered by John up the road saving a few quid by doing cash jobs, a drop in the ocean compared to the top earners

[tintin25]

There is no, zero attempt to do practical politics, I'm bored or numb at the shoddy work being claimed they do. If they were being assessed within a job in the private sector they'd be sacked, incompetent, not fit for purpose

Is there a department being run with any sort of efficiency? Can anyone hold their heads high and say they are doing a good job? Surely they have targets to meet?

Surely London should just close it altogether and sack these clowns 

They would not even get beyond their probationary period.

Actually laughable how useless the majority are.  They all love a good photo opportunity but little to no substance to any of them. You'd struggle to list off any meaningful achievements with big projects always stuck in consultation mode.  Off the top of my head:

York Street Interchange - hasn't progressed
Casement Park - hasn't progressed
A5 - hasn't progressed
NI roads in general - progressively getting worse

Instead, it's the usual celebratory pettiness at how they prevented 'themmuns' from getting a win.