Simon Harris 6/4 on favourite to be next Tea Shop
- Thread starter Duke of Marmalade
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Politicians didn't achieve it. The people who work in and run the sector achieved it. The problem here is that we blame politicians for things that aren't their fault. Therefore the problems don't get fixed.
You are blaming who for the health crisis ? The HSE managers ?
Are you saying that HSE senior management would be backed up by a minister for health if they sacked a few useless surgeons or consultants and the other consultants threatened a strike ?
Do you believe that a builder has an economic interest in producing loads of houses every year even if his price and margin would be sharply reduced by doing so ?
Leadership in a democracy lies with the elected government.
So does blame for failures to lead.
Are you saying that HSE senior management would be backed up by a minister for health if they sacked a few useless surgeons or consultants and the other consultants threatened a strike ?
Do you believe that a builder has an economic interest in producing loads of houses every year even if his price and margin would be sharply reduced by doing so ?
Leadership in a democracy lies with the elected government.
So does blame for failures to lead.
They're the ones giving glowing references to incompetents to allow them move to other hospitals within the system and make them someone else's problem.
Yes, and the doctors and nurses in senior positions, after all around one in three hospitals are managed by a nurse, and the Unions officials who obstruct and resist change. All of those people have blood on their hands.
They can't sack them or the Unions would have everyone outside on the picket line.
If the economies of scale mean that his overall net profit is better then yes. But what's that got to do with anything?
I agree but this is a democracy with an electoral structure that produces strong Parliaments and weak governments. The biggest lie politicians tell is that they can actually change things.
The electorate has repeatedly shown that they are not interested in real reform and hard decisions being made. The fact that the Shinners, a reincarnation of the worst version of 1970's populist Fianna Fail, are the most popular party in the country is testament to that.
If you want to set the rules, go set up your own board
@Purple
If you absolve a government of its obligation to lead (and, if needs be, drive) positive correction in critical areas of citizens' lives then we are on a road to anarchy.
The term of an Irish government is long enough to effect enough change to convince a comfortable majority of citizens to renew the mandate of that government.
It's not the economies of scale here. It's the impending closing of a big demand gap by increasing supply - equilibrium in the housing market - that leads to realistic prices for houses, keener sourcing of materials and labour plus less obscene margins to investors in that sector. Individual builders won't want to create even a hypo-equilibrium state in housing never mind equilibrium.
So if social housing is deemed desirable then the state or local authorities have to become players, i.e. tenderers of housing contracts to the building sector. And it matters a lot who we choose as public reps.
If you absolve a government of its obligation to lead (and, if needs be, drive) positive correction in critical areas of citizens' lives then we are on a road to anarchy.
The term of an Irish government is long enough to effect enough change to convince a comfortable majority of citizens to renew the mandate of that government.
It's not the economies of scale here. It's the impending closing of a big demand gap by increasing supply - equilibrium in the housing market - that leads to realistic prices for houses, keener sourcing of materials and labour plus less obscene margins to investors in that sector. Individual builders won't want to create even a hypo-equilibrium state in housing never mind equilibrium.
So if social housing is deemed desirable then the state or local authorities have to become players, i.e. tenderers of housing contracts to the building sector. And it matters a lot who we choose as public reps.
Duke of Marmalade
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The population of Éire has increased over the last 20 years from under 4 million to over 5 million. A lot of this is due to immigration. It has been a driver of our economic success. Is it surprising that we have strains on housing and health care which will take time to bring up to speed?
Varadkar is right that those who claim that we should have no growth pains are dealing in fairy tales.
A Sinn Féin government would probably lead to a reversal of this demographic trend. Population reduced by a million due to emigration. It would probably solve the housing problem - albeit lead to other problems in that area such as negative equity.
It is moot that it would solve the health service problems as the emigration would probably take a disproportionate toll on skills in that sector, albeit we should have a hospital infrastructure sufficient for the population.
But presumably it would mean a big fall in GDP whilst the national debt would remain of the same size or larger.
Would we maintain our recently acquired status among the top 20 in the World Happiness stakes, as reported recently in the Irish Times?
Varadkar is right that those who claim that we should have no growth pains are dealing in fairy tales.
A Sinn Féin government would probably lead to a reversal of this demographic trend. Population reduced by a million due to emigration. It would probably solve the housing problem - albeit lead to other problems in that area such as negative equity.
It is moot that it would solve the health service problems as the emigration would probably take a disproportionate toll on skills in that sector, albeit we should have a hospital infrastructure sufficient for the population.
But presumably it would mean a big fall in GDP whilst the national debt would remain of the same size or larger.
Would we maintain our recently acquired status among the top 20 in the World Happiness stakes, as reported recently in the Irish Times?
I'm not absolving them of their responsibility, I'm absolving them of other people's responsibility. It's remarkable that the people who work in and run our health service, an extremely well funded and staffed health service, bear no responsibility for the shortcomings of that health service.
I don't understand your point.
The constraint on supply is not money, it's labour. Every builder out there is already building. Is the Government expected to get into the minutia of the construction sector and restructure and reskill what is a grossly inefficient sector? They are already throwing money at that problem and things are improving but it's not a quick fix and, for obvious reasons, there aren't many subject matter experts in relation to construction in the Civil Service.
My point there was in answer to your point about our ineffectual governments to date (agreed) and the health service. Basically I am saying that democratic government can effect change without being tossed out by citizens inconvenienced by side-effects of the transformation due to the 4 year term of office being long enough for people to see the improvements.
Whatever the constraint may be, it's clear that government has the primary role in solving it.
If it's labour - bring them in. If it's land - pass laws to acquire land in suitable locations for housing.
And if it's a binding agreement to vulture funds to not exceed new housing rates for a given period - then bring in a constitutional right to affordable housing that will override it.
It ain't rocket science - it's just a matter of getting honest and common sense people running things in Leinster House.
But I admit that I am at a loss as to where I can find these guys amongst those offering themselves to the electorate.
Oh, so did I, so he got a smiley face in response to suggest mine was also a joke.
The problem with pragmatic honest common sense people is that they get too frustrated when they run up against the I refuse to change my poor work practices unless you thrown money at me brigade that is unionised and institutionalised.
A certificate of Opinion on Compliance will reassure them that the original development and any works since to the property are in compliance and won't bite them in years to come.
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4 years in nowhere near enough time to fix an organisation which is in fact an amalgamation of hundreds of organisations, with all of their restrictive practices, with all their duplicated processes and which employs well over 100,000 people, none of whom can be made redundant or even moved to different jobs without a pay rise and the blessing of their Union.
Agreed, but that doesn't mean they have the power to solve it.
Every country in the developed world is chasing skilled labour.
So called vulture funds, on balance, improve the housing market.
We have them, for the most part.
What's that line that for every complex problem there's a simple answer... that's wrong.But I admit that I am at a loss as to where I can find these guys amongst those offering themselves to the electorate.
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We're all gonna get free houses under Sinn Fein, Duke, sure we'll be deliiighted!
Is this the same Sinn Fein who increase rates in NI while campaigning on the basis of eliminating or reducing similar taxes here?
The Shinners are the biggest party.The Shinners are up to their necks in builder/developer antics.
And they won't get in anyhow - it'll just be some sort of amalgam of indos and big parties.
Duke of Marmalade
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Yes, but will they be safe houses?