What steps should we take to move forward as individuals and as a nation? There is an urgent need for political reform and change of government. As an individual I am making every effort to buy Irish goods.. what else can the ordinary man or woman in the street do to make a difference to the economic situation we are in?
What should we as a nation do to move forward?
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Good point about buying Irish as much as possible!
On a larger scale, I believe we need to change the voting system to a complete (or partial) 'List System'... i.e. we vote for parties who can then pick who they want as ministers (e.g. a civilian economist as finance minister).
On a larger scale, I believe we need to change the voting system to a complete (or partial) 'List System'... i.e. we vote for parties who can then pick who they want as ministers (e.g. a civilian economist as finance minister).
Drop corporate tax to 6% teach the krauts who's boss. Drop corporate tax for indigenous Irish businesses to 5%, Pull the tallented ones that left the county home with a tax holiday for 2 years, provided they show that they made a positive contribution in their adopted country. Drop the taxes on capital equipment purchases for manufacturing industry so they can re-tool to compete with cheaper countries. Abolish the minimum wage, Everybody pays income tax. Make unemployment payments higher, but limited to 6 months.
Where do I vote for you?
it's all workable, and it wasn't that long ago since there was no minimum wage, and everyone paid tax, I remember paying tax on 3.60 an hour, part time at Dunnes Stores in 1994. I'm living abroad making an impact in my local area, seccuring 120 jobs at our factory by making it compete with Chinese and Eastern European manufacturers. This is not hard, but for now there is NOTHING drawing me back to Ireland, even though I would love to be home with friends and family. as for Utopian general election? 
well you need to make politics attract a better class of applicant. I'm with the elitists on this one, I want them earning more than me, I want them flying to meetings on jets, not stuck in dublin airport waiting on a ryanair flight, I want their bills paid so they can concentrate on their jobs, I want them better educated than me.....
well you need to make politics attract a better class of applicant. I'm with the elitists on this one, I want them earning more than me, I want them flying to meetings on jets, not stuck in dublin airport waiting on a ryanair flight, I want their bills paid so they can concentrate on their jobs, I want them better educated than me.....Complainer
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Everyone pays tax today, whether it is income tax or VAT or other taxes.
I understand and appreciate your point, I'm talking about PAYE income tax.
Complainer
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Yes - I guessed that. I just wish people wouldn't try to continue to perpetuate the myth that people who are low-paid and indeed people on welfare don't make any financial contribution to running the country.
They don't make any financial contribution to the country. If they receive €100 in welfare and spend it all including say €15 on VAT, they are still net takers - an €85 cost to the economy, not financial contributors.
allthedoyles
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What should we as a nation do to move forward?
We must accept that this weekend's series of events were the best possible outcome to a serious situation we got ourselves into .
The EU know it was warranted . - The Irish Government know it was warranted .
Ireland must accept that a bailout was warranted , and to move forward we must now deal with the aftermath .
We must accept that this weekend's series of events were the best possible outcome to a serious situation we got ourselves into .
The EU know it was warranted . - The Irish Government know it was warranted .
Ireland must accept that a bailout was warranted , and to move forward we must now deal with the aftermath .
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Yes, here we go again - continuing to perpetuate the myths. Because clearly anyone on welfare has never worked in the past, and will never work in the future - right Orka?
They may well have contributed in the past but they aren't while they are on welfare. That doesn't mean that they are lesser people but the facts stand.
To get the state finances moving in the right direction, IMO, we need to rollback the benchmarking & increments year-by-year until we can achieve the 3% agreed limit of borrowing to GDP. This would work as follows: Rollback all of the 2010 increases in pay and pensions (whatever the guise (increments/bench marking) and assess the figures. Not enough? Roll back the 2009 increases and so on. A lot of work was done on these benchmarkings to ensure they were "fair" so it's only "fair" that they are rolled back in the same manner, to reflect the changing conditions in the private sector. Just like what some posters are complaining about upward-only rent reviews...does the same apply to benchmarking?
I've said it before, but the single most important thing that we can do is to reform the political system. We need to get a better calibre of person into government and they need to be able to focus on national issues.
If we get that, then we will see better legislation and better management of the country. I don't normally agree with Fintan O'Toole but some of his recent articles about political reform contain many good ideas.
The current system dooms us to gombeen councillers who are only interested in local issues and keeping their seats. Until this changes, we will never get out of the cycle of incompetenace and failure.
If we get that, then we will see better legislation and better management of the country. I don't normally agree with Fintan O'Toole but some of his recent articles about political reform contain many good ideas.
The current system dooms us to gombeen councillers who are only interested in local issues and keeping their seats. Until this changes, we will never get out of the cycle of incompetenace and failure.