IRISH BLOODSTOCK FORUMS :: View topic - Irish change of Government

Little Man»Sun Feb 27, 2011 19:20 pm
A lot will depend on who is appointed the Minister for Agriculture. If that Ministry goes to Labour we are in even deeper shit! Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Mon Feb 28, 2011 3:54 am
In my opinion all coallition government is weak government and now is not the time for weak government. Our new poilitics in the UK (Consevative / liberal ) is completely useless. Endless rhetoric but actally nothing is getting done. They speak nothing but cuts but I will guarantee that the public sector in real terms will be just as big in 4 years time as it was at the election. The economy was already returning to modest growth long before the election and the latest round of tax increases has slowed that down. Its only very slightly odds against another recessionary period. They back down on policy after policy but don't say where the money that was so important to save is going to come from to make up the shortfall. If it was so absulutely vital to make Civil Servants pay for their over generous pensions then they should have stuck by the policy instead of backing down to threats of industrial action. If it was vital to sell off our forest they have to do it. Our economy was not in the structural deficiet position that Ireland faces and would have recovered without intervention. What they have done is to cynically over tax in order to be able to give it back in 2014 before the next election. All politicians are worthless creeps. We could do with smaller government say 320 members of parliament, a small ELECTED upper house of no more than 200, and a much smaller Civil Service say about 50- 60 % of its existing size. Then they would be too busy to want to invade every facet of our lives. The ministry of Agriculture is a big job in Ireland it will not go to a Labour member but strangely when you consider how farming and landed people vote, they have always done better here under a Labour government. Reply

yorkshirepudding»Mon Feb 28, 2011 15:14 pm
As a public servant I would strongly disgreee with you regarding our pensions. We deal with people with people you would not cross the street to help if they were the last person on the planet. Believe me dealing withy child molesters is not fun nor is cleaning up the shit that that society leaves behind in general. We deal with it and are rewarded accordingly. You can geld or round pen or even shoot a horse, you cannot with a male human suffering from post trautmatic stress disorder... We didnt make this mess yet we are cleaning it up so kindly keep your hands off mine, the army and the teachers pensions... I had dinner the other day with a chap wgo runs a haulage company, they used to subcontract jobs out but found it long term ended up costing kore than keeping it in house, we have found the dame thing with private secor doingf publciu sector work. Rant over. As foe your opion on politicans, I completely agree with you Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Mon Feb 28, 2011 15:34 pm
YP I was sort of expecting your reply, I was not having a pop and I know that there are a small number of public sector workers who do crappy jobs but there are a huge number that do nothing particularly worthy or difficult, the senior ranks are hardly badly paid, many would not be able to hold a job in the real world. I have to contribute to my pension and all though my working life I have had to perform or loose my job. That is not the case in the Public sector. I wouldn't want to work as a civil servant but do fancy retirement on a final pay pension. I doubt wether I will be able to retire unless I get a lucky break. not that I particularly want to. But the fact remains that if our government thought that by making Civil Servants pay for their pensions was vital to help reduce the deficiet where is the money comming from now that theyhave changed their minds. We need a public sector but we don't need a public sector that is in some regions bigger than the private sector that pays for it. Nor should it ever be used simply to provide jobs in areas of low employment. We need a public sector that serve us not one that tries to control everything we do. The Canadian solution was very sucessful they simply got rid of nearly half their public sector. Vital services have been maintained and that is important We have a duty and an obligation to look after those that need help. Reply

Squid»Mon Feb 28, 2011 16:36 pm
In their manifesto the new Fine Gael party stated they would reduce the Public work sector by 30,000. [12,000 by unreplaced retired workers and the other 18,000 by voluntary redundancy - that will cost billions] Okay but what I would like to know is where do the 18,000 voluntary redundant workers fine a new career in the workforce? Unemployment is 'steady' at 450,000 and that is only because 1000 people are emigrating EACH WEEK. Reply

yorkshirepudding»Mon Feb 28, 2011 16:37 pm
I have served my country for nine years doing allot of crappy jobs,got to the top of my pay grade. I pay for my own work clothes food and transport to work just as anyone else who is working. The point is that we dodnt make a profit, bring in the private sector you hae that as well as running costs. Canada butchered its public sector and is still paying the price for it, they blew up empty hospitals for crying out loud. A nasty state for you. For every public sector job you loose, you loose two private sector jobs. In areas such as Tyne View Park in Longbenton in Newcastle, a former industrial heartland, we have a benifit delivery centre which is major employer. Theirs no private sector companies locally who can absorb that numbers should would throw onto the job market if you shut it. The job market in the UK is in bloodstock terms is like a breezeup sale with many horses being bred along similar lines, they can run but theirs simply not the people buy them. As for my pension, if the government said to me, pay exstra now and in x number of years this cash will be returned to you with a small interest payment, fine. But a pension hike with no return is a tax, they are having a laugh. I doubt you would tolerate that in my shoes. I doubt it. We need the banks in the Uk to start lending to small and meduim busineses, be it a stables to build a new barn to accamadate more horses. If they want the private sector to do the donkey work then the banks have to start curculating the cash. Reply

Megabucks»Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:04 am
The disgraced Fianna Fail party can now creep away and enjoy the spoils of their 'labour'. Brian Cowan - Taoiseach (Prime Minister) for almost three years can now enjoy his ?6million (yes that's right) pension package. Reply

yorkshirepudding»Mon Feb 28, 2011 16:40 pm
Ok, even I who am defending my pension and a shed load of others think thats taking the piss. Six Million Euros, that is obscene especally if they are loosing 45 thousand public sector jobs. Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:54 am
YP if we met up sometime I doubt we would find too much to argue about, but you have to agree that there is profligate waste and incompetence in the public sector and its almost never the people in the front line that are responsible and yet these will be the ones to go, if indeed they do go. But it never really happens does it, a few (even a lot) take early retirement or are shifted about to other departments. You know as well as I that in 4 or 5 years time the public sector will not be significantly smaller. Public sector worker enjoy pension benefits that private sector workers do not and these are funded by everyone. You should not be surprised to find resentment by people who are funding final salary schemes for public sector workers who retire at 60 or earlier in some cases, when they can only look forward to working until they virtually drop before they get a much lower pension. But you are right too that was the deal you signed up for and it must be honoured. Reply

barney»Mon Feb 28, 2011 18:22 pm
Cowan also get's a state car with two drivers for LIFE. He also get's a manned security hut at the entrance to his home for LIFE. Isn't it just crazy? Mad. Reply

Enzed»Mon Feb 28, 2011 22:02 pm
Maybe someone should chloroform the sod and then that's one less bludging bastard !!!......... as my grandma told me years ago "The only GOOD politician is a DEAD ONE !!!" (and she was born in Ireland) Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:40 am
I apologise for those who have heard it a million times and I can't remember who said it but whoever said that Guy Fawkws was the last person to enter the Houses of Parliament with good intent. Reply

Enzed»Wed Mar 02, 2011 15:06 pm
Although these days it's very commercialised, we NZers still celebrate Guy Fawkes Day on the 5th November each year. Crying shame the gunpowder plot wasn't successful in 1605 Reply

Hi Ho Silver»Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:38 am
Not just Cowan- I believe all living ex-Taoiseach and living ex-Presidents also get the cars and security. If only we could export them! Reply

Irish Paddy»Wed Mar 02, 2011 17:47 pm
This Editorial in yesterdays New York Times is a good summery of Ireland Under New Management.
Irish voters had every right to be angry at the catastrophic mismanagement of their economy. But the drubbing they administered to Fianna Fail, the longtime ruling party, by itself won?t undo the damage that came from years of lax government oversight and disastrous policy choices. The new government being put together under Enda Kenny and his center-right Fine Gael party must restore faith in government by fairly apportioning economic sacrifices, aggressively regulating lenders and ending cozy ties between politicians and bankers. Even then Ireland will have no chance unless it also gets more enlightened help from its European partners. Mr. Kenny is rightly seeking to renegotiate the terms of last year?s $112 billion bailout package. European Union leaders demanded deflationary tax increases and spending cuts that make it impossible for Ireland to grow its way out of debt and ruinous interest rates that will deepen those arrears. Funds that cost donors less than 3 percent must be paid back at close to 6 percent. Ireland?s ?Celtic Tiger? boom of the late 1990s was no mirage. Today?s problems began after Ireland started using the euro in 2002 and low interest rates and extremely lax bank regulation ignited a speculative housing bubble. When that burst in 2008, Ireland recklessly guaranteed the full liabilities of its six largest banks with public money. Those liabilities turned out to be far more than the government had or could raise, eventually forcing it into the European bailout. Now most of that borrowed money is going just to keep those banks afloat. Meanwhile, Ireland?s people have paid a terrible price. Unemployment, under 5 percent in 2007, is more than 13 percent and rising. As in the bad-old days Ireland thought it had left behind, growing numbers of young people are moving abroad in search of work. On Friday, Mr. Kenny is scheduled to meet Germany?s chancellor, Angela Merkel, and France?s president, Nicolas Sarkozy. The next week, he attends a special euro-zone summit meeting, which will try to thrash out a grand bargain for restoring financial stability to the currency. That ambitious goal may not yet be in reach. Renegotiating Ireland?s onerous bailout terms is. Irish voters have spoken clearly. European leaders should respond wisely. It is in no country?s interest to lock Ireland into long-term economic ruin. Reply

Enzed»Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:20 am
Paddy, it is a dismal portrayal of incompetence, cronyism and damn right betrayal by Irish politicians. You're always welcome to visit New Zealand on a reconnaisance mission and to at least spend 6 months of the year here......... the summers are great (earthquakes excepted), the beaches are marvellous, the birds are buxom...... and yiou can always hop across the ditch in late spring to the Melb Cup carnival......... and go home to Eire for a breather in our winter........ but one question - do you speak Espagnol because we've had a lot of Ladies looking for you, lately !! Reply

Sheikh»Thu Mar 03, 2011 4:20 am
The phrase for 2011 will be 'Federalising the debt' The politicians seemed to have hand an epifany .It's dawned on them that seeing as the Eurocrats are always twisting our arm to join the Club and share all policy (health, social financial etc) with them that they can also share in our debt seeing as they're lenders are the ones who loaned it to our addict Banks in the first place. 'Federalise the debt' spread it across the Union. Like it Reply

Dice»Thu Mar 03, 2011 17:12 pm
without being facetious, is it possible for Ireland (or any other country in the EU, such as Greece) to withdraw from the EU and the Euro ? Such a withdrawal would also have extreme labour pains (no pun intended) but no worse than what Ireland is going to go through for the next 5-10 years. Reply

Enzed»Thu Mar 03, 2011 21:28 pm
Greece is a good chum for Ireland to be lumped with at the moment. They've got big problems too........ but probably bailed out like the Irish with the same sort of usuary demanded by the Euro bvankers !! Maybe the Irish should renew Germany's acquaintance and invade the UK together with the Frogs (but what will the price be?). the 17th March could then be declared a National Day in England (what a turn up ), and Yorkshire could then declare themselves an Independent Republic with Puddinhead as President and The Duchess of York as Chancelloress of the Exchequer ........... gees i do rave on Reply

Sheikh»Fri Mar 04, 2011 5:26 am
Yes but no one can knows where this would end up. The only thing we know for sure is that the Irish punt would be worth buttons. I don't see how withdrawing from the Euro would help us. Already the IMF are changing the interest rate downwards that Ireland has to pay. Reply

TOPOFTHEHILL»Fri Mar 04, 2011 17:36 pm
bad as things are in Ireland its the membership of the EU that is keeping the country afloat, the monetary regulation needs to be tightened up when conditions are suitable (may be a long time) and allow for countries like Ireland to move interest rates a bit more freely even if it is only short term. There is nothing new in fedralising debt its what the Germans did after unification, WE all helped to pay for it. Reply

Oreally»Sat Mar 05, 2011 14:10 pm
What happens in Portugal over the next few weeks will be a watershed. I cant see them accepting the bail-out interest terms the Irish accepted (and now universally regret). Reply

Squid»Sun Mar 06, 2011 12:18 pm
Withdrawing from the EU and/or the Euro is a non starter. They would have to kick us out because we would bever choose to go! What gets my wick up is that if I make bad decisions in life and lose a lot of money then so be it I have to adjust to being broke etc. and somehow get on with life. At the end of the day, in my book , it isnt Ireland that has lost this money it is Bank individuals and therefore for me anyway, it is the Banks that are broke and not Ireland. An awful lot of hard working citizens put their savings into buying bank shares for their future retirement fund etc., Bank shares went in value from over ?20 to being worthless and those individuals are now as broke as can be and nobody is bailing them out, are they? Something is major wrong when investors in a Bank go broke and the Bank gets bailed out (and are still paying millions of bonus dividends to their employees ( I think Bank Of Ireland payed themselves over ?40 million in bonus payments the other week) Criminal in my book. Reply