General Election 2007 -- What's the most important issue for you?

Nuttzz

netwhizkid wrote:

1) Keeping Fianna Fail and the Pd's out of Government.

2) We have the worst health care system in Europe, this needs to be improved massively.

3) Stopping all forms of Immigration into Ireland, our country is being swamped by all sorts.

4) Direct Fibre to the home, we need broadband :- Nationalise Eircom

5) End VRT, Cut Fuel taxes and reduce Motor Taxation, end all road tolls.

6) End privatisation, Re-Nationalise formally privatised companies and successful private ones like Kerry Group, use their profits to fund more infrastructure, High Speed rail linking all our cities and a national non-tolled motorway network.

7) Increase taxes for those earning over €60,000+ to 60% eliminate lower earners from the Tax bracket, cut VAT and use profits from Nationalised Industry to run the country. Curtail Diplomatic Relations with the USA as long as George W. Bush is in office, Cut all Diplomatic relation with Israel and refuse to recognise it. Recognise the Hamas Led Palestinian Authority.

8) Greater links with Great Britain, force a United Ireland.

9) Ban the Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrats Party, try them for corruption and re-introduce Captial Punishment and make it applicable in cases of corruption. Repatriate 120,000 Polish home to Poland.

10) Reform the Irish Constitution banning free market politics and gradually phasing out Capitalism.

lamo,
cut fuel tax, vrt and motor tax and feck out the poles all lovely "rightie" policies and then some lovely "leftie" policies like turn successful private companies into non profit making quangos.

you are 19 and cant get a job because of the poles yet you can fly to england and buy a BMW????
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054949723

Cronus333

The economy and advancing the liberal agenda

Mushy

More than likely something about the economy. Will be my first time voting so I'd think more about it closer to the time. I remember one politician came around my area for the local elections last year. In 32 houses, he got shouted away from about 20-25. Funny stuff. But yeah, the economy or education even would be my main points for this.

NewDubliner

1: Government waste on projects with no cost/benefit analysis.

2: Stealth taxes.

3: Stealth laws restricting individual freedom/privacy.

4: Bad drafting of laws that are riddled with loopholes and cannot be enforced.

5: Mismanagement of the health & social services.

spooiirt!!

Diaspora wrote:

In the UK, Germany France etc there is a universal right to free medical care save payment of a modest token fee.

Well in Germany you pay 14,5% of your income for Healthcare. So a supermarket worker with a pay check of 1,300 per month will pay 180 euro, regardless of wether they visit a doctor that month or not. When i was living in Dub i forked out whenever i saw the Doc, and that was 40euro about every two months. Seems better in ireland to me, that is if im not missing something very important.

Diaspora

You also pay rates of Pay Related Social Insurance in Ireland

http://www.dcu.ie/finance/prsi_rates.shtml

The German system is over generous at times but in Ireland you pay up to 10.75% and get a third world system in return

TheVan

Economy - low (but not lower!) corporate taxes, slight increase (by 1-2% in higher rate of tax, no change in lower)

Infrastructure - broadband, bus, luas and train services

Green Energy - wind and tidal farms

Licensing laws that work without curtailing people's rights

rsynnott

netwhizkid wrote:

3) Stopping all forms of Immigration into Ireland, our country is being swamped by all sorts.

Ireland Uber Alles.

netwhizkid wrote:

4) Direct Fibre to the home, we need broadband :- Nationalise Eircom

What, fibre-optics to EVERY home? Have you any notion how much that would cost?

netwhizkid wrote:

5) End VRT, Cut Fuel taxes and reduce Motor Taxation, end all road tolls.

Why, exactly? Better public transport would be a higher priority.

netwhizkid wrote:

8) Greater links with Great Britain, force a United Ireland.

See point 3; also, annex the Sudetenland.

netwhizkid wrote:

9) Ban the Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrats Party, try them for corruption and re-introduce Captial Punishment and make it applicable in cases of corruption. Repatriate 120,000 Polish home to Poland.

Leave the European Union, then? And banning political parties is a WONDERFUL idea. Should the Polish people be repatriated before or after we annex Poland? Or is this the type or repatriation that involves Zyklon B?

Nuttzz wrote:

lamo,
cut fuel tax, vrt and motor tax and feck out the poles all lovely "rightie" policies and then some lovely "leftie" policies like turn successful private companies into non profit making quangos.
[/url]

His politics seem to be a rather socialist flavour of fascism.

netwhizkid wrote:

the BNP (a British Political Party get mentioned)

Happily, we don't yet have a political party for filthy racists; the BNP is the handiest one for comparison.

Jackie laughlin

Please, please, please read the "Littelfuse" thread. If you're very busy, just read the opening contribution. The Irish economy is in a desperate state and only those close to manufacturing can see what is happening. Those cranes against the skyline are blinding us!

netwhizkid permanently banned from politics for having breached a promise made to me not to be trolling on this board.

This banning notice has been posted from Barbados where earthman has had to run from the beach due to a collossal 10 min thunderstorm.

The sun is out again now so I'm off for a swim as the sun sets there better be no more trolling/personal insults when I come back for my shower.
Ye are not in after hours now this is politics.

Time Magazine

Deleted User wrote:

Ah, you mean liberalise abortion like NY did in the 1970s, and then 20 years later you see a downturn in crime as kids that WOULD have been involved in crime simply were not around?*

* 'Freakonomics' explanation of the Giuliani effect.

Highly recommended.

Levitt's analysis is flawed. There is of course truth in it, but international analyses show that issues such as income inequality have a far greater impact on crime rate than law on abortion. It should be noted that the Guiliani effect began after one of the most effective Democrat presidents in the US' history.

And, in my opinion, Gladwell's analysis that efforts such as the immediate removal of graffiti (having the effect of demoralisation on the saps who put effort into said graffiti and thus removing any incentive to commit the act) holds more weight than a relatively unsubstantiated (if not intriquing) theory on the merits of baby murder. .

And for me, the most important issues are:

• Competent ministers (imagine that!)
• Refreshed view on governance
• A better bus service for greater Dublin area
• Bloody funding our universities
• Freedom of Information (Removal Thereof) Act, 2003.
• Stronger government role in social partnership

Macy

Most important issues:

• Abandonment of the failed Decentralisation plan
• Commitment to fight the race to the bottom, which does exist (I have several examples in our outsourced canteen's in the last few weeks!). This pressure will only increase in the coming years, with economic slow down
• Progressive tax system - an end to lower progressive taxes at the expense with higher regressive taxes and charges that we have now.
• The health service, or lack of.
• Development of, and investment in, the public service, particularly transport, rather than the run it down to make privatisation more attractive approach of the current lot.
• Commitment that the minimum wage will continue to be outside the tax brackets, and that any increase in the minimum wage will be accompanied by an immediate increase in the bottom of the lowest tax bracket.

Carb

Earthman wrote:

netwhizkid permanently banned from politics for having breached a promise made to me not to be trolling on this board.

I maybe getting confused, but was this thread not started on After hours and then moved. At least thats where I thought I posted.

Carb

spooiirt!! wrote:

Well in Germany you pay 14,5% of your income for Healthcare. So a supermarket worker with a pay check of 1,300 per month will pay 180 euro, regardless of wether they visit a doctor that month or not. When i was living in Dub i forked out whenever i saw the Doc, and that was 40euro about every two months. Seems better in ireland to me, that is if im not missing something very important.

Well apart form the 4% employees PRSI, the 2% health levy, the employers PRSI in the region of 10-12%, roughly 50% of the population feel obliged to have health insurance. And yet you will still have further medical expenses after that.

People talk about the 10/11 billion per year that goes into health. I'd love to know how much they take in for charging people in hospitals or for other services, or for renting out beds to private patients.

spooiirt!!

Carb wrote:

Well apart form the 4% employees PRSI, the 2% health levy, the employers PRSI in the region of 10-12%, roughly 50% of the population feel obliged to have health insurance. And yet you will still have further medical expenses after that.

So the worker pays 6%, and his employer pays 10-12% for the workers health insurance?

esperanza

spooiirt!! wrote:

Could someone with knowledge of Irish Health care please explain this statment? Whats wrong with the irish system? I was under the impression that the poor can apply for a medical card and thus get free healthcare... Are medical cards given out too sparingly?

Take a read of this and you may be enlightened:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0626/health1.htm

Also, it is not only the "poor" who have access to medical cards. AFAIK, students who live away from home are also entitled to them. The preferable term to use would be "less well-off". By the way, there are a lot of people out there who earn decent incomes and have medical cards.
In fact, one good thing Harney has done is increased the means test limit for access to medical cards
Read here:
http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0626/health.html

Angry Banana

Angry Banana wrote:

Highly recommended.

Levitt's analysis is flawed. There is of course truth in it, but international analyses show that issues such as income inequality have a far greater impact on crime rate than law on abortion. It should be noted that the Guiliani effect began after one of the most effective Democrat presidents in the US' history.

Must check that out. Would certainly accept that Levitt's analysis may be flawed, but still found the book thought provoking and highly entertaining.

Carb

spooiirt!! wrote:

So the worker pays 6%, and his employer pays 10-12% for the workers health insurance?

I'm not sure if your asking a question of making a point. Nobody can say that the employer directly pays 10-12% for the workers health insurance, because like most other taxes here, it all gets thrown into the one fund from which all spending comes from. I suppose the point I was making was that people make out that we've this low tax economy, where Irish workers get a huge proportion of their wages home with them. When people talk about tax, they'll mention the 20/42% rates, but forget all about the 6% PRSI and the employers PRSI, not to mention VRT, VAT, Stamp duty, all things that might as well come out of our paypackets. In my opinion, the fact that there is this employers PRSI (I suppose other country's have it too) only hides the fact the government is collecting so much. Why not do away with it, let wages rise by 10 to 12% to compensate, and charge the employee 18% PRSI (would actually be a little less)? The reason they won't is suddenly there would be this perception that we are now paying an extra 18% on top of our 20%/42% rates. Just because other countries directly tax for health, it doesn't mean that Irish people don't contribute similiar amounts.

Glenbhoy

I'm very surprised that no-one has mentioned educational facilities - I have seen at close hand the difference between facilities north and south of the border, and it's unbelievable. From class sizes, technology available, sporting equipment, classroom assistants, playgrounds to modern schools which actually have double glazing!! (It may also come as a shock to some of you that children in the north don't have to buy text-books or copy books, I know it was a shock to me to find out that the opposite situation existed!) I'm not saying the system is better in the north (although it's not bad, should'nt be confused with the English/Welsh systems), but that facilities here are at least 30yrs behind.
Other main issues are:
Childcare facilities - access to and price.
Housing - although, the govt can't do anything here anymore, if they interfere, it could be totally disastrous.
Transport infrastructure - don't care about ye muck savages out of Dublin, but Dublin is a joke for public transport - a legacy of the lack of foresight back in the 50's from Dev et. al.
Energy, definitely got to reduce our dependence on oil, if nuclear is the most viable alternative, so be it, but we have to take steps now.
Healthcare - i've never had experience of it yet (bar working in it, and by fcuk the politics and lack of accountability/unwillingness to accept responsibility made me get out of there quick smart), but by all accounts it's pretty bad. However given most people have health insurance, is it bad for everyone?

spooiirt!!

Does PRSI only concern itself with healthcare or is it also for other things like the Dole, i.e. are PRSI payments officially only for Healthcare or also for other things?

Glenbhoy

Also includes dole/state pension/rent supplements ....... Although in all honesty I imagine they're all lumped together and used to repay national debt.

esperanza

spooiirt!! wrote:

Does PRSI only concern itself with healthcare or is it also for other things like the Dole, i.e. are PRSI payments officially only for Healthcare or also for other things?

You'll find an official explanation here:
http://www.welfare.ie/topics/prsi/prsiexp.html[/URL]

By the way, Irish employees and employers make among one of the lowest contributions in the EU.

the_syco

netwhizkid wrote:

Curtail Diplomatic Relations with the USA as long as George W. Bush is in office, Cut all Diplomatic relation with Israel and refuse to recognise it. Recognise the Hamas Led Palestinian Authority.

So, curtail diplomatic relations with a country whose companies have pumped money into here, and recognise a suicide bomber goverment?

masteroftherealm

netwhizkid wrote:

1) Keeping Fianna Fail and the Pd's out of Government.

2) We have the worst health care system in Europe, this needs to be improved massively.

3) Stopping all forms of Immigration into Ireland, our country is being swamped by all sorts.

4) Direct Fibre to the home, we need broadband :- Nationalise Eircom

5) End VRT, Cut Fuel taxes and reduce Motor Taxation, end all road tolls.

6) End privatisation, Re-Nationalise formally privatised companies and successful private ones like Kerry Group, use their profits to fund more infrastructure, High Speed rail linking all our cities and a national non-tolled motorway network.

7) Increase taxes for those earning over €60,000+ to 60% eliminate lower earners from the Tax bracket, cut VAT and use profits from Nationalised Industry to run the country. Curtail Diplomatic Relations with the USA as long as George W. Bush is in office, Cut all Diplomatic relation with Israel and refuse to recognise it. Recognise the Hamas Led Palestinian Authority.

8) Greater links with Great Britain, force a United Ireland.

9) Ban the Fianna Fail and Progressive Democrats Party, try them for corruption and re-introduce Captial Punishment and make it applicable in cases of corruption. Repatriate 120,000 Polish home to Poland.

10) Reform the Irish Constitution banning free market politics and gradually phasing out Capitalism.

Do you live on this planet? Seriousy mate??
You have no comprehension of what you speak about and I feel I speak for many when I say if you are unimformed on a subject please go away and read up before you come in and make ludicris statements such as the above!!!

Het-Field

That the Progressive Democrats are involved

Chakar

Het-Field wrote:

That the Progressive Democrats are involved

Another great post by Paddy!!!

Het-Field

Netwhizkid. You are clueless and you politics are ridiculous. They Smell of the BPP mixed with Rodney Hylton Potts with a smattering of Nick Griffin, with an overarching air of marxism.

"Immigration" Is a good thing. Yes we do need controls, howeever, if these controls are properly implemented we could eventually see a freer system

"Higher Taxs for high wage earners" More Rubbish. THese higher taxes will hit hard working civil servants and teachers the hardest. The only option is to eliminate the tax breaks and loopholes. However, that is not an option as the people who benefit from them create more jobs and more money for the rest of us. Why should the so called wealthy be forced to pay extra to fund people to sit on their ass, or worse still sit on their ass in prison. Nah

Ban FF & PD'S. Now that smells of Fascism. It impedes freedom of expression and freedom of association. Never going to happen

Ban Free Market politics. Id much rather live in a free market than in a controlled/planned economy which relies on national business to promote the economic interests of the state. It stunted the growth of the economy in the 1950s mark my words itll do the saame again

Reduce Motor Tax: Last time that happened in Ireland it almost culminated in Ireland becoming a third world country

Get your coat mate.

The other thing i would like to see from 2007 is a reform in criminal justice.

-Extended Prison Terms for serious offences (Life without parole for murder/ 25-30 years for rape)
-Elimination of Childrens institution in favour of rehabilitation centres
-Proper Rehabilitation for drug dependant offeneders

Chakar

Totally agree with you, did you know that in America there's a great disrepancy between the charges of murder and rape in terms of sentences.

Rape is like 7 years and less

Murder Life (and this means life) and death penalty

Het-Field

Dont agree with the death penalty. Nobodys worse deed is worth more than their life. No man or woman shold be expected to die n front of a room full of people, some only there out of morbid curiosity. Furthermore no man/woman should be expected to endure the torture of the death penalty i.e electrocution or lethal injections which are niether painless or humane. The Death Penalty should be rmoved all over the world.

Prison terms should be heavily increased for certain crimes. Rehabilitation should be the order of the day for most but not for all.

The structure should be as follows

Murder : Life Without Parole
Rape 25-30 years
GBH: 15-20 years
Heavy Drug Dealing: 30 years
Armed Robbery 20 years

People Under 21 years old should never be incarcerated. It promotes a vicious cycle. Rehabilitation all the way. It prevents them form meeting other bad infleunces and reduces their ability to beecome dependant on drugs while in prison.

The ASBO would reduce the ammount of anti social behaviour, and would ensure people would think twice before interfering with a neighbour.

the_syco

Het-Field wrote:

The ASBO would reduce the ammount of anti social behaviour, and would ensure people would think twice before interfering with a neighbour.

Are ASBO's the things which young kids wear like the newest soccer tshirt, showing how "cool" they are? Were you get one, and thats you pretty much f*cked, so you may as well get a few more? TBH, ASBO's don't work all that well.