What do you want to see?

bug

Regardless of party politics what do you actually want to see from the next government in an ideal world?

For me it would be zero tolerance on the streets.
Strict and clear planning laws.
Funding & implementation of more immigration integration community based schemes.

those are just three small things off the top of my head, but what would you like to see?

Heinrich

bug wrote:

Regardless of party politics what do you actually want to see from the next government in an ideal world?

For me it would be zero tolerance on the streets.
Strict and clear planning laws.
Funding & implementation of more immigration integration community based schemes.

those are just three small things off the top of my head, but what would you like to see?

I would like to see promises being kept. How simple is that?

The recently dissolved government have left behing a terrible mess. The money is there but has not been spent wisely. The standard cant is that we are a prosperous nation whilst the hospitals, roads, law and order are in a complete mess. Hoarding money for the sake of crying prosperity is foolish.

Where does that leave us with the old "health is wealth" cliche? We have time to think about that on the way to work on the great M50 car park.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Public Transport's a big one for me. We shouldn't have to look to Ryanair to get to Cork for a decent price! More train/metro etc stuff in cities.

Taxes staying the same.

Indirect health stuff like the smoking ban- I really like Fine Gael's food labelling plan for example.

Cannabis legalisation Actually think I'll make that my 2007 awkward question for canvassers.

brianthebard

More help given to the homeless.
Some protection of our farmers.
Increased grants and a guarantee that fees will not be reintroduced for students.

Zaph

Agree with the OP on zero tolerence. There's too much petty crime and vandalism these days. It's about time some manners were put on some of the scumbags infesting our streets.

A proper planning authority who actually know how to do a cost/benefit analysis. The amount of extra money being spent on extra lanes on the M50 is criminal, especially when anyone with an ounce of cop-on could have told you it would make more sense to build the third lanes when it was originally being built, and for a fraction of the current cost. The size of the port tunnel is another obvious example. The same mistake will probably be made with the metro, whenever they get around to it, going overground and causing maximum disruption when in 20 years time the cost of going underground now won't be given a second thought.

Clean streets. Is it too much to ask for that the streets of our towns and cities be clean? A zero tolerence to crime, including littering, would provide a decent sized workforce to clean up if community service was handed out more often instead of stupid fines.

Proper treatment for asthmatics. I know this is more a personal crusade, but it's a disgrace that asthmatics aren't entitled to free drugs because the Department of Health don't consider it "a long-term illness". As an asthmatic for the last 35 years I'm curious to know when I'll qualify.

Some measure of rent-control to make renting less of a burden and more attractive as a long term propostion, and thereby possibly removing some of the inbred desire to own property that we Irish have. Lowering the demand would hopefully mean more affordable housing for those who do want to buy, although there may have to be incentives given to make sure builders keep building houses.

Dontico

Tuffer laws.
Cranking down on travelers.
Cranking down on traffic law violaters.
More statues of me.

Colonel Sanders

tougher stance on crime
tougher stance on welfare cheats
ministers/civil servants being held accountable for mistakes and wasting tax payers money
a proper system of evaluation and reward amongst the public sector
tougher stance against public sector unions
more of a 'value for money' approach to capital projects
an attempt to tackle 'rip off ireland'

ballooba

Value for money on my PAYE, VAT, Stamp Duty, CGT, VRT, Bin Charges etc.

rainbow kirby

Improved public transport
Recognition of same-sex unions
Legalisation of abortion
No more increases in the college registration fee
Increased student grants, and an increase in the maximum parental income threshold to apply for one
Proper funding for the health service

KarmaCreep

zaph wrote:

Proper treatment for asthmatics. I know this is more a personal crusade, but it's a disgrace that asthmatics aren't entitled to free drugs because the Department of Health don't consider it "a long-term illness". As an asthmatic for the last 35 years I'm curious to know when I'll qualify.

I wholeheartedly agree. My mother is an asthmatic and because i get affected bad with hay fever every summer, i require an inhaler also from April to September. Asthma can only be described as a long term illness!

As for other points:

1. The Yanks should be kicked out of Shannon with immediate effect. We are according to our constitution a neutral country, however if they have their military (be it one aircraft or a complete company) we are either aiding them in an illegal war or they are in fact invading us (technically)!

2. Overhaul of the education system. Despite our free education, if we have all the best teachers working in the private schools such as the institute, it is an unfair system. Also, the leaving cert. needs to be reviewed. Why unlike colleges can we not repeat exams in the same year. If the leaving cert. was earlier in the year, couldn't we then offer repeats to students in June!

3. Transport: A Joke to say the least. Better roads, more rail, more luas less tolls. enough said.

4. Immigration: I was against the referendum we had on children born in Ireland a few years ago, however was not eligible at the time to vote. In my opinion, if you are born in Ireland, you should therefore be an Irish Citizen, regardless of your parents nationality. To be honest i thought that referendum was very racist. If it had've been a wave of French, German or English coming into the country, would there have been a referendum.

5. The legalisation of Class C drugs. Either way people are gonna take drugs, yet if the government took control of the market as far as the lighter drugs go, they would gain so much in tax. Plus they could put whatever tax they wanted on them, drugs already cost a fortune!:mad:

fuinneamh

Main priority is infrastructure, second would be making our economic growth more dependant on exports rather then domestic spending casue we can't depend on the latter for too much longer.

Jonny Arson

Well with our economy up the sh!t creek for the next 5 years thus leading to a vast decrease in finances, whoever is in power is going to have an uphill task of even delivering 2 of thier 14,574 promises

Firstly, I want to see honest and intergral politics
I want to see an end to political corruption and double standards
and I want to see an end to big business involvement with political parties

Issues I want to see tackled

Health - Our health service is a disaster and is getting worse - don't listen to the FF/PD lies that say otherwise. Complete reform needed. No more pissing money on administration. Get rid of Harney. Stop privatisation of our health service by FF and the PDs. Invest substantially in our non-existant mental health service
Crime - again, complete reform needed. Get rid of McDowell. Hold judges accountable. Tougher sentences for the murderers and rapists getting 3 years. More Gardai, who actually are on the streets and do work.
Transport - Cut down on some of the needless new road building addiction. Focus on upgrading the the motorway car parks like the M50 and focus investment more in our neglected Public transport system. Get rid of Cullen.
Education - a promise to make education a right and not a privledge. Guarantee security of free 3rd Level fees. More schools in built up areas. Just invest invest and invest- it will continue benefit for decades to come.
Economy - STOP THE MADNESS OF DEPENDING ON CONSTRUCTION! Plan for when our economy goes boom and learn the harsh lessons of our madness and rebuild for the future.
Planning - minimum housing standards. Infrastructure like schools and rail before developments built. Make sure housing is affordable for ALL and not luxury.
Environment - investment in our environment will benefit us, our economy and our future generations. it must be taken seriously.
Social - care about people less well off, care about people with disabilities and focus our efforts in society on the people who mattersand not property developers and big business.

bug

how could I forget about transport considering I have to get the miserable 77 every day!
And health reforms, completely.
This is actually really interesting. Keep it up.

as an aside I'd like them to act on anything as quickly as they did the 12 hour political party poster infestation after the election was announced.:eek:

Mad how they can get those things up so quicky...
/me goes out to front garden with snips

Villain

I would like to see the following:

Instead of building Private Hospitals on Public land I would like to see nursing home type public buildings been build to free up acute beds but allow those moving to nursing home care to be close to the main hospitals.

I would like to see a special team of experts setup within the HSE to deal with hospital cleaning and infection control and stop the outsourcing of cleaning to contractors and pay well skilled and trained employees to clean our hospitals and have un-announced inspections.

I would like to see Mortgage Interest relief doubled for all first time buyers for the first 5 years and half of that for a further 5 years.

I want 4000 more Gardai, allowing 2000 gardai to move to a special unit to tackle serious issues as they arise e.g. areas of Limerick at the moment.

I want VRT to be phased out over 7 years and a small increase in tax on fuel to replace the tax but those who use the roads more will pay more or those you drive large engine cars (I have a 2.5ltr!!)

I want WIMAX and other wireless technologies to be provided in areas where DSL is not available.

I want minimum sentences for Gun Crime and Assaults causing harm as well as drug crimes.

I want Tax bands changed to 18% up to 38,000, a new middle rate of 30% to be introduced for ammounts between 38,000 and 50,000 and 40% on anything above that.

Thats all for now

gandalf

Well I know whats top of my pile, sort out the health service. No more messing around its time for some tough decisions and actions. Cut out waste and ensure all the cash thats being piled in is getting to the coalfront. After having the experiences with my late father 2 years ago and my mother more recently I can confirm the Health Service is far far worse than it was 10 years ago.

I agree with zero tolerance or as I call it enforcing the laws we already have there and punishing people properly and not in a revolving door like they are now.

Public Transport and proper planning, if they build a housing estate they should have the amenities, services, schools etc. already built.

bug

irish1 wrote:

I would like to see the following:

I would like to see a special team of experts setup within the HSE to deal with hospital cleaning and infection control and stop the outsourcing of cleaning to contractors and pay well skilled and trained employees to clean our hospitals and have un-announced inspections.

I had an idea about that, was more of a community based initiative.
Get my ma to do it.
Seriously, sounds batty doesn't it..

But there are lots of older volunteers who would volunteer to clean floors, general upkeep stuff, obviously the specialist cleaning would still need to be done by contractors.
No one cleans better than a ma, and not near as much pride.

I've been told this isn't practical on many levels and realistically I know its not.
But I say give them all their shots and let them go..

brianthebard

zaph wrote:

Proper treatment for asthmatics. I know this is more a personal crusade, but it's a disgrace that asthmatics aren't entitled to free drugs because the Department of Health don't consider it "a long-term illness". As an asthmatic for the last 35 years I'm curious to know when I'll qualify.

I get my medication on my medical card but I agree wholeheartedly with you, it is a long term illness and sometimes quite a dehabilitating one at that.

ixoy

• Same-sex partnership equality
• Tackling the bloated mess that is the civil/public service and ensuring that those who work properly are rewarded, those who don't are shown the door, and a general curb of all its many excesses
• Zero tolerance on crime
• Investment in economic concepts that aren't solely motivated by brown envelopes at the races

nesf

I would agree with the Sunday Tribune journalist on Q&A tonight and say a Tallaght type strategy on Health. It's just not going to happen before this election and neither side looks like it'll really do more than patch up a few holes here and there (honestly I don't believe either coalition's plan will actually solve the chronic problems that are present). But I would love to see some very hard decisions being made with cross-party support behind it and it being either taken fully towards the mandatory health insurance route or the fully public route and not a messy middle ground solution.


I would really like to see major investment being put into infrastructure country-wide. We badly need to create a more positive business environment in areas that presently are black spots and we need to get more jobs out of the main urban areas and further into the country if we're going to get a good handle on the traffic problems. Again this is a problem that is bigger than the Government, the huge increase in population we've experienced over the past 10 years has made life extremely difficult.


Finally I would like to see a tightening of the budgetary belts. I don't think we need tax cuts in this country and I find it annoying that politicians on all sides are engaging in "promise them everything" politics and not presenting the populace with a clear choice in governance. I also would dearly wish that the next opposition, whoever they may be, not follow the present gathering's habits of simply attacking the Government at every available opportunity. I would much prefer a more positive approach to opposition politics in the next term.