Most Annoying Galway Politican

dolphin city

yeehaw wrote: »

Out of interest, can I ask what you were doing during the 'Celtic Tiger' era to forewarn people of the bursting of this bubble?

there was a lot of people in Ireland that knew that it was was only a hype up talk to make people go out and spend - the 110% mortgages, the easy credit - a lot of people fell for it - however the more "negative" people at the time didn't. These were the people that were told were begrudgers, chip on shoulder people, and who our great leader told to "go and commit suicide".

Wonder what he has to say about that now.

Thankfully not everyone goes blindly into listening and doing what they are told by a crowd of crooks running the country

gimme the mafia anyday - at least they TELL people they are robbing them blind.

biko

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

His business model put people into debt for 35 years to own a basic home.

F*ck him, and his business model.

Bit much there, even if I understand the sentiment.
Red card for abuse.

yeehaw

dolphin city- I'll try to address some of your points even though you have not addressed mine.

Regarding people turfed out on the street, do you have figures on hand for how many people have actually been evicted from their homes in Ireland in the last 24 months? As far as I am aware, it is very difficult to evict someone from their family home. Unfortunate people who have lost their jobs and find themselves unable to afford their mortgage repayments are generally accommodated by their lending institution and a new repayment plan is worked out. The reality is that if you borrow money you have to pay it back and if your circumstances change you have to adjust.

The social housing requirement figure was 20%, not 5%. 20% of every estate built being given up for social housing was an unrealisitic expectation and the wholly practical solution was cash inlieu. I agree with you that is is wrong that not all of this cash went to social housing. It is also wrong that not all of it was collected, but you can't get blood from a stone.

dolphin city

yeehaw wrote: »

dolphin city- I'll try to address some of your points even though you have not addressed mine.

Regarding people turfed out on the street, do you have figures on hand for how many people have actually been evicted from their homes in Ireland in the last 24 months? As far as I am aware, it is very difficult to evict someone from their family home. Unfortunate people who have lost their jobs and find themselves unable to afford their mortgage repayments are generally accommodated by their lending institution and a new repayment plan is worked out. The reality is that if you borrow money you have to pay it back and if your circumstances change you have to adjust.

The social housing requirement figure was 20%, not 5%. 20% of every estate built being given up for social housing was an unrealisitic expectation and the wholly practical solution was cash inlieu. I agree with you that is is wrong that not all of this cash went to social housing. It is also wrong that not all of it was collected, but you can't get blood from a stone.

sorry, forgive me - I meant 20% not 5 % (I was thinking 1/5th and just put 5% by accident). Sorry, but why make excuses - what was "unrealistic" about doing this? Surely it would have made for a better society - but no they saw a chance to pocket more money for themselves and they automatically made the "law" about affordable housing and at the same time they made their "loophole" law. This coming from a crowd of yahoo's that think they deserve to make more money than the president of the usa, even tho you could fit our country into one of the smaller states there. Please don't try to justify or make excuses for them - they are bandits, and always will be.

No sorry, I don't have exact figures for people being turfed out on the street - but I would imagine it is in the higher thousands. You might be very lucky person, (by the way you go on here) but if you sat down and realised what these people must go through to now put food on the table, and to try to scrimp and save just to pay for four walls that was nearly pushed at them with promises of 100 percent morgages, more money for furniture, credit card for whatever, - only for them to all come crashing down. The only fault that lies with these people is that they believed the shower of assh**les when they said that ":ireland had it made". I feel bad for them. I feel bad for them because they thought they had it all if they worked hard enough but now they are probably going through the most stressful time of their lives and some probably won't make it through.

as far as the property developers and the auctioneers are concerned - don't care much for these lot - they were raking it in hand over fist - actually would enjoy watching them go down the pan.

if you can't understand what I am saying think of it like this......as an example

about four or five years ago if you went into Vina Mara for dinner for two - you would be dropping AT LEAST 150 Euro for the night.

Now however, you can go in there and get the exact same meal for 65 Euro.

Begs the question - where was the rest of the 85 Euro (per couple) going over the last few years. Couldnt' be the food - its just as good - couldn't be the cooking - they still have to do that - couldn't be the staff - they still need them. NO it went straight into their coffers. So if you expect me or others with a bit of a brain in their head to feel sorry for property developers, auctioneers when they put the poor mouth, you will have a long long wait. I also don't feel sorry for hoteliers and restauranteers who were robbing the shirt off our backs for years but who now have to beg us on the street to go in and eat . KARMA

McDougal

Yeehaw are you a member of the Fianna Fáil Party?

dolphin city

also bear in mind that property developers were URGED to build hotels for massive tax breaks. They are now going to fall at their feet. We will be left with ghost towns and boarded up cities.


What kind of a government does this to their people. Anyone, who has any iota of sympathy or respect for these lot should really really look hard into their minds and wonder where they are going wrong.

yeehaw

dolphin city wrote: »

sorry, forgive me - I meant 20% not 5 % (I was thinking 1/5th and just put 5% by accident). Sorry, but why make excuses - what was "unrealistic" about doing this? Surely it would have made for a better society - but no they saw a chance to pocket more money for themselves and they automatically made the "law" about affordable housing and at the same time they made their "loophole" law. This coming from a crowd of yahoo's that think they deserve to make more money than the president of the usa, even tho you could fit our country into one of the smaller states there. Please don't try to justify or make excuses for them - they are bandits, and always will be.

No sorry, I don't have exact figures for people being turfed out on the street - but I would imagine it is in the higher thousands. You might be very lucky person, (by the way you go on here) but if you sat down and realised what these people must go through to now put food on the table, and to try to scrimp and save just to pay for four walls that was nearly pushed at them with promises of 100 percent morgages, more money for furniture, credit card for whatever, - only for them to all come crashing down. The only fault that lies with these people is that they believed the shower of assh**les when they said that ":ireland had it made". I feel bad for them. I feel bad for them because they thought they had it all if they worked hard enough but now they are probably going through the most stressful time of their lives and some probably won't make it through.

as far as the property developers and the auctioneers are concerned - don't care much for these lot - they were raking it in hand over fist - actually would enjoy watching them go down the pan.

if you can't understand what I am saying think of it like this......as an example

about four or five years ago if you went into Vina Mara for dinner for two - you would be dropping AT LEAST 150 Euro for the night.

Now however, you can go in there and get the exact same meal for 65 Euro.

Begs the question - where was the rest of the 85 Euro (per couple) going over the last few years. Couldnt' be the food - its just as good - couldn't be the cooking - they still have to do that - couldn't be the staff - they still need them. NO it went straight into their coffers. So if you expect me or others with a bit of a brain in their head to feel sorry for property developers, auctioneers when they put the poor mouth, you will have a long long wait. I also don't feel sorry for hoteliers and restauranteers who were robbing the shirt off our backs for years but who now have to beg us on the street to go in and eat . KARMA

It is quite simply unrealistic to expect 20% of property in every development to be given up for social housing. I'm not saying that it wouldn't be nice, but we live in the real world. Generally, people do not want to live next to social housing tenants. This is the unpleasant reality of the world we live in. As such, house prices would be forced down, tax take and stamp duty would down, and the exchequer would be worse off. The sensible solution was to take cash in lieu and use this cash to build social housing estates. I'm not sure where the money ended up but you seem to think it is in the pocket of some unnamed 'bandits'. Perhaps you are better informed than me.

No one deserves to make more money than anyone else- you work hard for money and that is the way it should be. However, hard work deserves to be rewarded. I don't know what validity your USA reference has- it makes no sense to me. Can you explain?

The actual figure for evictions in Ireland is, from memory, between 300 and 400 per year. Obviously no one wants to see anyone getting evicted, particularly where families are involved.

How do I go on and what gives you the impression that I am somehow 'lucky'? I have not lived in Ireland for over 2.5 years as I work abroad- not through choice. I work hard and I hope to return to Ireland at some stage.

Nothing was forced or pushed on anyone. People borrowed money and it has to be repaid- that is life. As I have said earlier, you can't get blood from a stone so where people are not in a position to pay off their loans, a compromise can generally be reached with their bank manager.

Do you not understand that property developers employed people in this country and that the reason people cannot pay off loans is that those jobs are now gone? You delight in the employers going to the wall, but despair at the employees being unable to meet their obligations? Strange.

I am not a member of any political party, nor have I ever been. However, if I were to join one it would most definitely not be Fianna Fáil. I have at no stage expressed any support for the government on here and I am disappointed by the fact that I am being cast by the brain trust here as a Soldier of Destiny. The only thing I said was that taking cash in lieu of homes was sensible- it was in fact the only viable option.

the-island-man

I'm not getting involved in this argument as it's a bit pointless and off topic but here's a link I found interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a37sRjkLtWw
It's taken from a programme done by RTE called @Last back in 1998 detailing exactly what is happening now!

McDougal

This is what was wrong with Ireland in the Celtic Tiger. Crooks and spivs like Sean Dunne, Fingers Fingleton, Seanie Fitz, Johnny Ronan, Bernie McNamara etcwere all held up as hero entrepreneurs and patriots while ordinary hard working people who didn't have 6 properties and an apartment in Bulgaria were derided and dismissed as suckers and failures.

dolphin city

"How do I go on and what gives you the impression that I am somehow 'lucky'? I have not lived in Ireland for over 2.5 years as I work abroad- not through choice. I work hard and I hope to return to Ireland at some stage"


this explains it all yeehaw (do I go by your name and you are in the states). :rolleyes:

if you check my posts earlier I described your posts as

"it didn't happen to me, so therefore it didn't happen"

Now how on earth could I have put that quote to your posts - easy - you haven't a clue what you are on about - and worse you are not even in the country to experience it. I suggest if you want to be the expert on everything here you get right in here and see what is going on instead of throwing stones from your little glass house and defending the indefensible.

your rambles about social/affordable housing demonstrates just how out of touch you actually are - could you tell me, from your area of the world, why people would not want to live beside someone that has an "affordable" or "social" house - are they diseased? Or is that what you believe because that is what our lovely govt is trying to protray.

you have to experience something to know what you are talking about - i suggest you come here and do some "experiencing" :rolleyes::rolleyes:

PopeBuckfastXVI

Let's stay civil with each other folks No need to stray into the personal with your fellow members.

/moderation

yeehaw

dolphin city wrote: »

"How do I go on and what gives you the impression that I am somehow 'lucky'? I have not lived in Ireland for over 2.5 years as I work abroad- not through choice. I work hard and I hope to return to Ireland at some stage"


this explains it all yeehaw (do I go by your name and you are in the states). :rolleyes:

if you check my posts earlier I described your posts as

"it didn't happen to me, so therefore it didn't happen"

Now how on earth could I have put that quote to your posts - easy - you haven't a clue what you are on about - and worse you are not even in the country to experience it. I suggest if you want to be the expert on everything here you get right in here and see what is going on instead of throwing stones from your little glass house and defending the indefensible.

your rambles about social/affordable housing demonstrates just how out of touch you actually are - could you tell me, from your area of the world, why people would not want to live beside someone that has an "affordable" or "social" house - are they diseased? Or is that what you believe because that is what our lovely govt is trying to protray.

you have to experience something to know what you are talking about - i suggest you come here and do some "experiencing" :rolleyes::rolleyes:

You don't appear to have read my posts but I have done you the courtesy of reading yours.

I lived in Ireland until I was forced to move to London for work 2 and a half years ago. My job takes me to Dublin as often as I can. I still read Irish newspapers, watch Irish television, talk to Irish people and do business in Ireland so I don't think it is fair to say that I am out of touch. Nor do I think it is fair to suggest that I have not been affected by Ireland's economic woe when I have been forced to move abroad to work.

If your property is next door to social housing it is worth less than a similar property that is not next to social housing. Sale of such a property generates less tax, stamp duty etc, than it would otherwise. The way to protect against such a loss is to take cash in lieu of property and build the social housing elsewhere with that cash.

What are you currently 'experiencing' if you don't mind me asking?

yeehaw

McDougal wrote: »

This is what was wrong with Ireland in the Celtic Tiger. Crooks and spivs like Sean Dunne, Fingers Fingleton, Seanie Fitz, Johnny Ronan, Bernie McNamara etcwere all held up as hero entrepreneurs and patriots while ordinary hard working people who didn't have 6 properties and an apartment in Bulgaria were derided and dismissed as suckers and failures.

A strong economy needs investors and speculators. I'm not much of a fan of some of those guys you mentioned though.

PopeBuckfastXVI

A strong economy needs investors, not speculators. Speculators ruin economies by removing capital from the wider economy and tying it up in unproductive 'investments'. An investor invests in something to help it grow, a speculator purchases something in the anticipation it will grow anyway.

Taking something like a house, an investor will buy a house, populate it with tenants and reap the ROI in the form of monthly rental income and probable capital gains. The money is put to productive use, placing a home over someone's head. A speculator will buy a house and leave it fallow, sitting there unutilised in the hope that the wider macro economic climate will drive the eventual sale price of the asset upward, taking ROI in the form of capital gain only, providing no productive use of the asset, and more to the point robbing society of a possible home for a renter or buyer.

Speculation should never be encouraged, as opposed to real investment.

yeehaw

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

A strong economy needs investors, not speculators. Speculators ruin economies by removing capital from the wider economy and tying it up in unproductive 'investments'. An investor invests in something to help it grow, a speculator purchases something in the anticipation it will grow anyway.

Taking something like a house, an investor will buy a house, populate it with tenants and reap the ROI in the form of monthly rental income and probable capital gains. The money is put to productive use, placing a home over someone's head. A speculator will buy a house and leave it fallow, sitting there unutilised in the hope that the wider macro economic climate will drive the eventual sale price of the asset upward, taking ROI in the form of capital gain only, providing no productive use of the asset, and more to the point robbing society of a possible home for a renter or buyer.

Speculation should never be encouraged, as opposed to real investment.

The line between speculation and investment is far more blurred than is the case in your scenario.

PopeBuckfastXVI

yeehaw wrote: »

The line between speculation and investment is far more blurred than is the case in your scenario.

Well I'm certainly open to hearing the positive influence speculators have on the economy and society? Beyond amassing great personal wealth and rehabilitating some profit in taxes, that is.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Actually,

I'm going to stop myself there. This thread has very much moved beyond direct relevance to Galway City, and even though I was enjoying the discussion, it's a discussion that belongs in the Irish Economy forum, not Galway City.

This thread is now about annoying Galway Politicians again.

/moderation

snubbleste

snubbleste wrote: »

Cllr Michael J Crowe holds seven investment properties, at College Road, Doughiska, Renmore, Monivea Road, Bishop O’Donnell Road....

You have to remember that councillors can use information surrounding City Council housing policy such as RAS and planning issues to their advantage. Obviously I'm not saying that they are.

Nice letter in today's Advertiser about Cllr M. Crowe receiving €60k per year from the City Council in rent payments for residential properties.

Fuinseog

I think the general feeling here is that Crowe is a bastard because he has more money than some people here.
he worked hard for what he got.

muppetkiller

Fuinseog wrote: »

I think the general feeling here is that Crowe is a bastard because he has more money than some people here.
he worked hard for what he got.

Actually the problem most people have with Politicians in Galway is that they all seem to have bucket loads of property all over town. There's always going to be a conflict of interest as to what's best for the city or the value of their Portfolio when making decisions.

McTigs

Fuinseog wrote: »

I think the general feeling here is that Crowe is a bastard because he has more money than some people here.
he worked hard for what he got.

No, the general feeling here is that Crowe is just another career Fianna Fail/Property politician a la Frank Fahy and so many other gombeens.

Nobody is jealous, nobody wishes they were them, people are just fed with him and the likes of him is all.

The man is a gob****e.

galwayfellaBETA

Fuinseog wrote: »

I think the general feeling here is that Crowe is a bastard because he has more money than some people here.
he worked hard for what he got.

No, I know plenty of people who got wealthy from hard work, I love to see it, it makes me get up in the morning and struggle on.

I think the general feeling is that there is a conflict of interests here. I'm not too up on how this system is run BUT this being Ireland (and FF politicians) I'm sure it confirms to the cosy corrupt 'who you know' rule of thumb.

If the man (Crowe) wants to distinguish himself as a politician that is 'for the people' he would keep clear daylight between his revenue generating activities and his public office (imagine!). This country is broken because of the inability of our politicians to be honest. And yes all FF politicians are getting tarred with the same brush, until proven otherwise..... we just had 12 year to do something great with this country and they BLEW IT BIGTIME!

Fuinseog you're doing a lot of apologies for the FF party! Member perhaps?

Head The Wall

Fuinseog

McDougal

Fuinseog wrote: »

I think the general feeling here is that Crowe is a bastard because he has more money than some people here.
he worked hard for what he got.

I think people are sick of FF councillors owning sh1tloads of property

eagle10

Cant stand crowe.
Looking at Frank Fany's ugly mug makes me want to vomit.
I like conneely I think you need someone like him in these situations to mix it for the rest of them.

Sponge Bob

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2010/oct/17/ff-td-in-137000-claim-for-expenses/

Frank Fahey and his wife Ethelle amassed a bill exceeding €56,000 in 21 months, purely for air travel, it has emerged. Fahey was junior minister in the department of health at the time and made costly trips to China, New Zealand, Argentina and the US (twice). His wife accompanied him on five of these trips and the cost of her flights ranged from €4,298 to as much as €7,545, according to records. The records were obtained from the Department of Health under a Freedom of Information request and cover only half of Fahey's time there.

There Is More !!!

galwayfellaBETA

Sponge Bob wrote: »

http://www.tribune.ie/news/home-news/article/2010/oct/17/ff-td-in-137000-claim-for-expenses/


There Is More !!!

Similarities to Parasites, can be infered! These and their like need to be surgically removed before the bleed us completely dry (I know its already too late!). My disgust grows daily..... I'm at a point now that I would put my shoulder to the guillotine as it was pushed through the streets!

snubbleste

More broken windows..an indication of a broken society?

Gardaí are investigating an attack of vandalism on a Galway Fianna Fáil TDs office overnight.
Windows were smashed at Galway East Deputy, Noel Treacy's, office at Cross Street, Athenry, between midnight and 9 o' clock this morning.
It's the second incident of criminal damage on a Galway Fianna Fáil TD's property in the space of a fortnight.
Last month eggs were thrown at Deputy Fahey's house in Menlo in the city and a stone was thrown through a window, while he and his family slept inside.

McTigs

snubbleste wrote: »

More broken windows..an indication of a broken society?

Not really more an indication of frustration with a corrupt organisation that have ruined our country

many people are very very angry and this just is a symptom of.

Those who have never supported them have for years been frustrated by their popularity in the face of their obvious ****tyness and general abuse of public office.

But many people who voted and canvassed for FF now feel let down and probably a bit embarrased.... not them all mind, obviously there are morons who will still vote FF to the death but they are another story.

encyclopedia

Frank Fahy has to win it hands down for various reasons

1. As minister for Marine and Natural resources he signed over a potential recession beating gas field to Enterprise Oil in Mayo who later passed it on to shell

2. As Junior Minister for Justice, Law and equality reform he lobbyed the then Minister for Marine and Natural resources to force a planning approval for the Corrib Gas Field claiming that not approving it would be a travisty to the west even though the Irish people would gain very little from it, Shell at the time were employing workers from other countries

3. Ironically (possibly consequently) at the same time he was creating a massive property portfolio on a teachers and politicians salary (Make your own conclusions about brown envelopes)

4. Since becoming a politician in 1993 he took a career break from teaching and hasn't returned or even considered quiting. His current position has prevented another skilled replacement to be given a permanent contract. By holding onto his teaching contract he will be able to get a teachers pension and a politicians pension.

5. He has ruined infrastructue development schemes throughout the west since becoming part of the transport department as previous threads in this forum have indicated.

The above are only some of his flaws, the combination of corruptness and gombeenism gives him the vote from me, he is the worst type of person who has a large part to play in the destruction of the Irish economy and nation, how he got consistantly elected is beyond me, he sold out his people for his own financial gain on various occasions and will continue to do so while he is in power. Galway people who voted for him should be ashamed of themselves. As a proud Galwayman I am disgusted that he is representing us.

Michael Crowe, as annoying as he can be is a saint compared to this guy, he should be in jail not in the Dail. I have never before formally expressed an opinion of him and I am amazed by the anger I feel about him whilst I type this. The man is a parasite to society and should be treated like the filth that he is. All of the information I have provided can be easily found in various books(Once upon a time in the west) and wikipedia

That is all