your favourite policy Gaff?

silverharp

doesn't have to be an Irish example, but one where the politicians come up with a new initiative where the blowback/cost is worse then any supposed benefits of the policy.

in the US I'd opt for the corn ethanol subsidies, which was a bad idea on many levels and I gather they are debating a new farm policy where in one part $30bn will go to farmers to leave land idle, go figure!

Heinrich

Lemme see now...

Voting machines
Driving testing
Hse

just to get the ball rolling like:)

Invading Russia, never works out, but folks just never learn. The continued existence of the CAP is ridiculous.

santry_goonshow

How about "Decentralisation". Alll it did was move a few clerical officers out to the bogs and didn't change even a whit of how they operate.

Victor

I'm not sure about the use of the word "favourite" in the title. Almost by definition a gaff is bad for everyone, except those that made money.

NewDubliner

Definitely 'decentralisation'. It's one big lie after another.

First that it is actually about relocation. Second that most of the claimed successes did not involve moving anybody from Dublin, the people were already living beyond the pale. Thirdly, as is important for any political swindle, there is no way to measure the benefits.

mikemac

santry_goonshow wrote: »

Alll it did was move a few clerical officers out to the bogs

NewDubliner wrote: »

Second that most of the claimed successes did not involve moving anybody from Dublin, the people were already living beyond the pale.

to the bogs? Beyond the pale?
Ah these Dublin posters and their crazy views

I'll vote for signing away rights to offshore oil and gas. I can see why they did it as it's so difficult to discover a large field off Ireland. But if one is found tomorrow worth billions and billions then are we going to get full benefit? I hope so

silverharp

Victor wrote: »

I'm not sure about the use of the word "favourite" in the title. Almost by definition a gaff is bad for everyone, except those that made money.

maybe not, but I mean examples where if common sense was used it would be obvious it was a bad idea from the start (and it was clear to you that it was a bad policy), like the corn ethanol in the states which was never good from a scientific point of view so was obviously pork barrel project for farmers. in this case it just confirm that politians don't understand how markets work and at worst are corrupted by their looby groups, meaning their decisions are statistically bound to be hurtful to your wallet.

gaf1983

If I was going to be mean I'd point out the gaffe in the spelling of this thread's title, but I won't. The Millenium Clock would have to be my favourite. I suppose it wasn't really a matter of policy, but it was publicly funded. Then again various government responses worldwide to the Millenium Bug could be considered policy gaffes. That's hindsight for you.

mike65

Policy suggests a thought through process. Hmmm.

Iodine tablets was a gas.

Mike.

gaf1983

Just thought of a potential gaffe there, which wasn't actually carried out, but the repercussions would have been interesting to say the least. Robert Baer mentioned it in his book See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism.

In the 1980s, while the Cold War was still simmering, someone in the CIA came up with a highly-original, really imaginative plan, which they never actually ended up putting into practice. The CIA had either got their paws on some Soviet planes, or else they had some way of disguising their own planes to make them look like Soviet ones, and this guy wanted them to fly the planes over Mecca, and drop pigs out of them, in order to get Arab public opinion firmly against the Communist bloc. Unfortunately, or not, the plan was never given the thumbs up by headquarters. They never did specify whether the pigs would be given parachutes either.

mike65

The CIA have a history of "interesting" ideas see Jon Ronson's book: The Men Who Stare at Goats.

The public/private health bodge looks like being a long runner - while I have private cover I have to note its being subsidised by the central exchequer and the new Private hospitals are therefore going to suck cash out of the public sector.

Mike.

peasant

nice, meaningless, pointless waste of money:

http://www.entemp.ie/publications/corporate/2007/flupanreportpart1.pdf

cyclopath2001

Cycle Tracks?

As soon as they were built back in 1997 and the PDs had hastily amended the law so that cars could drive and park on them.

Even now, Dublin City Council's half-hearted 'construction' work is matched only by the ongoing neglect and eventual removal of these alleged facilities.

Yet another successful Irish government project, all photo-opportunity and no substance.

Luttrell1975

How about the lack of primary health care teams in the community (a la the promise made by FF and PDs) which was exposed on primetime last night?

fly_agaric

gaf1983 wrote: »

If I was going to be mean I'd point out the gaffe in the spelling of this thread's title, but I won't. The Millenium Clock would have to be my favourite... government responses worldwide to the Millenium Bug could be considered policy gaffes...

:pac:

Manic Moran

responses worldwide to the Millenium Bug could be considered policy gaffes. That's hindsight for you.

Arguably it looks like a gaffe in hindsight only because nothing happened. I might submit that the reason that nothing happened is because a lot of people worked very hard to make it so that that nothing happened, ergo the policies were a success.

NTM

nesf

Selling the network along with the company when they privatised Eircom. The "factory in every parish" approach of the 70's and 80's also stands out for me.

Fratton Fred

Paying €200k per acre for land at Thornton Hall when the going rate was €100k, and buying 50 acres too much :rolleyes:

My old council in High Wycombe did a great job of repainting all the road markings on our road and several other roads in the are, including adding in new mini roundabouts the lot, it was a work of art.

One week later resurfacing work started