You are Biffo, where do you make the cuts???

jdivision

SeanW wrote: »

I actually have some sympathy for Biffo. He was handed a mess by Bertie Ahern and Charlie McCreevy, who have all since of course abandoned the mess they made.
.

Eh his term in Finance is one of the main reasons we're in this mess. this is the same guy who couldn't hack health.

jdivision

Irlbo wrote: »

Immigration,tighten the reigns or put a halt to this completely,Im convinced that the huge influx in foreigners has contributed greatly to our faultering economy

Hmmm so when we had full employment technically (meaning those not working were incapable, unemployable or simply not arsed) and were still creating jobs we were supposed to fill them with whom? Start using the children? Your point is non-sensical

asdasd

With the exception of cost of living increases I agree.

A pay freeze is a pay freeze. In the private sector it means a pay freeze, not pay increases linked to inflation ( which would a fine thing for most, anyway).

What the public sector needs now is benchmarking. They cant just have it on the way up, because private sector salaries were ( supposedly, and for a short time) increasing faster than public sector salaries, and not have it on the way down.

Real private sector incomes are going to fall. So too should real public sector incomes, or else the private sector gets even more hammered.

asdasd

But pigs will fly, of course, before public sector takes a pay cut.

That giant sucking sound you dont hear is not the sound of the benchmarking ATM machine going into reverse.

Sam Kade

I would cut my food intake in half. I would pay council workers on performance or else hire contractors to do council work paying a certain amount for every job. Council workers are the biggest drain on taxpayers money. I have seen up six council workers asleep in a truck on wet days.

E.T.

ninty9er wrote: »

Close any school where there is more than 1 yeargroup being thought by 1 teacher and build cluster schools between small towns and villages that would traditionally have used this set-up, the location facilitating travel to as many of the local schools as possible in a geographical sense. School bus system to be put inplace to handle this (private tenders). Extra teachers from the move could be used as remedial teaching staff.

I agree with a lot of your suggestions, but I'd have to point out a lot of faults with this idea. It would cost a fortune to build all the new schools that would be needed (although it'd boost the construction industry). Do you've any idea how many small schools there are in the country? It has to be an 8 teacher school before you'd have only 1 year group to 1 teacher. You need 178 children to have 8 teachers (this year, the number of children required will be going up next year so you could have 178 children taught by 7 teachers instead from next September). There wouldn't be extra teachers from the move, as there are more year groups than teachers in schools of less than 8 teachers. Remedial staff (Learning Support/Resource now) aren't appointed like this at all, extra staff LS/R are allocated on the basis of children with special needs who have psychological reports which clearly state that they need these intensive teaching hours.

jmayo

Biggest cuts have to come in Public Sector.
The numbers were drastically increased under bertie and FF.
HSE - start by culling the admin staff.
The whole idea of getting rid of the Health Boards was to streamline the system but all that was done was actually remove the Health Board executive which was made up of doctors, councillors etc.
The admin staff underneath were guaranteed their jobs and an extra layer of admin staff seems to have been added at HSE HQ ?
Not alone is there duplication of roles across regions but they even added new management layers.

Get rid of half the bloody quangos.

Get rid of junior ministers/ministers of state (see below minister for drugs) and all the secrataries/admin staff, free cars, etc that goes with them.

http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/index.asp?locID=237&docID=-1

Why is there a minister of state for Drugs Strategy in the Dept of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs ?
Here is a novel idea why not spend the money actually on the drugs startey instead ?

Why do we have a Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (with special responsibility for Overseas Development) ?
What exactly is Martin Mansergh doing when he has special responsibility for the Arts even though there is an Arts, Sport and Tourism minister (we don't exactly spend much on thses areas anyway).

It is a complete fu***** joke, you have juniors ministers working across departments which must just muddy the bloody waters.

Get rid of the leaders allowance for independent TDs.
Somebody may be able to correct meon this but I believe Beahon got a 25,000 pay rise by going independent ?

Also it is time that public sector workers with guaranteed pensions realise that is a BIK and it should be taxed as such.
I have two pensions (due to working as self employed and company employee), one is down 40% and the other was down 18% as of July.
Does anyone in the public sector need to worry about this scenario ?
There is no way I or anybody in private sector should have to pay more tax, as we watch our own pensions disappear together with pay freezes, so that public sector employees can enjoy nice retirement, nevermind get pay rises all along the way.

Also a pay freeze is exactly that, a pay freeze, there is no index linking involved.

ninty9er

jmayo wrote: »

Biggest cuts have to come in Public Sector.
The numbers were drastically increased under bertie and FF.
HSE - start by culling the admin staff.
The whole idea of getting rid of the Health Boards was to streamline the system but all that was done was actually remove the Health Board executive which was made up of doctors, councillors etc.
The admin staff underneath were guaranteed their jobs and an extra layer of admin staff seems to have been added at HSE HQ ?
Not alone is there duplication of roles across regions but they even added new management layers.

Get rid of half the bloody quangos.

Get rid of junior ministers/ministers of state (see below minister for drugs) and all the secrataries/admin staff, free cars, etc that goes with them.

http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/index.asp?locID=237&docID=-1

Why is there a minister of state for Drugs Strategy in the Dept of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs ?
Here is a novel idea why not spend the money actually on the drugs startey instead ?

Why do we have a Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs (with special responsibility for Overseas Development) ?
What exactly is Martin Mansergh doing when he has special responsibility for the Arts even though there is an Arts, Sport and Tourism minister (we don't exactly spend much on thses areas anyway).

It is a complete fu***** joke, you have juniors ministers working across departments which must just muddy the bloody waters.

We actually had Martin Mansergh justify himself to a crowd in UL lastnight.

The Arts issue is with special responsibility for North South co-operation (probably because the Min for South-East would **** it up).

In general Ministers of State do the travelling and dogsbody stuff while the cabinet is mainly at home running the country.

Some of the Ministers of State also have larger budgets than their department colleagues at Cabinet. ODA being the one that comes to mind. With international relations so important, Foreign affairs is justified in having 2 Juniors. With a budget of approx. €800m, a lot of people who complain about waste should be delighted that this budget is spent on value for money projects. (I do have a vested interest in ODA at the moment though)

jmayo

ninty9er wrote: »

We actually had Martin Mansergh justify himself to a crowd in UL lastnight.

The Arts issue is with special responsibility for North South co-operation (probably because the Min for South-East would **** it up).

Ah sure nice to know he explained to you in UL, was it in the Staples by any chance ? Nah can't see him mixing with the riff raff down there.
More likely the concert hall or the Monnet.
Isn't he responsible for OPW. Wonder if he will run off and joint the CIF like a predecessor ?

At least it is better than "Minister with special responsibilty for Lifelong Learning and School Transport" - ala Sean Huaghey.
It you were a scriptwriter for Father Ted you couldn't have come up with a much dafter ministerial title.
Maybe the "Minister with responsibility for Older People" was phased out when they were changing the medical card crtieria ?
Nah....

ninty9er wrote: »

In general Ministers of State do the travelling and dogsbody stuff while the cabinet is mainly at home running the country.

Except of course around Paddy's day :rolleyes:
Funny how all our ministers jet off somewhere exotic.
I don't think any of them are in a rush to go to Glasgow, which would have large number of Irish descendents.
Of course the likes of Thailand would have more, maybe even Hong Kong
Sorry foolish me, I forgot it is to attract forieng investment.

ninty9er wrote: »

Some of the Ministers of State also have larger budgets than their department colleagues at Cabinet. ODA being the one that comes to mind. With international relations so important, Foreign affairs is justified in having 2 Juniors. With a budget of approx. €800m, a lot of people who complain about waste should be delighted that this budget is spent on value for money projects. (I do have a vested interest in ODA at the moment though)

We all have a vested interest in it, since we are paying for it.
It's a pity we don't use the same ethos of spending the money on value for money projects here at home.
Every project here seems to end over budget and behind schedule or else a collosal cockup.

PS you also have a vested interest in making apologies for the fact that there are so many FF td's holding ministerial posts which of course means more mouths at the trough.
Pigs at a trough oh how apt

ninty9er

jmayo wrote: »

Ah sure nice to know he explained to you in UL, was it in the Staples by any chance ? Nah can't see him mixing with the riff raff down there.
More likely the concert hall or the Monnet.

Public meeting in the Kemmy Business School actually. Spoke for over an hour. No restriction on the audience or on questions. Spoke to local and national media on arrival.

So before you get any notions about yourself being cynic in cheif, check your facts.

Oh and it's the Stables:rolleyes:

jmayo

ninty9er wrote: »

Public meeting in the Kemmy Business School actually. Spoke for over an hour. No restriction on the audience or on questions. Spoke to local and national media on arrival.

So before you get any notions about yourself being cynic in cheif, check your facts.

Oh and it's the Stables:rolleyes:

I don't think he could fill Concert Hall or Monnet so that was why mentioned it.
Well Manseragh would be one of the better speakers within the oh so extended cabinet, but as you pointed out they are all so necessary to keep the ship of state on course.
I am sure the Titantic had a large officer crew as well.
Speaking of cheifs, I could fit well into Fianna Fail with all cheifs and no indians
Hell I could be Minister for Cynics.

I am so glad that our education system at least means you know how to spell pub names and know how to use a keyboard.
It makes me feel proud that my tax money went to a good cause educating possible future ff ministers :rolleyes:
Anyway why aren't you down in the stables rather than replying to old cynics like myself on the web

PS is the Kemmy Business school named after that fine Limerick man Jim Kemmy ?

ninty9er

jmayo wrote: »

I don't think he could fill Concert Hall or Monnet so that was why mentioned it.
Well Manseragh would be one of the better speakers within the oh so extended cabinet, but as you pointed out they are all so necessary to keep the ship of state on course.

Given the level of apathy, it would have been difficult to fill a minibus.

jmayo wrote: »

Anyway why aren't you down in the stables rather than replying to old cynics like myself on the web

I'm checking in here in between project work;)

jmayo wrote: »

PS is the Kemmy Business school named after that fine Limerick man Jim Kemmy ?

Indeed it is. A condition of the donation to build it.

grahamo

Darragh29 wrote: »

Here's one for ya...

When I was in uni, apparently the pass rate for first year was 45%. So 100 folks start first year and 55 of them drop out after year one.

The way I think free fee's should work, is like this.... You pay your college fee's directly to the college. If you pass, you get them refunded from the Dept. of Education, if you fail, you don't... Very simple solution to a very simple problem. From what I remember, you had people in college who worked and then you had people who spent their grant money on beer in the SU. You can't be fairer than that...

Good observation. I noticed that too while I was there.
I think the PAYE worker pays too much toward the running of this country. There are too many tax loopholes to help the rich to avoid tax, Close them up!

Darragh29

Jasus look at what has come out in the laundry today!

Irish operations of US firms made $48bn profit in 2005

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/1107/1225925540523.html

And despite our economy now lying on it's back with it's t*ts in the air, not a cent more was asked of these US firms through the 2008 "it's so bad we had to have it six weeks earlier!" Budget. Despite it now looking more likely that under the Obama administration, these corporations will be increasingly incentivised to move their operations back to the US, which means them probably leaving here, which is ultimately what is going to happen, we still are looking at them like a rabbit stuck in the headlamps, not knowing what to do.

If we increased the corporate tax rate on a temporary basis by 1%, on the above figure alone, this would have generated 480 Million Euro, JUST FROM THE US MULTINATIONALS, based on the figures of three years ago!!!

But again, Fianna Fail, afraid to put the hand out to big business operations that are funding the party, instead hit the 12 year old kids in school and pensioners...

molloyjh

Darragh29 wrote: »

Jasus look at what has come out in the laundry today!

Irish operations of US firms made $48bn profit in 2005

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2008/1107/1225925540523.html

And despite our economy now lying on it's back with it's t*ts in the air, not a cent more was asked of these US firms through the 2008 "it's so bad we had to have it six weeks earlier!" Budget. Despite it now looking more likely that under the Obama administration, these corporations will be increasingly incentivised to move their operations back to the US, which means them probably leaving here, which is ultimately what is going to happen, we still are looking at them like a rabbit stuck in the headlamps, not knowing what to do.

If we increased the corporate tax rate on a temporary basis by 1%, on the above figure alone, this would have generated 480 Million Euro, JUST FROM THE US MULTINATIONALS, based on the figures of three years ago!!!

But again, Fianna Fail, afraid to put the hand out to big business operations that are funding the party, instead hit the 12 year old kids in school and pensioners...

Just to point out that both candidates in the US election wanted to implement much the same policy regarding trying to get US investment back into the States. So regardless of who had won this was always coming down the line. And the figures of 3 years ago were boom-time figures. I doubt the same kind of money is flowing at the moment. Either way, shouldn't we be trying to encourage the foreign investment to stay rather than giving it another reason to leave?

asdasd

If we increased the corporate tax rate on a temporary basis by 1%, on the above figure alone, this would have generated 480 Million Euro, JUST FROM THE US MULTINATIONALS, based on the figures of three years ago!!!

But again, Fianna Fail, afraid to put the hand out to big business operations that are funding the party, instead hit the 12 year old kids in school and pensioners...

If we increased the taxation curve by 1% a good percentage may leave.

These big bad American companies provide real, and quite stable jobs (Apple has been in Cork from before the first Mac).

We dont want to piss them off.

ongarite

Thats a bit of a stretch IMO.
What really happens is that the US MNC transfer all their global profits through Ireland and pay corporation tax here which is much lower than US or other EU countries.
They didn't generate $48bn profit from their businesses here in Ireland.

The US last year had a one-off lowered corporation tax and all that money was transferred back to US and corporation tax payed to US treasury instead of Irish exchequer.

As much as you may hate it, its better to have low corporation tax here generating some income rather than higher tax with no US MNC generating no income and jobs.

Your insane if you think this country can survive with US MNC, they provide 100K jobs in the private sector, something we could never do again if they all pack up and leave as you seem to wish.