How long until society collapses

HercHauk

Hahaha!

NewDubliner

Or we could fight among ourselves and take each other down just as we did in our glorious 'Celtic' past.

Nodin

LoveDucati2 wrote: »

I am curious to get some opinions on how long it would take until society collapses.

How long would it take for complete anarchy to break out in Ireland if the following happens next year.

The country has massive strikes and demonstrations and defaults on all loans. 500,000 people on the dole.

Power and water get cut off and goods transportation stops, shops run out of food because of stockpiling, all government services cease.

Hows many days of this would be needed for a complete breakdown of society?

If NTL went tits up, that would probably have a bigger effect than most of the above. Sad, but possibly true....

mike65

NewDubliner wrote: »

We could declare war on the US, then they'd have to invade and rebuild our country?

Ever seen The Mouse That Roared?

Scofflaw

population wrote: »

I am fairly sure that ours is the one country in the world that couldnt put together a military coup.

Certainly it took 700 years last time.

cordially,
cofflaw

Latchy

Originally Posted by population
I am fairly sure that ours is the one country in the world that couldnt put together a military coup.

We thought about taking over the north in 69 with about 10,000 full time soldiers but perhaps it was a good idea we didn't .

Maybe

jmayo

ejmaztec wrote: »

...
If the current problems persist, perhaps in 800 years, a few people might decide that it would be a good idea to do something about it.

It's going to be dumb insolence and moaning until then.

Yes but a lot of that is due to fact half the country would never agree with the other half and knife them in the back.

I can't ever see our generals taking over :eek:
Just imagine ... all hail Supreme Taoiseach Dermot Early.
First law enacted, Roscommon are awarded the 1980 All Ireland on a technicality.
Kerry players gladly hand back their medals before taking 10 year break in Castlrea.
Roscommon town made new capital and civil service decentralised to Boyle

NewDubliner wrote: »

That was where one society tried to take out another. For example, if things get so bad, that the UK decides to invade us to get our natural resources (and our best looking women).

We could declare war on the US, then they'd have to invade and rebuild our country?

Or we could try and do a 'Switzerland'.

Natural resources?
Are you including the Polish, Latvian, Czech, etc etc women in your list ?

Yeah muich like the way the US are rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan

Actually I believe someone from the London Met (possibly home office etc) once stated that you are only three square meals away (three days) from a mass riot at any time.

So beware if the local chippers close down for three days or more

ejmaztec

jmayo wrote: »

Yes but a lot of that is due to fact half the country would never agree with the other half and knife them in the back.

I can't ever see our generals taking over :eek:
Just imagine ... all hail Supreme Taoiseach Dermot Early.
First law enacted, Roscommon are awarded the 1980 All Ireland on a technicality.
Kerry players gladly hand back their medals before taking 10 year break in Castlrea.
Roscommon town made new capital and civil service decentralised to Boyle



Natural resources?
Are you including the Polish, Latvian, Czech, etc etc women in your list ?

Yeah muich like the way the US are rebuilding Iraq and Afghanistan

Actually I believe someone from the London Met (possibly home office etc) once stated that you are only three square meals away (three days) from a mass riot at any time.

So beware if the local chippers close down for three days or more

It's not going to collapse now that Micheal Martin's going to sell Ireland to the Arabs. The construction industry will be re-born when the round towers are converted to minarets and New Mecca City is built over the bull-dozed ruins of Limerick.

nhughes100

We're a long way from complete breakdown of society. Even what is going on in Waterford Crystal is fairly tame by some standards. I saw tours going on of the visitor centre while the place was being occupied by workers. In fairness they've got a legitimate beef but unlikely that all of them will be starving or on the streets by Christmans.

There may be a bit of a foreigner backlash as is happening in the UK but do we really see a Rwanda/Serbo-Croat genocide happening just because house and car sales are down? If you've got a job then the recession is fine, interest rates are non existent, sales everywhere, hell even the traffic is lighter.

RealityCheck

nhughes100 wrote: »

We're a long way from complete breakdown of society. Even what is going on in Waterford Crystal is fairly tame by some standards. I saw tours going on of the visitor centre while the place was being occupied by workers. In fairness they've got a legitimate beef but unlikely that all of them will be starving or on the streets by Christmans.

There may be a bit of a foreigner backlash as is happening in the UK but do we really see a Rwanda/Serbo-Croat genocide happening just because house and car sales are down? If you've got a job then the recession is fine, interest rates are non existent, sales everywhere, hell even the traffic is lighter.

I think its fair to say this thread is a bit of an overreaction. Protests yes but a break down in society. I dont think so. Well not unless the society of the whole western world does. And even at that we would be the very last:D

conlonbmw

Nodin wrote: »

If NTL went tits up, that would probably have a bigger effect than most of the above. Sad, but possibly true....

You are exactly right.

which is very scary

Daroxtar

jmayo wrote: »

Yes but a lot of that is due to fact half the country would never agree with the other half and knife them in the back.

I can't ever see our generals taking over :eek:
Just imagine ... all hail Supreme Taoiseach Dermot Early.
First law enacted, Roscommon are awarded the 1980 All Ireland on a technicality.
Kerry players gladly hand back their medals before taking 10 year break in Castlrea.
Roscommon town made new capital and civil service decentralised to Boyle

LMOA. Thanks for snapping me out of the recession

DeVore

worst case scenario:
Power is cut to Digiweb. Boards.ie goes off the air. Thousands of angry internet users rise up.... and then sit back down again, panting heavily.

Come on people, this is a joke. We've got some pain to take, its true. Pain we dont deserve and which is the fault of a number of groups but this too will pass and things will bounce. We're not the only ones remember...

DeV.

peasant

having said that...

If the power really went (the one that comes out of the socket) for more than a week or so, I'd say you'd have civil unrest then alright.

No hot water, most places without proper heat, food spoiling in the warming freezer, no money from the bank/hole in the wall etc, pp that would quickly do it.


Not going to happen you say?




Let's assume then the governement decided to reverse the recently awarded pay rise to the ESB and they decided to strike for a week ........:D

bk

ejmaztec wrote: »

Unfortunately, the criminal elements would be well-armed. With a break-down in law and order they would capitalise on that. Does anyone think that a relatively small army would be able to handle that situation?

Yes they would, while we have a relatively small army, they are very well equipped (for their size) and very well trained, in particular with a lot of experience in anti-terrorism and anti-insurgency (watching the provos and unionists for years).

Also don't forget the Gardai know exactly who all the criminals with guns are, they just can't prove it in court, but in a real emergency situation, emergency legislation could be enacted and they would be quickly rounded up by the army and interned.

Also the Gardai aren't as unarmed and inept as many people think they are, I remember a few years ago when there was a blue flu (Gardai on strike), the criminals (well armed dissident republicans actually) thought they would take advantage of it and hold up a armed car and were highly surprised when the ERU, all tooled up, was waiting for them.

The thing is people need to calm down, while the current situation is far from great, we have had far, far worse in the past (great depression, 80's, etc.) and we managed to get through it and we will again.

It isn't like we have been hit by a tsunami, with hundreds of thousands dead, or a famine or a hurricane or a war or many much worse situation.

I think the over-reaction to the current situation just shows how pampered many people in Ireland have become and how blinkered they are to the real suffering and poverty that the majority of the worlds populations live under.

Seriously guys, get a grip.

BornToKill

We have been here before and it was a lot worse between ESB and bank strikes and society didn't melt down:

Mr. T.J. Fitzpatrick (Cavan): Would the Minister not agree that it would be wholly unreasonable for the ESB to disconnect even one person during the bank strike in view of the fact that they were able to operate for six months during their own strike, stand out of payment and not disconnect anybody during that period?


http://historical-debates.oireachtas.ie/D/0246/D.0246.197005200006.html

It still strikes me as incredible that all the banks could close for that long without prompting a total economic collapse but we muddled through somehow.

nesf

BornToKill wrote: »

It still strikes me as incredible that all the banks could close for that long without prompting a total economic collapse but we muddled through somehow.

Simple, other groups stepped into the role of the banks: http://www2.bc.edu/~murphyro/EC204/Supps/SuppCh18.pdf

Though whether it could happen today is very much an open question.

BornToKill

Oh, I remember what happened okay. It's just that it strikes me as incredible. People informally organising and running an alternative banking system for months.

nesf

BornToKill wrote: »

Oh, I remember what happened okay. It's just that it strikes me as incredible. People informally organising and running an alternative banking system for months.

Well, where do you think the whole financial system came from? People just reverted to the next best assessors of credit. Pretty neat though all right.

Scofflaw

nesf wrote: »

Well, where do you think the whole financial system came from? People just reverted to the next best assessors of credit. Pretty neat though all right.

Interestingly enough, that was a fall-back to a previously long-held role of publicans. Inns and coaching stations provided exactly such a credit network for much of the Middle Ages.

cordially,
Scofflaw

nesf

Scofflaw wrote: »

Interestingly enough, that was a fall-back to a previously long-held role of publicans. Inns and coaching stations provided exactly such a credit network for much of the Middle Ages.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Similarly interesting are the friendly societies that pre-dated the dole in the UK & Ireland and this wasn't that long ago either.