€36,000,000 wasted on British queen + US president

ejmaztec

Skunkle wrote: »

They didnt give us anything. They lent us the money at a very good interest rate to cover their banks and make themselves a few quid while doing it.

All very well and good if they actually get it back.:pac:

If I had a load of money, I certainly wouldn't lend any to Ireland.:eek:

Wolfe Tone

2 heads of state, or keeping hospitals open? I know what I would have picked if I had a 36 million kitty to spend.

cgordonfreeman

Zebra3 wrote: »

The British lent the Irish taxpayer money to cover private debts to ensure British banks didn't lose money.

How nice of them. :rolleyes:

It was nice of them

J_E

Zebra3 wrote: »

No money for hospitals and disabled kids, but enough money to invite and protect a war criminal from America and that old German cunt over.

Jesus, could you fast forward your dated attitudes about 100 years?

Richard Hillman

Everyone knew the cost at the time and at the time it was pretty much unanimous barring a few attention seeking lefties that it was worth it. Must be a slow news day at the rag that is the independent. They know articles like that appeal to the lowest ebbs of the far left to try and convert people with low IQs to their loony ways how they post links all over websites like this and HEY PRESTO! they get extra hits for their website.

cgordonfreeman

Skunkle wrote: »

They didnt give us anything. They lent us the money at a very good interest rate to cover their banks and make themselves a few quid while doing it.

I understand that it wasn't a gift. Either way they contributed to the bailout.

lugha

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

2 heads of state, or keeping hospitals open? I know what I would have picked if I had a 36 million kitty to spend.

Maybe some of you republican lads could have a whip around to help reimburse us as possibly the biggest threat to the queen came from your quarters?

EverEvolving

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

2 heads of state, or keeping hospitals open? I know what I would have picked if I had a 36 million kitty to spend.

Ideally yes, but a lot of hospitals are hemorrhaging money through the way they are being run. Tighter efficiencies need to be brought in to combat this and reducing budgets seems to be the HSE's answer. Even if they reduced the heating in hospitals by 2 degrees I'm sure they would make considerable savings yearly.

On another note, my family had some American relations visiting recently and they were very keen to visit Moneygall during their stay. Now I know two tourists aint going to solve all our problems but if the majority of them think like that and use the presidential visit as a reason to visit Ireland, then that money wasn't wasted.

Chuck Stone

Does anyone know the methodology used to predict the 295m in return?

Ich bin ein skeptiker

MungBean

ejmaztec wrote: »

All very well and good if they actually get it back.:pac:

If I had a load of money, I certainly wouldn't lend any to Ireland.:eek:

I would if the ECB and IMF were involved. The longer it takes to pay back the more ya make on interest. 4-5 billion a year is a nice little return for the shareholders of the IMF and ECB. And thats just from Ireland.

Funny thing is that they got the money here in the first place through the bank guarantee. They invest in Irish banks make a mint when the gov pay them off their investment plus their interest. Then through the ECB and IMF they lend it back to us.

Seeing as we're stuck in the Euro there's not one damn thing we can do but keep our mouths shut, do what were told and hand up the few bob at the end of the week.

Meanwhile two of our new owners (biggest shareholders in IMF) come for a visit to see their new bit of land and it costs us 36 million to host em. 36 million that we borrowed from them at interest.

123balltv

spending 36 million :mad: when you cant afford it

no wonder Irelands credit rating is now junk .......

Cee-Jay-Cee

It may have cost 36 million in garda overtime but the government got back 20 million of that in tax/USC etc etc so it cost them f**k all in the end up.

Corsendonk

I wouldn't say that was the worst we ever spent on anything. in 1953 the state bought a horse for 250k.

Vudgie

I wonder how much of the cost could be attributed to the morons that insisted on protesting around the place (The Queen's visit) and generally being a security risk.

For once I think that this was money that will hopefully prove itself to be well spent.

Bodie Broadus

number doesnt mean anything! the army and police would of still bein getting paid... so its not representative of the actual cost

Wolfe Tone

EverEvolving wrote: »

Ideally yes, but a lot of hospitals are hemorrhaging money through the way they are being run. Tighter efficiencies need to be brought in to combat this and reducing budgets seems to be the HSE's answer. Even if they reduced the heating in hospitals by 2 degrees I'm sure they would make considerable savings yearly.

On another note, my family had some American relations visiting recently and they were very keen to visit Moneygall during their stay. Now I know two tourists aint going to solve all our problems but if the majority of them think like that and use the presidential visit as a reason to visit Ireland, then that money wasn't wasted.

Theres talk of the A and E in Drogheda having reduced hours and closing at night to save money. Had that been the case a month ago, my father would be dead.

The health service should be the number one priority.

mike65

Jasus is the Boards.ie Republican "Massive" in need of a few mutual **** thanks today?

Corsendonk

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Theres talk of the A and E in Drogheda having reduced hours and closing at night to save money. Had that been the case a month ago, my father would be dead.

The health service should be the number one priority.

An efficient Health Service you mean. The dogs in the street know the Irish one is fecked because it so inefficient and the vested interests like the highly paid consultants or ward nurses keep it that way.

ejmaztec

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Does anyone know the methodology used to predict the 295m in return?

Ich bin ein skeptiker

It was an accurate calculation by the same individuals who previously calculated that the the property bubble wouldn't burst.

Bullseye1

Zebra3 wrote: »

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/shock-over-euro40m-bill-for-queen-and-obama-visits-2819903.html

Good to see the government has its priorities right.

No money for hospitals and disabled kids, but enough money to invite and protect a war criminal from America and that old German cunt over.

I hope McAleese is delighted with her expensive "legacy". :rolleyes:

There is more being wasted in the running of this country every day.

Bullseye1

cgordonfreeman wrote: »

Sorry I forget, how many billion did the UK give us in the bailout again?

LOL. Agreed.

Zebra3

Cydoniac wrote: »

Jesus, could you fast forward your dated attitudes about 100 years?

Facts are facts-even if you don't like them.

Zebra3

Bullseye1 wrote: »

There is more being wasted in the running of this country every day.

So the answer is to waste more? :rolleyes:

Badgermonkey

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

2 heads of state, or keeping hospitals open?

Pity Rupert shut down NOTW.

You've a tabloid sensibility that's wasted on AH.

Bullseye1

Zebra3 wrote: »

So the answer is to waste more? :rolleyes:

No. I do not consider the money spent on both visits as a waste of money. It will generate income in many ways with investment and tourism.

Now the waste in the running of the country is something we need to get sorted and fast.

KeithAFC

The Queen visit was okay to go ahead. Obama visit was a waste of time.

leeroybrown

Bodie Broadus wrote: »

number doesnt mean anything! the army and police would of still bein getting paid... so its not representative of the actual cost

Half the Gardaí in the country were working overtime specifically due to these two events. The costs stated are pretty real and thankfully a reasonable chunk of it will have been recouped in taxation. I wouldn't buy the Fáilte Ireland figure for the advertising value of the visits but I do think that it'll be cost neural at worst and there are still plenty of people from abroad with money to visit ireland if we could supply them with a competitive tourism product. As for the whole 'hospitals closing' argument, they'd have been closed regardless. They're being downsized based on multi-year costings not on the basis of small cash injections keeping them going for another few months.

Plus it annoyed the kind of people who always complain about everything so that's good in my book too... :-)

Wolfe Tone

Corsendonk wrote: »

An efficient Health Service you mean. The dogs in the street know the Irish one is fecked because it so inefficient and the vested interests like the highly paid consultants or ward nurses keep it that way.

I would blame the incompetency of successive FF governments. They had all the money in the world, but couldn't make a decent health service for under 5 million people.

Its not fair to blame staff.

DjFlin

KeithAFC wrote: »

The Queen visit was okay to go ahead. Obama visit was a waste of time.

What makes you say that?

The way I see it, if either expense could be justified it would be Obama's visit. Hes the leader of the US, his visit can help strengthen diplomatic ties between Ireland and the US, and promote US tourists to visit.

The Queen on the other hand is little more than a masthead for a failed system. It baffles me that people still pay attention to monarchs at all.

sparrowcar

Yaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnn...lovely day out there :rolleyes: