New TV3 Programme 'The Estate' in Ballybeg

dark crystal

marysirish wrote: »

You guessed good and if you think it is a bitchy comment thats your right, I know the family and I didn't go out once in a while, I also had my bad times but I paid my bills and put food on the table I didn't go out and drink it, I have kids to think about and they come first and I don't even drink, I don't need drink to enjoy myself so NO I didn't go out when there was no money.
Even when I do have the money where I can go out I don't go out.

Everyone needs a release from the daily slog every now and again. Criticizing someone because they went out and had a few drinks at their cousin's 21st party is ridiculous begrudgery. Didn't look to me as if she was depriving her daughter of anything because of it, judging by the food and presents at the party.

We can't afford to go out any more than two or three times a year ourselves, but I wouldn't let anyone make me feel guilty for doing it. I'd go crazy if I didn't have some sort of break from work and minding the kids.

ex_infantry

lads lay off the girl would ye, i believe that the producers of the show edited it to make shauna look bad and it seems to have worked and got the viewers talking!! the girl is 20 single mother and living out of her family home and did have a few things to learn! whats to say that those bottles are all hers? her friends had the run of the place eating her food, using her electricity and more than likely took advantage of the fact she had her own house while there prob still living with there parents so prob saw shauna's house as a place to have parties and leave there bottles and cans and other rubbish at hers to build up, after all it was'nt there problem to get rid of but hers!!!
someone said in there post about vincent in the first show goin around thinking everyone knows him and is popular, i aint from ballybeg but know that vincent is in fact well known in ballybeg and even in the county of tramore as he put it and is also known to people in around ballybeg as the "pope"!!!
its very easy for people to comment from just what they saw on the tv and how the producers chose to portray everyone that took part in the show everyone makes mistakes in life nobody is perfect!!

marysirish

dark crystal wrote: »

We can't afford to go out any more than two or three times a year ourselves, but I wouldn't let anyone make me feel guilty for doing it. I'd go crazy if I didn't have some sort of break from work and minding the kids.

I do go crazy :eek:, I don't go out I just don't see the point of sitting in the pub, that's just me, if I want to get away then I go to a friends house or to the cinema, but if you read my last comment I did say that she is doing better and I hope she keeps on getting better, but I do know the family and her mother comes across as a genuinely lovely, respectable woman but when I know her she wasn't like that but then she is older and maybe she did learn from her mistakes and you shouldn't feel guilty about going out.

kryogen

Jason Todd wrote: »

Shauna had cigarettes, Tommy had the few pound down at the Bookies, everyone has something.

In relation to the Halligans, someone told me the young lad featured, Dennis I think, was sent to prison again recently. Anyone know if that's true?

If he went to prison again recently it would have to have been very very recently cause I met him less then two weeks ago and he was very much a free man

Finnbar01

Q: What would you call a 27 yr old ballybeg woman?

A: A grandmother.

Lols. Only messing.

marlin vs

ex_infantry wrote: »

lads lay off the girl would ye, i believe that the producers of the show edited it to make shauna look bad and it seems to have worked and got the viewers talking!!

When she made the decision to go public about her life on national television she will have to face the thoughts of what the public audience thinks,such is life.She probably was cohered into it thinking that she would become a loved celebrity.

DeanAustin

marlin vs wrote: »

When she made the decision to go public about her life on national television she will have to face the thoughts of what the public audience thinks,such is life.She probably was cohered into it thinking that she would become a loved celebrity.

Yeah I think you're spot on with that. It probably says a lot about our obsession with celebrity.

It's unfortunate. The girl seems a pretty decent person when you cut through some of the attention grabbing stuff. Like someone said earlier, she works when she could probably get as much on the dole or through benefits and she is only 20. She's holding down a full time job and raising a daughter on her own which is really tough. Tougher than most of us imagine I think.

Appearing on this programme was ill advised because the public were always going to judge her harshly. She is perhaps naive at worst.

She doesn't set out to hurt anyone, she isn't a criminal, she's a girl trying her best to make good a tough situation with little life experience to fall back on. Being as young as she is, she's bound to make mistakes. That said, are any of those mistakes harming her little girl?

PauloMN

dark crystal wrote: »

She got behind on the ESB bill yes (who hasn't now and again?), but learned a lesson, got a meter (as many other people are doing) and stated that she had started getting much better with budgeting every week.

The smoking is a luxury, but so what? It's a stress relief mechanism for a lot of people, a mental crutch some people hang on to. Of course it would be better if she didn't smoke, but it's not like she's shooting heroin or something!

Not sure where it states what cable package she has, but any basic tv (either SKY or UPC) will cost around €27 a month, or just under €7 a week. Unfortunately cable TV is something we all have to pay for in this country, if we want to watch the television.

It's good that she got the meter, that's for sure. If you can't manage monthly bills, the meter is the only option.

I take issue with your other points. "So what?" on the smoking? Assuming she smokes 20 per day, which I think is a fair assumption considering she seemed to have a cigarette lit every time she was on, that's say €9 per day. Her luxury could be costing her around €270 per month. Do you think it's no big deal that someone who can't manage her finances and looks to the state for a house and waivers should be spending €270 per month on smoking?

Cable TV - there's plenty of TV available with NO monthly sub available if you look hard enough - it's called Saorview and Freesat.

My view is that people like that girl are taking social welfare from others who really need it. Why should someone who can spend that amount on luxuries get a bin waiver? Others that really need those services are not getting them because of the likes of her. Do you think it's right that money which could be directed towards homeless people who really have nothing instead gets diverted to that girl in the form of a bin waiver? Fcuked up society, the lack of personal responsibility in this country as amazing. And the soft touch that is the Dept. of Social Welfare need to harden up and cut this abuse of the system out completely.

Jason Todd

PauloMN wrote: »

It's good that she got the meter, that's for sure. If you can't manage monthly bills, the meter is the only option.

I take issue with your other points. "So what?" on the smoking? Assuming she smokes 20 per day, which I think is a fair assumption considering she seemed to have a cigarette lit every time she was on, that's say €9 per day. Her luxury could be costing her around €270 per month. Do you think it's no big deal that someone who can't manage her finances and looks to the state for a house and waivers should be spending €270 per month on smoking?

Cable TV - there's plenty of TV available with NO monthly sub available if you look hard enough - it's called Saorview and Freesat.

My view is that people like that girl are taking social welfare from others who really need it. Why should someone who can spend that amount on luxuries get a bin waiver? Others that really need those services are not getting them because of the likes of her. Do you think it's right that money which could be directed towards homeless people who really have nothing instead gets diverted to that girl in the form of a bin waiver? Fcuked up society, the lack of personal responsibility in this country as amazing. And the soft touch that is the Dept. of Social Welfare need to harden up and cut this abuse of the system out completely.

Taking social welfare from those who need it?? Do you know how it works? It's not a first-come, first-served basis! You can't have a pop at her at taking what's available to her and then take a pop at the dept. of Social Welfare for making it available. Can you show me where money that's not given to people on the dole gets directed to homeless people? Because that's a crazy thing to be blaming her for. Is she even on social welfare? She has a job.

I really don't understand how this girl is getting such a hard time compared to others on this programme. And by the way, she originally wasn't going to be on the programme, it was focused more on her mother and the producers asked her to get more people involved so the mother roped her in. They said so on Beat Breakfast Grill a few Sundays back. Not exactly 'fame-hungry' as some are making her out to be.

PauloMN

Jason Todd wrote: »

Taking social welfare from those who need it?? Do you know how it works? It's not a first-come, first-served basis! You can't have a pop at her at taking what's available to her and then take a pop at the dept. of Social Welfare for making it available. Can you show me where money that's not given to people on the dole gets directed to homeless people? Because that's a crazy thing to be blaming her for. Is she even on social welfare? She has a job.

I really don't understand how this girl is getting such a hard time compared to others on this programme. And by the way, she originally wasn't going to be on the programme, it was focused more on her mother and the producers asked her to get more people involved so the mother roped her in. They said so on Beat Breakfast Grill a few Sundays back. Not exactly 'fame-hungry' as some are making her out to be.

Ok so, simple question for you. Do you think it is right that someone who has the disposable income to spend hundreds per month on cigarettes can get a bin charges waiver courtesy of the tax payer?

The Dept. of Social Protection is essentially one big pot of cash that every tax-payer funds. Obviously if money is spent on bin charge waivers, it isn't available for other things - things that are imo much more important.

DeanAustin

PauloMN wrote: »

It's good that she got the meter, that's for sure. If you can't manage monthly bills, the meter is the only option.

I take issue with your other points. "So what?" on the smoking? Assuming she smokes 20 per day, which I think is a fair assumption considering she seemed to have a cigarette lit every time she was on, that's say €9 per day. Her luxury could be costing her around €270 per month. Do you think it's no big deal that someone who can't manage her finances and looks to the state for a house and waivers should be spending €270 per month on smoking?

Cable TV - there's plenty of TV available with NO monthly sub available if you look hard enough - it's called Saorview and Freesat.

My view is that people like that girl are taking social welfare from others who really need it. Why should someone who can spend that amount on luxuries get a bin waiver? Others that really need those services are not getting them because of the likes of her. Do you think it's right that money which could be directed towards homeless people who really have nothing instead gets diverted to that girl in the form of a bin waiver? Fcuked up society, the lack of personal responsibility in this country as amazing. And the soft touch that is the Dept. of Social Welfare need to harden up and cut this abuse of the system out completely.

You're being a bit unfair to her IMO. I claim children's allowance, I earn a decent wage and I drink most weeks. Does that mean I abuse the system? If so, isn't that the case for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, in this country?

This girl works for a living which so many of what I would call genuine freeloaders will never do. She needs some sort of escape and, to be fair, I didn't see any of her habits adversely affecting her kid (although the rubbish situation was pretty bad). She would go off her head if she didn't have something like cigarettes.

She's a 20 year old trying to make her way in difficult circumstances. Cut her some slack. She isn't a freeloader from what I saw, just someone who makes some dubious decisions now and again (one of which was agreeing to go on this programme). Didn't we all at 20?

Jason Todd

PauloMN wrote: »

Ok so, simple question for you. Do you think it is right that someone who has the disposable income to spend hundreds per month on cigarettes can get a bin charges waiver courtesy of the tax payer?

The Dept. of Social Protection is essentially one big pot of cash that every tax-payer funds. Obviously if money is spent on bin charge waivers, it isn't available for other things - things that are imo much more important.

First off, you're ignoring the fact that I tore your argument apart. The homeless and social welfare, what?! She has a job and can spend her disposable income on what she likes. If there is a house and bin charge waivers made available to her and she takes them then more power to her. It's not her fault they're so readily available, it's the Governments. She's a single mother, there are provisions available to them.

Yes the taxpayer pays for these things but I paid my taxes for years and years and was glad of the dole for the few months I was unemployed when I lost my job.

PauloMN

I just think it's sick that someone can get a waiver for something that costs say €25 per month (bin charges of around €300 p/a) when that same person can potentially spend over 10 times that per month on a luxury item. It's sick.

I take the point that it's a problem with the system rather than a problem with her. The system that allows that is messed up.

Child benefit is a historical thing, and will soon be either cut completely for some earners, or means tested at least. It's probably the sole SW payment that every parent in the state is entitled to, and I've no issue with it being means tested. I don't compare child benefit to bin charge waivers though, as child benefit is specifically for the costs of bring up children and doesn't cover the cost of bringing up a child, as every parent knows.

DeanAustin

PauloMN wrote: »

I just think it's sick that someone can get a waiver for something that costs say €25 per month (bin charges of around €300 p/a) when that same person can potentially spend over 10 times that per month on a luxury item. It's sick.

I take the point that it's a problem with the system rather than a problem with her. The system that allows that is messed up.

Child benefit is a historical thing, and will soon be either cut completely for some earners, or means tested at least. It's probably the sole SW payment that every parent in the state is entitled to, and I've no issue with it being means tested. I don't compare child benefit to bin charge waivers though, as child benefit is specifically for the costs of bring up children and doesn't cover the cost of bringing up a child, as every parent knows.

Without meaning to derail the topic, I agree with you partly on child benefit. It should be means tested. I don't deserve it as much as say someone in Shauna's position.

But...you aren't just given child benefit, you have to register for it and consciously make an effort to get it. Therefore, if you're drinking/smoking/have SKY Digital/play golf etc., then you're using money from the state to fund your luxury which is the same as what you're arguing Shauna does.

PauloMN

DeanAustin wrote: »

Without meaning to derail the topic, I agree with you partly on child benefit. It should be means tested. I don't deserve it as much as say someone in Shauna's position.

But...you aren't just given child benefit, you have to register for it and consciously make an effort to get it. Therefore, if you're drinking/smoking/have SKY Digital/play golf etc., then you're using money from the state to fund your luxury which is the same as what you're arguing Shauna does.

No, you're putting the child benefit payment into your bank account, and it's covering some of the expense of rearing a child. Children are a lot more expensive than the amount of child benefit. It'd be great to have money left over from the child benefit to spend on Sky, smoking and drinking after the schooling costs, clothes costs, food, books, shoes etc. are all paid off!

DeanAustin

PauloMN wrote: »

No, you're putting the child benefit payment into your bank account, and it's covering some of the expense of rearing a child. Children are a lot more expensive than the amount of child benefit. It'd be great to have money left over from the child benefit to spend on Sky, smoking and drinking after the schooling costs, clothes costs, food, books, shoes etc. are all paid off!

I see what you're saying but it's purely optics because ultimately, I'm taking money from The State that I could probably cope without (as could most people who get it). I chose to have a kid so I should probably bare the cost of it if I can afford it. To me, it's very similar.

Shauna would doubtless argue that the €270 she is smoking is coming out of the €1,500 - €2,000 a month she is probably earning so she earns the right to smoke if she chooses.

Either way, the girl is hardly deserving of condemnation for it in my view.

My missus has a friend who has never worked a day in her life. She is 23 and has two kids. Her partner is 22 and he has never worked a day in his life. Neither of them have any intention of ever getting a job and they planned the kids. They have a free apartment (which is reasonably nice) and every other benefit going. A few weeks back, they got two puppies, not for the kids but for them. Again, the tax payer will be picking up the tab. They are also getting married and I've no doubt the wedding will cost a few bob.

These are the sort of wasters that are fully deserving of the vitriol that Shauna is getting.

mozattack

Do nothing, sit at home have kids get a house and benefits and never fear of losing your job, paying mortgage or incurring tax rises etc, or

Go to college, study, get a job, buy a house, buy a car for work, pay taxes and then fear for losing job and house etc and being bankrupt (oh also lose things like Child Benefit if means tested because you are apparently well off).

Difficult to see why people choose the former option?

DeanAustin

mozattack wrote: »

Do nothing, sit at home have kids get a house and benefits and never fear of losing your job, paying mortgage or incurring tax rises etc, or

Go to college, study, get a job, buy a house, buy a car for work, pay taxes and then fear for losing job and house etc and being bankrupt (oh also lose things like Child Benefit if means tested because you are apparently well off).

Difficult to see why people choose the former option?

Well put. I think we are all agreed that the system has some massive holes.

rasper

mozattack wrote: »

Do nothing, sit at home have kids get a house and benefits and never fear of losing your job, paying mortgage or incurring tax rises etc, or

Go to college, study, get a job, buy a house, buy a car for work, pay taxes and then fear for losing job and house etc and being bankrupt (oh also lose things like Child Benefit if means tested because you are apparently well off).

Difficult to see why people choose the former option?

Because they don't want to live in a poverty trap , easy to assume life on welfare is a holiday , far from it

Totally Tropical

It has been bought to my attention that Ballybeg and Waterford have come under attack from some hack writing for a local Galway paper called the Connacht Sentinel.Of course they don't have rough areas in Galway at all.:rolleyes:

Tv Watch By Dave O'Connell

The estate is a low cost reality show of modern day life in what one hopes is the toughest of Waterford.You hope it's the toughest part of town because if there is a rougher,more deprived area they'd need to bring in the bulldozers to condemn it.This is chav central - families of 14 where the only reason anyone leaves home is because they've been murdered or gone to jail.Everyone drinks and smokes like they are training for an olympic version of poor living and the few shining lights are dimmed by the utter despondency of those around them.It's a three part fly on the wall series and it does nothing for either the city itself or those talking part with the exception of one youth worker who is determined to get into third level education despite his familys determination to keep him in the gutter where he came from.Thankfully the local branch of St Vincent De Paul comes to his aid and gives him the chance to get out of his pointless existence.But pointless is the recurring theme of The Estate.

Sidenote:The gutter where he came from classy.:rolleyes:

Motivator

pharmaton wrote: »

There has to be someone at the bottom of the pecking order.

Yes, and that big lump of a youngone is it.

meoklmrk91

Not from Waterford but just wanted to say that I thought that the show portrayed ballybeg in a good light. I thought everyone was decent, except for the Halligan family, it all came off a bit 'poor us'.

Tommy seems like a decent lad, I really hope he does well for himself.
Vincent spoke very candidly about his mental health issues and I think he did himself proud, he seems like a real genuine fella.
Shauna's mother, seems like a nice, respectable woman, and a real Irish mammy at that.
Shauna, I know a lot of people are giving out about her but I think they caught her at a stage in her life when she was very vulnerable, clearly suffering from depression and struggling with growing up. She does however seem to adore her daughter and is working to support them both. In fairness so what if she smokes, I'm not much older than her and believe me there's people doing a hell of a lot worse around their kids. People are so quick to pass judgement on her. By the end of the series she seemed to really pull it together and admitted her problems. I really hope she does well for herself.

I love how people are tearing shreds out of Shauna for smoking around her kid, getting pregnant in the first place and what she is feeding her child? But yet people are wishing Dennis well, why not admonish him for not wearing a condom and getting a girl pregnant twice, then ending up in prison leaving the state to support his kids and him, he free admits to taking speed and smoking weed, and then when he gets out he says that he only got that long of a prison sentence because he was a Halligan. It's completely unfair, Shauna's there raising her kid and all people can do is pick at the little things and Dennis, takes drugs, commits crimes that get him sent to prison for 6 years and people wish him well.

spankmemunkey

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Not from Waterford but just wanted to say that I thought that the show portrayed ballybeg in a good light. I thought everyone was decent, except for the Halligan family, it all came off a bit 'poor us'.

Tommy seems like a decent lad, I really hope he does well for himself.
Vincent spoke very candidly about his mental health issues and I think he did himself proud, he seems like a real genuine fella.
Shauna's mother, seems like a nice, respectable woman, and a real Irish mammy at that.
Shauna, I know a lot of people are giving out about her but I think they caught her at a stage in her life when she was very vulnerable, clearly suffering from depression and struggling with growing up. She does however seem to adore her daughter and is working to support them both. In fairness so what if she smokes, I'm not much older than her and believe me there's people doing a hell of a lot worse around their kids. People are so quick to pass judgement on her. By the end of the series she seemed to really pull it together and admitted her problems. I really hope she does well for herself.

I love how people are tearing shreds out of Shauna for smoking around her kid, getting pregnant in the first place and what she is feeding her child? But yet people are wishing Dennis well, why not admonish him for not wearing a condom and getting a girl pregnant twice, then ending up in prison leaving the state to support his kids and him, he free admits to taking speed and smoking weed, and then when he gets out he says that he only got that long of a prison sentence because he was a Halligan. It's completely unfair, Shauna's there raising her kid and all people can do is pick at the little things and Dennis, takes drugs, commits crimes that get him sent to prison for 6 years and people wish him well.

I agree with alot of what your saying but its like comparing too things out of a bad situation your gonna find one thing thats worse in a bad situation that doesnt mean that the other is right or okay,

Its like going to a second hand car garage and saying well one car is a complete right off but the other only needs new tyres timing belt new tax new NCT so out of the two this one isnt that bad after all.

But i do agree with alot of what your saying, TV3 knew those people would be slated once that show aired and i hope they made this clear to them and maybe had a psychologist speak to the ones that cared.

meoklmrk91

spankmemunkey wrote: »

I agree with alot of what your saying but its like comparing too things out of a bad situation your gonna find one thing thats worse in a bad situation that doesnt mean that the other is right or okay,

Its like going to a second hand car garage and saying well one car is a complete right off but the other only needs new tyres timing belt new tax new NCT so out of the two this one isnt that bad after all.

But i do agree with alot of what your saying, TV3 knew those people would be slated once that show aired and i hope they made this clear to them and maybe had a psychologist speak to the ones that cared.

I'm not saying that I agree with the way that Shauna parents 100%, I personally wouldn't smoke around my child, the whole thing with the rubbish was disgusting, but she is there parenting her child the best way she can and she is doing on her own. I know of people who blatantly smoke weed around their kids, one has a giant bob Marley pic in their living room, social services were involved they did nothing!

It just annoys me that people were tearing shreds out of Shauna and Dennis gets a pat on the back. Just imagine for a second that Denise is Denise, has two kids, admits to taking drugs, got locked up for 6 years. People would loose their minds, she would be called every name under the sun. But because Dennis is only a father and not a mother it's okay. It's a double standard and it ****ing stinks.