Tonight With Vincent Browne Thread v3.0 (07/04/13 - 08/07/14)

coolhull

MrsD007 wrote: »

I feel that only those that really need medical cards should receive them.

It's farcical that all children aged five and younger will have a GP card even if their parents are wealthy. The same is true of some over 70s. Then you have cancer patients, people with serious disabilities or chronic conditions who are fighting to obtain or retain their card.

Absolutely its a total farce that Dennis O'Brien or Michael O Leary's children, if under five, should free GP care. And equally that wealthy OAP's qualify for a medical card. But there's always a danger that we could throw the baby out with the bath water. All govts seem reluctant to means- test wealth. And till we get a govt brave enough to face up to that, to paraphrase B Cowen, "we are where we are"!

Harry Angstrom

That USI guy looks like a future Fine Gael TD if ever I saw one :rolleyes:

Lady Chatterton

I must say that I'm very concerned by the change to tax relief on Private Health Insurance policies.

Tax relief no longer allowed on top range private health insurance plans, which cost over €1,000 per adult and €500 per child

Michael Noonan said that the change would only affect people with premium plans, that's not true, the most common policy in Ireland is VHI Plan B which costs over €1,500 a year. I fear that this latest move is going to force more people to abandon private health insurance.

COYW

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

That USI guy looks like a future Fine Gael TD if ever I saw one :rolleyes:

Was just thinking that. Suited up to the hilts.

This anti-austerity dude is great craic. What a load of knee-jerk tosh.

I had a feeling that private health insurance was going to get a going over too. Renewed mine last night, increasing the voluntary excess on it which resulted in a very tidy reduction in the premium.

Lady Chatterton

I think the axing of the bereavement grant was particularly harsh, funerals are incredibly expensive and are a huge burden on pensioners and people on low income or those in receipt of benefits.

Lapin

I'd love to be suppin a pint in Buswell's right now.

Just so that I could stick my head out the window and tell all these fúckers to keep the noise down or feck off home.

take everything

Is that guy on a break from his hunger strike.
He seems to be doing it wrong.

And he forfeited his whole business (and livelihood presumably) over a 100 euro tax?

tayto lover

So much for the Universal Health Cover every citizen was promised by Dicey Reilly. Like the 5 point plan its gone with the wind.

Callan57

MrsD007 wrote: »

I think the axing of the bereavement grant was particularly harsh, funerals are incredibly expensive and are a huge burden on pensioners and people on low income or those in receipt of benefits.

Funerals don't need to be incredibly expensive

RayM

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

That USI guy looks like a future Fine Gael TD if ever I saw one :rolleyes:

Is there anything more obnoxious than a young person who blatantly aspires to become a politician? Twitter is full of people like that. They're always males, in their early 20s; their avatar is always a photograph of themselves wearing what looks like their communion suit; their profile always mentions the college they go to, what they're studying and whatever silly little position they hold within the youth wing of FF or FG.

take everything

Lapin wrote: »

I'd love to be suppin a pint in Buswell's right now.

Just so that I could stick my head out the window and tell all these fúckers to keep the noise down or feck off home.

So want to thank that but don't want to come across as heartless.

Lady Chatterton

No doubt some of the sneakier cuts will only come to light in the next few days.

coolhull

Lapin wrote: »

I'd love to be suppin a pint in Buswell's right now.

Just so that I could stick my head out the window and tell all these fúckers to keep the noise down or feck off home.

Because all the TDs are relaxing in Buswells and we don't want anyone making noise and disturbing their happiness?

COYW

Get off the stage, John!!!

Far too many long term unemployed people, who are fit and healthy, chose not to work and have done all their lives. Companies were crying out for people to come and work for them during the boom and these people decided not too. Do you seriously want the State to continue to fund these people for life?

Atlantic Dawn

MrsD007 wrote: »

I think the axing of the bereavement grant was particularly harsh, funerals are incredibly expensive and are a huge burden on pensioners and people on low income or those in receipt of benefits.

Agreed, they could have means tested. I didn't really mind about the phone line rental going, there's the option of a mobile at a very much reduced priceif needed in an emergency.

Lady Chatterton

Callan57 wrote: »

Funerals don't need to be incredibly expensive

A lot of it depends on geographical location, obviously funerals are much cheaper in Clare than they are in Dublin or Cork.

take everything

MrsD007 wrote: »

I must say that I'm very concerned by the change to tax relief on Private Health Insurance policies.



Michael Noonan said that the change would only affect people with premium plans, that's not true, the most common policy in Ireland is VHI Plan B which costs over €1,500 a year. I fear that this latest move is going to force more people to abandon private health insurance.

Ah FFS. Missed that.
Is that on the highest "rolls-royce" type plans.
Or the ones like first plan plus as well?

If so, i'm really gonna have to look at changing my VHI next year.

bleg

COYW wrote: »

Get off the stage, John!!!

Far too many long term unemployed people, who are fit and healthy, chose not to work and have done all their lives. Companies were crying out for people to come and work for them during the boom and these people decided not too. Do you seriously want the State to continue to fund these people for life?

There was virtual full employment during the celtic tiger actually...

tayto lover

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Agreed, they could have means tested. I didn't really mind about the phone line rental going, there's the option of a mobile at a very much reduced priceif needed in an emergency.

Pensioners need a house phone to connect their alarms to.

Harry Angstrom

If the likes of Chambers and IBEC had their way, they'd have people working for nothing, which is already happening.

Lady Chatterton

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Agreed, they could have means tested. I didn't really mind about the phone line rental going, there's the option of a mobile at a very much reduced priceif needed in an emergency.

Yes, but many elderly people have to have a landline for their personal alarm systems. I think it will be missed most by people living in remote rural areas.

hotmail.com

COYW wrote: »

Get off the stage, John!!!

Far too many long term unemployed people, who are fit and healthy, chose not to work and have done all their lives. Companies were crying out for people to come and work for them during the boom and these people decided not too. Do you seriously want the State to continue to fund these people for life?

How many people during the boom were long term unemployed? About 1-2%.

Lapin

MrsD007 wrote: »

I think the axing of the bereavement grant was particularly harsh, funerals are incredibly expensive and are a huge burden on pensioners and people on low income or those in receipt of benefits.

I reckon it was only axed so that it can be used as a bargaining chip when pensioners start kicking up a fuss and will be reinstated as a consession.

Atlantic Dawn

Callan57 wrote: »

Funerals don't need to be incredibly expensive

Yes but they used the application to harvest data which could be used for additional taxation on the deceaseds estate, it was a win win for the government from what I seen in the application. Also meant social welfare and medical cards were easily cancelled upon notification of death.

Goldenjohn

Did she just say "86% thats as close as you can get to 100%"....

COYW

bleg wrote: »

There was virtual full employment during the celtic tiger actually...

Yes, I know, that was my point. The chose not to take up employment when it was available. Unemployment was as low as 4% back then, which is categorized as fill employment, as you say.

Goldenjohn wrote: »

Did she just say "86% thats as close as you can get to 100%"....

She did indeed.

take everything

Vinny's People.

Lady Chatterton

take everything wrote: »

Ah FFS. Missed that.
Is that on the highest "rolls-royce" type plans.
Or the ones like first plan plus as well?

If so, i'm really gonna have to look at changing my VHI next year.

They're capping tax relief at €1,000 but the most common policy (Plan costs €1,500. My own policy is Plan B with options which is pretty popular with women of child bearing age, it costs €1,837 so Noonan is wrong when he says that its only the top policies that will be affected.

Atlantic Dawn

Not as agressive as last year, I had worries that Vincent was going to get a knife in the chest last year, crowd were loopers.

hotmail.com

COYW wrote: »

Yes, I know, that was my point. The chose not to take up employment when it was available. Unemployment was as low as 4% back then, which is categorized as fill employment, as you say.

A lot of that 4% were made up of people moving between jobs, recently graduated students waiting to get a job etc..About 1 to 2% were long term unemployed. It's hardly a dramatic figure.