Budget 2016

Avatar MIA

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

... we just get dick all return for it.

Hyperbole.

RobertKK

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

In an ideal world:

Tax raises across the board to properly fund public services. Proper funding for schools, hospitals, the health service in general, childcare, roads, mass transit, infrastructure, etc. I'd much rather pay German or Noridc levels of tax in return for German or Nordic levels of public service instead of the current bull**** system of mid-tier taxation for ****e services.

People who think we have high taxation here are extremely ignorant to reality, we are about the middle of the tax scale on a European level, we just get dick all return for it.

Our capital gains tax is higher than what they pay in Nordic countries or Germany.
It is up there among the highest in Europe, given some countries like Belgium scrapped Capital gains tax.

Subcomandante Marcos

RobertKK wrote: »

Our capital gains tax is higher than what they pay in Nordic countries or Germany.
It is up there among the highest in Europe, given some countries like Belgium scrapped Capital gains tax.

That's nice.

Our general taxation system is, over all, about mid-tier on a European level though, which is what I said and doesn't stop being true because of a few outliers.

Subcomandante Marcos

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Hyperbole.

Underfunded and over stretched Health system; check
Underfunded and over stretched Primary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Secondary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Third level system; check
Underfunded and over stretched police force; check
Lack of investment in national infrastructure; check
Absolutely shocking road system; check
Massive shortfall in social housing; check
Massive shortfall in support services for people with disabilities; check

Avatar MIA

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Underfunded and over stretched Health system; check
Underfunded and over stretched Primary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Secondary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Third level system; check
Underfunded and over stretched police force; check
Lack of investment in national infrastructure; check
Absolutely shocking road system; check
Massive shortfall in social housing; check
Massive shortfall in support services for people with disabilities; check

Super. Now look up the definition of Hyperbole, especially in the context of the part I quoted from you.

RobertKK

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

That's nice.

Our general taxation system is, over all, about mid-tier on a European level though, which is what I said and doesn't stop being true because of a few outliers.

It is not nice, what if you take a risk with your money, you invest it and you make a profit based on your own ingenuity amd then you sell for a profit, lets say you have a profit of €10,000 after the allowance of €1270.
You have to pay the state €3,333 in tax for something they had no risk in.
You argue that taxes should be rasied, Sinn Fein's tax policy would have the state taking €4,000 of that profit as they want it at 40%
When Charlie McCreevy reduced it from 40% to 20%, the state ended up receiving more tax, as there was incentive to sell as the seller didn't feel the state was out to rob them.

Fact remains some of our taxes are at the highest end, entry into the top level of income tax is among the lowest if not the lowest in Europe.
We have too many paper pushers working for the state which one would have thought less necessary since the invention of computers and automation of printing. Instead we have more people working for the state and more paper being used, which is such a waste of money.
The whole civil service needs an upheaval but no one in power has the strength to take it on as they know there would be strikes and unrest.

The state is the greatest waster of money in this country, I don't see why we should pay them more so they find more ways to waste it.

Subcomandante Marcos

Avatar MIA wrote: »

Super. Now look up the definition of Hyperbole, especially in the context of the part I quoted from you.

See, it would be hyperbole if I said "it's like a third world country, joe". I didn't I said we just dick all in return. As in, as a return for what we pay, we get dick all. We pay mid-tier taxes which people moan about constantly, but get pretty substandard services in return. That's not hyperbole, that's reality.
I fully believe people wouldn't mind paying a higher rate of taxation if the return was worth it.
Hey, I even used examples of places where the tax rate is higher but the return is worth it.

Maybe you should consider the definition of the word hyperbole yourself there Ted?

Avatar MIA

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

That's not hyperbole, that's reality.

I can see this would be an intelligent conversation.

Subcomandante Marcos

RobertKK wrote: »

It is not nice, what if you take a risk with your money, you invest it and you make a profit based on your own ingenuity amd then you sell for a profit, lets say you have a profit of €10,000 after the allowance of €1270.
You have to pay the state €3,333 in tax for something they had no risk in.
You argue that taxes should be rasied, Sinn Fein's tax policy would have the state taking €4,000 of that profit as they want it at 40%
When Charlie McCreevy reduced it from 40% to 20%, the state ended up receiving more tax, as there was incentive to sell as the seller didn't feel the state was out to rob them.

Fact remains some of our taxes are at the highest end, entry into the top level of income tax is among the lowest if not the lowest in Europe.
We have too many paper pushers working for the state which one would have thought less necessary since the invention of computers and automation of printing. Instead we have more people working for the state and more paper being used, which is such a waste of money.
The whole civil service needs an upheaval but no one in power has the strength to take it on as they know there would be strikes and unrest.

The state is the greatest waster of money in this country, I don't see why we should pay them more so they find more ways to waste it.

Again, that's great and all, but I didn't say "MOAR TAXES!!!!!!!!" and leave it that. I said, and I'll quote myself here just to make sure you can remember.

In an ideal world:

Tax raises across the board to properly fund public services. Proper funding for schools, hospitals, the health service in general, childcare, roads, mass transit, infrastructure, etc. I'd much rather pay German or Noridc levels of tax in return for German or Nordic levels of public service

Subcomandante Marcos

Avatar MIA wrote: »

I can see this would be an intelligent conversation.

ho ho ho, quality contribution again.

squeezed_out

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

In an ideal world:

Tax raises across the board to properly fund public services. Proper funding for schools, hospitals, the health service in general, childcare, roads, mass transit, infrastructure, etc. I'd much rather pay German or Noridc levels of tax in return for German or Nordic levels of public service instead of the current bull**** system of mid-tier taxation for ****e services.

People who think we have high taxation here are extremely ignorant to reality, we are about the middle of the tax scale on a European level, we just get dick all return for it.

those on middle to high incomes pay around the same as the germans or nordics , where we differ from those countries radically is we dont tax low earners at all by comparison

the left here often call for a nordic style funded state but they want to exclude the low paid from contributing

essentially they dont want a nordic system at all

squeezed_out

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Underfunded and over stretched Health system; check
Underfunded and over stretched Primary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Secondary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Third level system; check
Underfunded and over stretched police force; check
Lack of investment in national infrastructure; check
Absolutely shocking road system; check
Massive shortfall in social housing; check
Massive shortfall in support services for people with disabilities; check

on the point of " underfunded primary schools "

much of the problem stems from waste , we have a tonne of rural primary schools where the entire school population is below thirty , the parish i grew up in , there are still three schools and two of them have less than twenty pupils in total with two teachers in each school , the largest school in the centre of the parish has over one hundred , were they to merge all three into one , the furthest any kid would have to travel to school is three miles yet try and close the small schools and an opposition campaign would be up and running before anyone could shout " austerity "

Subcomandante Marcos

squeezed_out wrote: »

those on middle to high incomes pay around the same as the germans or nordics , where we differ from those countries radically is we dont tax low earners at all by comparison

the left here often call for a nordic style funded state but they want to exclude the low paid from contributing

essentially they dont want a nordic system at all

Like I said, across the board. As it is now, using similar levels as Germany on people earning, say, 20k, would be ridiculous as they'd be taxed into poverty.

But if we had a German style public service, this wouldn't be true, the tax would be justified as people would have the services provided which would mean that they aren't living hand to mouth.

Lets take a loan parent for example.

If a loan parent of a pre-school aged child on 20k per year now, trying to pay rent and childcare and bills, etc, was being taxed at the higher rate, they'd be in a fair amount of trouble.
They would be better off on the dole.
Maybe they already are at the current rates(I haven't done the check, this could be wrong)?

With a German/Nordic style public services and welfare systems where their healthcare was fully covered, childcare would be affordable/free, there would be incentives to stay in work instead of becoming a full time stay at home parent.

Subcomandante Marcos

squeezed_out wrote: »

on the point of " underfunded primary schools "

much of the problem stems from waste , we have a tonne of rural primary schools where the entire school population is below thirty , the parish i grew up in , there are still three schools and two of them have less than twenty pupils in total with two teachers in each school , the largest school in the centre of the parish has over one hundred , were they to merge all three into one , the furthest any kid would have to travel to school is three miles yet try and close the small schools and an opposition campaign would be up and running before anyone could shout " austerity "

Oh I agree totally with that. That's why I said in my first post "German or Nordic levels of public service".

I don't think we should just throw more money at the PS, the PS should be reformed to actually do it's job properly as well.

suicide_circus

Making renting a viable long term option for families by strengthening tenant rights and rent controls while seriously insentivising landlords to let properties through very generous tax breaks.

Child care. This is in rag order. The state needs to be spending a shítload more on this. Ireland spends something like the second least in the oecd on this vital service.

Subcomandante Marcos

suicide_circus wrote: »

Making renting a viable long term option for families by strengthening tenant rights and rent controls while seriously insentivising landlords to let properties through very generous tax breaks.

Child care. This is in rag order. The state needs to be spending a shítload more on this. Ireland spends something like the second least in the oecd on this vital service.

These two are things I totally agree with as well.

In many European countries the idea of renting isn't seen as "dead money" like it is in Ireland. It's the norm in some regions. Many families live in the same house their entire lives, as tenants of a landlord.

The cost of Childcare here is insane.

One More Toy

Slash the dole for long termers.

squeezed_out

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Like I said, across the board. As it is now, using similar levels as Germany on people earning, say, 20k, would be ridiculous as they'd be taxed into poverty.

But if we had a German style public service, this wouldn't be true, the tax would be justified as people would have the services provided which would mean that they aren't living hand to mouth.

Lets take a loan parent for example.

If a loan parent of a pre-school aged child on 20k per year now, trying to pay rent and childcare and bills, etc, was being taxed at the higher rate, they'd be in a fair amount of trouble.
They would be better off on the dole.
Maybe they already are at the current rates(I haven't done the check, this could be wrong)?

With a German/Nordic style public services and welfare systems where their healthcare was fully covered, childcare would be affordable/free, there would be incentives to stay in work instead of becoming a full time stay at home parent.

german public servants earn a good deal less than public servants in ireland , its all about choices , our goverment has chosen to keep public servants wages high ( for those over forty in the main ) as that is what gets them votes

Subcomandante Marcos

squeezed_out wrote: »

german public servants earn a good deal less than public servants in ireland , its all about choices , our goverment has chosen to keep public servants wages high ( for those over forty in the main ) as that is what gets them votes

I don't disagree.

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

I don't think we should just throw more money at the PS, the PS should be reformed to actually do it's job properly as well.

The problem with the PS isn't overpaying frontline staff, it's the bloat in the middle that's ridiculous.

I forget the stat exactly but isn't there something like 4 admin staff to every doctor and nurse in the HSE?

squeezed_out

suicide_circus wrote: »

Making renting a viable long term option for families by strengthening tenant rights and rent controls while seriously insentivising landlords to let properties through very generous tax breaks.

Child care. This is in rag order. The state needs to be spending a shítload more on this. Ireland spends something like the second least in the oecd on this vital service.

its extremely difficult to evict a tenant in this country , much harder than in germany for example

what we are missing in this country however is a clearly defined long term leasing framework which everyone understands , a form of rent price control would need to be incorporated into it

squeezed_out

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

These two are things I totally agree with as well.

In many European countries the idea of renting isn't seen as "dead money" like it is in Ireland. It's the norm in some regions. Many families live in the same house their entire lives, as tenants of a landlord.

The cost of Childcare here is insane.

in germany , landlords tend to be of the institutional kind , in ireland , we have thousand of amateur landlords who own one property , the uk is like this too , its a cultural difference so i dont see us becoming german in this regard anytime soon

what the recovery in house prices has taught me is that irish people ( beit investors or first time buyers ) will always buy property if they can afford to

squeezed_out

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

I don't disagree.



The problem with the PS isn't overpaying frontline staff, it's the bloat in the middle that's ridiculous.

I forget the stat exactly but isn't there something like 4 admin staff to every doctor and nurse in the HSE?

frontline staff in the public sector are very well paid , its just people have a very heart felt attitude towards guards and nurses , looked at objectively both are well paid and always have been , granted the more senior members threw the new recruits under the bus since the crash

Subcomandante Marcos

squeezed_out wrote: »

in germany , landlords tend to be of the institutional kind , in ireland , we have thousand of amateur landlords who own one property , the uk is like this too , its a cultural difference so i dont see us becoming german in this regard anytime soon

what the recovery in house prices has taught me is that irish people ( beit investors or first time buyers ) will always buy property if they can afford to

The thing is though, in the current system we have, with the amateur landlords (your phrase) is that it just doesn't make sense to rent long term in this country as you can be priced/forced out of the house at the end of any term.

As you said above, longterm leasing laws that made sense and rent controls to encourage more stability would be a much better idea than the current system.

If say the state were to start a company which provided long term, rent controlled housing, run on a for profit basis, we could move towards addressing the current problem in the rental market and the obsession with "getting on the property ladder" at all costs.

FrStone

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

These two are things I totally agree with as well.

In many European countries the idea of renting isn't seen as "dead money" like it is in Ireland. It's the norm in some regions. Many families live in the same house their entire lives, as tenants of a landlord.

The cost of Childcare here is insane.

Oh for heavens sake, if you have a child ensure you can pay for him and her.. That includes childcare costs.

I'd agree with you on the renting issue. However we should be inventivising companies to rent to a large number of tenants rather than the landlord who only owns one of two properties.

We must also ensure that home ownership is something we can all aspire to though, it was one of Margaret Thatchers greatest achievements that she increased home ownership so dramatically in the UK.

Subcomandante Marcos

squeezed_out wrote: »

frontline staff in the public sector are very well paid , its just people have a very heart felt attitude towards guards and nurses , looked at objectively both are well paid and always have been , granted the more senior members threw the new recruits under the bus since the crash

There's nothing wrong with nurses and guards being well paid though. They should be. As should teachers, doctors and even public service admins. But the services should still be run efficiently and not have a glut of middle management that make ridiculous wages while being protected from having to actually do their job or be reassigned, which is where the problem with waste in the public service is.

squeezed_out

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with nurses and guards being well paid though. They should be. As should teachers, doctors and even public service admins. But the services should still be run efficiently and not have a glut of middle management that make ridiculous wages while being protected from having to actually do their job or be reassigned, which is where the problem with waste in the public service is.

i wasnt saying guards and nurses should not be well paid , i was taking issue with the public perception that they are not paid well which is a false one in my view

its also the received wisdom that we have a major surplus of middle managment in the public sector , how true this is , i dont know

Subcomandante Marcos

FrStone wrote: »

Oh for heavens sake, if you have a child ensure you can pay for him and her.. That includes childcare costs.

Grand, me or my partner will just stay at home and draw the dole so. Child care problem solved.

Or should only wealthy people be allowed to have kids? Should be start chemical sterilisation at 30k per annum or 35k, just to be sure those filthy underlings and their spawn aren't sponging off the rest of us?

Avatar MIA

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Grand, me or my partner will just stay at home and draw the dole so. Child care problem solved.

That's what some people do. Just make sure you do qualify for dole.

Qualitymark

The cost of childcare here *is* insane. Being prepared to pay for your child is, of course, important, but who would expect a creche (not of the highest European standards, I might mention) to cost €1,000 or more per month.

Ar scaith a chéile - we need to have proper, well-run State creches, where children are educated lovingly and the food is healthy and well balanced - if they can do it in Finland, population 5.4 million, we can do it here.

Landlords and tenants: here, landlords and tenants seldom live in kindly amity and fairness. It is very common for landlords to attempt to keep a deposit, on some dodgy excuse. It is not uncommon for landlords to attempt to enter the tenants' home when they are absence. On the other hand, friends of mine let to a woman who had constant parties and paid no rent after the first month; she ruined the place. Unfortunately, they blame the fact that she was on rent support, and have decided to accept no rent-supported tenants ever again… Both landlords and tenants can be irresponsible: in a house near me, the tenants had constant loud parties - the couple in the attached house ended up emigrating. They called the landlord again and again, and he refused to act, didn't give two pins; it was only when the gardaí got involved (the parties may have involved illegal substances) that he finally got new tenants. We're not always that housetrained here in how we deal with each other.

FrStone

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Grand, me or my partner will just stay at home and draw the dole so. Child care problem solved.

Or should only wealthy people be allowed to have kids? Should be start chemical sterilisation at 30k per annum or 35k, just to be sure those filthy underlings and their spawn aren't sponging off the rest of us?

Well that's the next problem that it makes more sense for people to go on the dole. That will also need to be fixed.

The state needs to encourage personal responsibility. The middle classes generally wait until they have enough cash to support a child before spouting one out. You should too.

It's selfish to have a child you can't support and expect the rest of us to cough up.

Subcomandante Marcos

squeezed_out wrote: »

i wasnt saying guards and nurses should not be well paid , i was taking issue with the public perception that they are not paid well which is a false one in my view

Well, in fairness to that, I never said they weren't well paid, I said the services were underfunded and overstretched. As in, there just aren't enough of them to do their jobs and the ones that there are, aren't being given what they need to work effectively, especially in the case of frontline healtcare staff and investment in medical facilities.

squeezed_out wrote: »

its also the received wisdom that we have a major surplus of middle managment in the public sector , how true this is , i dont know

Well I gave the HSE for example which is good example of waste at middle management. When the healthboards were scrapped the staff were taken into the new HSE system, the problem is that a lot of them weren't needed or were insulated from being moved into useful positions and instead end up in pointless jobs doing minimal work for massive wages while there's a shortage of nurses and doctors and we work junior doctors on terrible wages to the bone.

squeezed_out

there is a disproportionate amount of sympathy in the direction of the tenant , many tenants are very badly behaved and like i said earlier , its extremely difficult to evict someone in this country , the laws surrounding it are heavily influenced by our history where the british threw us off land etc

florawest

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

There's nothing wrong with nurses and guards being well paid though. They should be. As should teachers, doctors and even public service admins. But the services should still be run efficiently and not have a glut of middle management that make ridiculous wages while being protected from having to actually do their job or be reassigned, which is where the problem with waste in the public service is.

well paid nurses, what? Certainly not the ones who qualified in the past three or four years, their pay is pathetic for the great job and pressure they are under, time to rethink their wages definitely

squeezed_out

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Well, in fairness to that, I never said they weren't well paid, I said the services were underfunded and overstretched. As in, there just aren't enough of them to do their jobs and the ones that there are, aren't being given what they need to work effectively, especially in the case of frontline healtcare staff and investment in medical facilities.




Well I gave the HSE for example which is good example of waste at middle management. When the healthboards were scrapped the staff were taken into the new HSE system, the problem is that a lot of them weren't needed or were insulated from being moved into useful positions and instead end up in pointless jobs doing minimal work for massive wages while there's a shortage of nurses and doctors and we work junior doctors on terrible wages to the bone.

we have the highest number of nurses in europe according to many reports , as for guards , its a very sparsely populated country so policing is going to be inefficent in rural areas , even prior to the crash , stations with one guard was often the norm and the place was only open a few days per week , in the event of a crime , the single guard would need to radio for help from a larger town , in reality sticking a guard in every village solves very little

squeezed_out

florawest wrote: »

well paid nurses, what? Certainly not the ones who qualified in the past three or four years, their pay is pathetic for the great job and pressure they are under, time to rethink their wages definitely

that was a union decision , nurses with many years under their belt were shielded from severe cuts so the new recruits were sacraficed

lapua20grain

I have never subscribed to party politics myself but I would have to say that i would vote Fine Gael in again as they have made good inroads in to the problems that were inherited from the previous incumbents. i know people will say they were calling for more spending in 2007 when they were in opposition but times have changed. the only issues i would have would be the €1.5bn spending in the budget i would prefer if it was spent reducing the national debt and future proofing the economy from any more shocks. I believe that a Christmas bonus should be paid to carers and pensioners on the lower end of the scale and nobody else there should be no reward for not working. the financial direction we are heading is the right way and i think that the sinn fein and socialist td's will make a mess of all the good work that has been done if they get in to a position of influence which i hope doesn't happen.

Subcomandante Marcos

squeezed_out wrote: »

we have the highest number of nurses in europe according to many reports , as for guards , its a very sparsely populated country so policing is going to be inefficent in rural areas , even prior to the crash , stations with one guard was often the norm and the place was only open a few days per week , in the event of a crime , the single guard would need to radio for help from a larger town , in reality sticking a guard in every village solves very little

Most of those small rural stations were closed years ago and the total savings made from closing them was something like 500k per years. On top of that, since their closures, rural crime has risen steadily year on year.

Make of that what you will.

ShoulderChip

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Grand, me or my partner will just stay at home and draw the dole so. Child care problem solved.

Or should only wealthy people be allowed to have kids? Should be start chemical sterilisation at 30k per annum or 35k, just to be sure those filthy underlings and their spawn aren't sponging off the rest of us?

wow! incredible!

Subcomandante Marcos

ShoulderChip wrote: »

wow! incredible!

I know! 1000+ per month for childcare!
Madness!

alane20

I've a feeling the e ciggies will be a target for this budget, as a former 30 to 40 Benson a day man I haven't touched them in 18 months, every second person is using e cigs it's a lot of lost revenue

Subcomandante Marcos

alane20 wrote: »

I've a feeling the e ciggies will be a target for this budget, as a former 30 to 40 Benson a day man I haven't touched them in 18 months, every second person is using e cigs it's a lot of lost revenue

Meh, just buy your liquid and supplies online.

Iwasfrozen

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Meh, just buy your liquid and supplies online.

Erm, they will also be taxed...

Qualitymark

alane20 wrote: »

I've a feeling the e ciggies will be a target for this budget, as a former 30 to 40 Benson a day man I haven't touched them in 18 months, every second person is using e cigs it's a lot of lost revenue

Immediately, maybe - but if we can get the jobs market back on track, it'll bring in more revenue in the end, because people will be healthier and more able to work.

squeezed_out wrote: »

the problem with rural crime involves a culturally sensitive issue , it wont be tackled as it would incur an almighty backlash from the liberal media and QUANGO industry , everyone in rural ireland knows what that problem is

Actually, no. Most rural, and urban, crime is not by Travellers. Most is local people. And crime rises in an area where unemployment rises. There have been spectacular and horrible crimes by Travellers, but there have been equally awful crimes by settled people.

Subcomandante Marcos

Iwasfrozen wrote: »

Erm, they will also be taxed...

Good luck enforcing that one. They have a herd enough time charging vat and duty on stuff bought overseas online already.

Don't Chute!

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Underfunded and over stretched Health system; check
Underfunded and over stretched Primary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Secondary schools; check
Underfunded and over stretched Third level system; check
Underfunded and over stretched police force; check
Lack of investment in national infrastructure; check
Absolutely shocking road system; check
Massive shortfall in social housing; check
Massive shortfall in support services for people with disabilities; check

Please tell us how our road system is "absolutely shocking".

Subcomandante Marcos

black and amber wrote: »

Please tell us how our road system is "absolutely shocking".

Have you been using the national or secondary roads much these days?

The motorways are grand, outside of that it's a shambles.

pmasterson95

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Grand, me or my partner will just stay at home and draw the dole so. Child care problem solved.

Or should only wealthy people be allowed to have kids? Should be start chemical sterilisation at 30k per annum or 35k, just to be sure those filthy underlings and their spawn aren't sponging off the rest of us?

why did you have kids you couldn't afford? Why do you need the dole to support your family? Are you not employed?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Subcomandante Marcos wrote: »

Have you been using the national or secondary roads much these days?

The motorways are grand, outside of that it's a shambles.

Gee, they have never been so good as they are around here now. 10 to 15 years ago they were dire but I have to be honest and say the R and L routes are now excellent. I travel in Northern Ireland quite a bit and even some of their A roads are poor but here the roads are spot on now. We used to have to swerve constantly around potholes and crawl through rough gravel sections but these days are long gone. Bad bends etc have been removed as well.
No, can't agree with you on the state of the roads.

Stheno

Aiyana Scruffy Whole-wheat wrote: »

Gee, they have never been so good as they are around here now. 10 to 15 years ago they were dire but I have to be honest and say the R and L routes are now excellent. I travel in Northern Ireland quite a bit and even some of their A roads are poor but here the roads are spot on now. We used to have to swerve constantly around potholes and crawl through rough gravel sections but these days are long gone. Bad bends etc have been removed as well.
No, can't agree with you on the state of the roads.

Same here roads are much improved

Subcomandante Marcos

pmasterson95 wrote: »

why did you have kids you couldn't afford? Why do you need the dole to support your family? Are you not employed?

I don't have kids at all, actually. And if myself and my partner decide to have kids in future we can well afford to provide our own childcare. That's not the point of my post.

The point of my post is that in Ireland, the cost of childcare is so high that it incentivises low earners to just not work and stay at home and mind the child themselves. It's stupidity of the highest order.