Population Density in Ireland

TheBoyConor

Sometimes I think that the country is starting to get overpopulated. Things like this propblem and traffic congestion would ease egnificantly if we simply had less people here.
I think a lot of it has to do with the better economic times causing a lack of emigration which was traditionally what kept Ireland with a modest and manageable population.

I hate hearing about population projections of 6 or 7 million by 2030 or whatever it is. Do we actually need all these extra people? How will they benefit the country? We were perfectly happy with only 4.5 which is what it was for many years.

I'd hate to see Ireland turn into somewhere like England which is literally overrun with an excessively large population, scrambling for resources, congestion and the countryside being swallowed up by housing and industrial estates. A proliferation of "no-go areas", rising poverty and and environmental and climate time bomb. Parts of England are pretty much lost.

And what I find to be totally ridiculous is the complete contradiction of our whole economic and environmental plan. We are saying that we'll become more sustainable with energy, transport, climate change etc, but yet in the same breath the government is planning and hoping for population growth - it's literally the antithesis of sustainable. It is completely and an utterly unsustainable strategy from the get go. Anybody else feel this way about this element of it?

pwurple

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Sometimes I think that the country is starting to get overpopulated. Things like this propblem and traffic congestion would ease egnificantly if we simply had less people here.

Burn the homeless! It's renewable fuel too. All our problem are solved!
Wait.... did someone do this already? Have I invoked Godwins law this soon?

robp

bTheBoyConor wrote: »

And what I find to be totally ridiculous is the complete contradiction of our whole economic and environmental plan. We are saying that we'll become more sustainable with energy, transport, climate change etc, but yet in the same breath the government is planning and hoping for population growth - it's literally the antithesis of sustainable. It is completely and an utterly unsustainable strategy from the get go. Anybody else feel this way about this element of it?

It is extremely unlikely that any of the environmental targets will be met.

TheBoyConor

robp wrote: »

It is extremely unlikely that any of the environmental targets will be met.

I fear that soon the homeless crisis will be the least of our worries because we will be facing a global environmental catastrophe. The earth will ultimately punish us for abusing it and after we are gone it will heal.

Back to more practical matters, I think the root of this homelessness crisis is really not to do with a lack of houses but rather it is to do with a runaway culture of entitlement. Everyone expects and demands a house with rooms for each of their children. Years ago several children shared rooms and you were thankful for what you recieved. Nowadays everyone turns down houses because it's not near mammy, too far from shops, yada yada yada. People are unwilling to adapt and they are far to fussy. And the pandering of the government to these people only enables and encourages the attitude and inflames the situation further as it tells people "make enough racket, and we'll appease you". Margaret cash is a prime example - she was offered a load of different houses to shut her up despite the fact that she is a criminal up for theft.
If a "either take it or leave it and f-off" attitude was taken in relation to housing then people have the choice of taking a house and putting up with the fact that it is 5 miles from mammy or in Cavan or whatever and adapting to that and making the best of it or else just putting up with emergency accommodation or living with parents.
Years ago it was very common for 3 generations to live in a household and it was the done thing. Too many feckless spoilt brats were raised in the last 30 years.

AlmightyCushion

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Sometimes I think that the country is starting to get overpopulated. Things like this propblem and traffic congestion would ease egnificantly if we simply had less people here.
I think a lot of it has to do with the better economic times causing a lack of emigration which was traditionally what kept Ireland with a modest and manageable population.

I hate hearing about population projections of 6 or 7 million by 2030 or whatever it is. Do we actually need all these extra people? How will they benefit the country? We were perfectly happy with only 4.5 which is what it was for many years.

I'd hate to see Ireland turn into somewhere like England which is literally overrun with an excessively large population, scrambling for resources, congestion and the countryside being swallowed up by housing and industrial estates. A proliferation of "no-go areas", rising poverty and and environmental and climate time bomb. Parts of England are pretty much lost.

And what I find to be totally ridiculous is the complete contradiction of our whole economic and environmental plan. We are saying that we'll become more sustainable with energy, transport, climate change etc, but yet in the same breath the government is planning and hoping for population growth - it's literally the antithesis of sustainable. It is completely and an utterly unsustainable strategy from the get go. Anybody else feel this way about this element of it?

Ireland has a population density of 70 people per km2, England is 395. We're nowhere near their population density. The issues with traffic congestion could be eased by building up instead of out and better public transport. Countries with higher population density manage to deal with these things better.

TheBoyConor

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

Ireland has a population density of 70 people per km2, England is 395. We're nowhere near their population density. The issues with traffic congestion could be eased by building up instead of out and better public transport. Countries with higher population density manage to deal with these things better.

Of course. But why should we strive to have that sort of pouplation density? It is not healthy socially or environmentally. Just look at the social and environmental mess that is England.
I'd much rather that Ireland stayed at a relatively comfortable 70.

And as for building up - of that is the solution to social housing tenants then we should be learning from the mistakes of the past as such schemes have almost universally proved themselves to end up as warrens of extreme antisocial behaviour and misery.

Amirani

TheBoyConor wrote: »

Of course. But why should we strive to have that sort of pouplation density? It is not healthy socially or environmentally. Just look at the social and environmental mess that is England.
I'd much rather that Ireland stayed at a relatively comfortable 70.

And as for building up - of that is the solution to social housing tenants then we should be learning from the mistakes of the past as such schemes have almost universally proved themselves to end up as warrens of extreme antisocial behaviour and misery.

First you talk about worrying about global warming and environmental catastrophe and then you talk about wanting low population densities. There's a massive contradiction here, because low population densities that result in sprawl are fundamentally worse for the environment.

Ireland does worse than most of Europe on most key environmental metrics, in no small part due to our low population densities. I'm not sure you have a clue what you're talking about.

Graham

Mod Note
Off topic posts split into new thread.

Samuel T. Cogley

The issue isn't room, we've plenty of that, it's the fact that immigration if Dublincentric. There needs to be development and jobs put into other areas of the country, not just Dublin.

mariaalice

Holland has 17 million people and a population density of 488 people per km2,

Holland is an extremely desirable place to live despite the population density why is that?.

Samuel T. Cogley

mariaalice wrote: »

Holland has 17 million people and a population density of 488 people per km2,

Holland is an extremely desirable place to live despite the population density why is that?.

Legal weed?