Election called for Saturday 8 February

is_that_so

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

The 'grey' vote has always been courted by the two main parties .

Very high almost guaranteed turnout is why.

Dwarf.Shortage

Anyone know what time FG are releaing spending plans today and whether one can watch the press conference?

endainoz

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

Anyone know what time FG are releaing spending plans today and whether one can watch the press conference?

I'm sure that will be riveting viewing, they probably will put it on their Facebook page or something.

Loafing Oaf

endainoz wrote: »

I'm sure that will be riveting viewing, they probably will put it on their Facebook page or something.

Haha reminds of a bit in They Think It's All Over when the teams were asked to provide a commentary on a piece of sporting 'action'. Over a clip of a yacht race Rory McGrath said: "Riveting...one of the many things I'd rather be doing than watching this.":pac:

Bishop of hope

endainoz wrote: »

I'm sure that will be riveting viewing, they probably will put it on their Facebook page or something.

Got this on mine.

https://www.facebook.com/1000996502/posts/10217814346162613/

KrustyUCC

This paid ad popped up on my FB

We will continue to support families
Extend free GP care to under 18s
Extend parental leave
Introduce free school books
Increase childcare subsidies

To find out more, visit finegael.ie
#LookForward

Idbatterim

Plumbthedepths wrote: »

So any thoughts on the pension raise by FG if returned to power?

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/fine-gaels-5-a-week-pension-hike-election-pledge-as-doherty-says-jobseeker-benefits-wont-increase-38854089.html

Of course. It’s a piss take. Mainly a response to willie odea no amount is enough for the pensioners. But lowering the retirement age ? With a timebomb awaiting us ? I’ll laugh when the the **** all comes crashing down again !

Wanderer78

KrustyUCC wrote:

To find out more, visit finegael.ie #LookForward

I ll give them my 1-10, I'm sold!

KrustyUCC

Wanderer78 wrote: »

I ll give them my 1-10, I'm sold!

Fair play to ya

i wonder have FG talked to GPs about their plan to extend free GP care to under 18s?

Wanderer78

KrustyUCC wrote:

Fair play to ya

Ah shur, I'd buy anything

KrustyUCC wrote:

i wonder have FG talked to GPs about their plan to extend free GP care to under 18s?

Who cares, must work on getting my false underage id done

Eric Cartman

KrustyUCC wrote: »

This paid ad popped up on my FB

We will continue to support families
Extend free GP care to under 18s
Extend parental leave
Introduce free school books
Increase childcare subsidies

To find out more, visit finegael.ie
#LookForward

Cant wait to have a 3 week backlog at my local gp behind all the children with coughs and mothers wanting anti biotics and 16 year olds looking for meds for acne. Also I have a feeling the price of childcare will increase to the tune of whatever the subsidy is...

Snow Garden

I am noticing a lot less posters in Galway West than in previous elections.
Are parties cutting costs or broke or is it a new greener policy?

L1011

Snow Garden wrote: »

I am noticing a lot less posters in Galway West than in previous elections.
Are parties cutting costs or broke or is it a new greener policy?

I'd expect more up - some people seem to have been caught on the hop despite the election being obvious since the November by-elections.

Idbatterim

battery taken out of the doorbell now! Will go to the laughter lounger if I want to hear comedy!

is_that_so

L1011 wrote: »

I'd expect more up - some people seem to have been caught on the hop despite the election being obvious since the November by-elections.

The date for it was much less so and the one chosen was a bit of a surprise. The shorter campaign also has some people still sorting out their feet!

James Brown

Calhoun wrote: »

Why would we give them anything off, isn't the APR on a rent to buy much higher than a traditional mortgage?

I don't understand why we would get rid of housing stock and give discounts off, irregardless of how long they have been living there. Considering the council is responsible for upkeep and maintenance over the years. If the tenants did all of that i could understand.

By them you mean lower income working tax payers, because owning a home shouldn't be only for the wealthy and that's were we are going.
We are losing housing stock while housing a family. I agree it should be strict under a crisis.
They should expand social housing to higher income brackets as house prices and rentals become more ridiculous IMO. It's a dig out for workers who can't afford rents/buys. Not freebie houses for people on the dole. You need qualify for a mortgage to buy your council home.

Skylinehead wrote: »

Because letting people buy council houses, so easily and for so little, has contributed greatly to the lack of social housing stock.

For every house we lose in stock, one less family are renting. They cancel each other out. We should be building more and restrict the practice during a crisis.

Dwarf.Shortage

FG are proposing changing HTB to 10% capped at €30,000, Varadkar on Matt Cooper as we speak.

L1011

is_that_so wrote: »

The date for it was much less so and the one chosen was a bit of a surprise. The shorter campaign also has some people still sorting out their feet!

If you have your candidate/s selected and aren't concerned about them going off message / utterly nuts before the selection deadline you may as well get the poster order in good and early though

I Am The Law

Idbatterim wrote: »

What are they meant to do ? Talk ff up ? Ff are appalling, for once , they aren’t lying or spoofing !

If FG had achieved anything in the last 9 years they wouldn't need to resort to pointing out the bleeding obvious.

Eric Cartman

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

FG are proposing changing HTB to 10% capped at €30,000, Varadkar on Matt Cooper as we speak.

basically giving away deposits for non dublin / low end dublin properties. Id say the mortgage industry is creaming themselves now.

Funny how they only can help tax payers when they need to win an election, when the ballot box is far away its all about the twitter left and the unemployed.

Dwarf.Shortage

Eric Cartman wrote: »

basically giving away deposits for non dublin / low end dublin properties. Id say the mortgage industry is creaming themselves now.

Funny how they only can help tax payers when they need to win an election, when the ballot box is far away its all about the twitter left and the unemployed.

I for one think there should be an element of matching involved, by all means give a grant but if someone wants to buy a €300k house they should be saving a five figure sum not being handed a rebate that covers the entire thing. If you made it a matched figure you would have every FTB going in with 20% equity and we would likely never have the negative equity trap again.

I know the whole idea is helping people save a deposit but you should definitely have to save something material yourself.

Eric Cartman

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

I for one think there should be an element of matching involved, by all means give a grant but if someone wants to buy a €300k house they should be saving a five figure sum not being handed a rebate that covers the entire thing. If you made it a matched figure you would have every FTB going in with 20% equity and we would likely never have the negative equity trap again.

I know the whole idea is helping people save a deposit but you should definitely have to save something material yourself.

thats it , this proposal basically means anyone/ a married couple above 38k a year for the last 4 years qualifies for the full 30k , if you were working for 4 years above that before now and now have a household income of 95k you'll be able to go drop 333k on a gaf with no money down, at all. a couple with one earning 50k and one earning 45k is not that uncommon, those 'struggling to save' back living with the parents or those that drink and snort all their sallary but are on decent money will definitely sell their souls to FG for this.

mikemac2

I for one was very surprised to hear Mary Hanifan was still around and going for this election. I knew she lost out in the 2016 general election and I never heard or read a single line in the media about her since

I suppose I figured she was retired Well I was wrong on that

rafatoni

Love to see the USC scrapped as leninhan only brought it in as a stop gap to help the country out in 2007 but not going to happen. A stop gap 13 years ago....

is_that_so

rafatoni wrote: »

Love to see the USC scrapped as leninhan only brought it in as a stop gap to help the country out in 2007 but not going to happen. A stop gap 13 years ago....

Ah, it's an annoying but clever tax that pulls in €4bn! Very hard to replace.

Dwarf.Shortage

I honestly think FG are on the ball when they say the point at which one starts to pay the 52% is the biggest flaw in our tax system, you shouldn't hit a 52% tax rate when earning the average industrial wage.

Tin Foil Hat

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

I honestly think FG are on the ball when they say the point at which one starts to pay the 52% is the biggest flaw in our tax system, you shouldn't hit a 52% tax rate when earning the average industrial wage.

They didn't up the threshold by as much by as one euro in the last budget.

pjohnson

Dwarf.Shortage wrote: »

FG are proposing changing HTB to 10% capped at €30,000, Varadkar on Matt Cooper as we speak.

Also showed more tone deaffness talking about buying his own house aged 24 :pac:

Eric Cartman

pjohnson wrote: »

Also showed more tone deaffness talking about buying his own house aged 24 :pac:

to be fair leo got a 100% mortgage at the height of boomtime, he also sees saving for a house as an alien concept.

Spanish Eyes

Graduated three tiers of tax might be an idea. The jump from 20% to top rate really is an issue that must be addressed.

I would NOT be in favour of elimination of USC, it is the only tax that cannot be reduced using tax shelters or a good accountant. I'd be happy enough for the thresholds to be widened and the rates reduced at the lower end, but I'm happy to pay it, because I know everyone else has to pay it too no matter how good their tax avoidance gurus might try to help them.