Do you think if farming handouts were abolished Food exports would plummet in Ireland, that certainly hasn't been the case in New Zealand and Australia where farmers diversified to other profitable crops when farming handouts were largely abolished.
Why do you think self employed farmers should receive handouts, Do you not believe in the concept of self reliance?
Farming handouts contribute to the extortionate price of food in Ireland, they also act as barrier to Free Trade in 3rd world countries as farmers in those countries have to compete against protectionist policies by the EU and other western states. The Common Agricultural Policy has been proven to artificially increase prices for people in the EU when they are buying food.
Viable farms would be able to provide the necessary food required to feed the Irish people, It works in New Zealand and Australia and both those countries have abolished farming handouts.
Do you have a Bull McCabe style mentality when It comes to the land, who's paying to keep unviable farms in operation, every taxpayer in this country because our political classes don't have the balls to abolish farming handouts.
What are the farmers afraid of If farming subsidies are ever abolished, are they afraid of the concept of self reliance and having to move with the times so that they remain in business? It's time this feeble dependency culture was eradicated from the Irish landscape and the concept of self reliance became the dominant belief amongst the Irish people.
Most people who are in small businesses (non farming related) don't receive handouts off the state or the EU, why should the farmers be any different?
They should stand on their own 2 feet, if their farms aren't financially viable they deserve out of business instead of sponging off Brussels and the Irish state to keep their farms in operation.
I believe in old fashioned self reliance mot permanent dependency on the state or Brussels, there are nearly 140.000 farmers in Ireland. Only 37% of farms in Ireland are financially viable according to a survey by Teagasc.
Your right about the farmers, neither FG or FF have the cajones to call for all farming subsidies to be abolished for the reasons that you have mentioned, they would also lose a lot of votes as a substantial minority of Irish people still live in rural areas (nearly 40% I think), Simon Coveney (Agriculture Minister) proudly stated a couple of weeks ago that the farmers will receive €1.9 billion in state handouts between 2014-2020.
New Zealand phased out farming handouts between 1984-1990 and most farmers actually remained in business as they were forced to change as regarding farming efficiencies.
This will offend a lot of people but I regard farmers in Ireland and indeed most of the Western World as Parasites and spongers, they should have to stand on their own 2 feet instead of leeching of the taxpayer.
Ireland is a "reach for the begging bowl" type society and in my opinion anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional. There is a huge dependency culture in this country that needs to be stamped out by the following measures.
1) Abolish all EU and state handouts to farmers, the majority of farms are loss making and need to go out of business. 2) Abolish the lone parent family payment, It's in a large way responsible for the collapse of the traditional family unit in many working class urban areas. 3) Abolish all handouts to the CIE Transport group, they need to stand on their own two feet. 4) Let failed banks go bust.
I believe in survival of the fittest when It comes to businesses, when not in farming and semi state companies as well?
I would like to see Ireland be more like Hong Kong or Singapore when it comes to Free Market economics as well as a smaller government without the extreme authoritarianism that exists in Singapore, socialism or Its diet coke version Social Democracy doesn't work and has never worked. Europe is in major economic decline as a result of heavy taxation, bloated welfare States, bloated Public sectors that pay out unaffordable Defined benefit pension schemes to public sector workers.
Not just Europe but every country in the Western World including America have bloated welfare states that will be unaffordable in the next few decades due to ageing populations and a declining ratio of workers to retirees due to falling populations and people living longer.
What can be done to reverse this decline?
1) Increase the retirement age to at least 70 probably 72 by 2035 in Ireland, it will be 68 by 2028. 2) Privatization of the Social welfare system for anyone under 45, lets face facts, In a couple of decades time there will only be a ratio of less than 2.5 workers to 1 retiree. 3) Eventual privatization of the entire social security system, people will have to learn to stand on their own two feet in the next few decades. 4) Drastically cut taxes on business and labour so as to attract wealthy immigrants who can invest in Ireland. It's worked in Hong Kong and Singapore. 5) Put all public sector workers on Defined Contribution pension schemes, DB pensions are completely unaffordable.
If Sinn Fein got rid of Adams they would actually do far better in the next general election, I wouldn't vote for them in a billion years as I believe they still have a substantial minority of members who fall into the category of scumbags.
There policies will also come under a lot of media scrutiny in the run up to the next general election, Pearse Doherty is a know nothing populist who has lided about his educational qualifications. If Mary Lou McDonald became leader they may get quite a bit of middle class support because at the moment most middle class voters find SF toxic under Adams continued leadership.
Who do you suggest we vote for in the next election? Go Back to Fianna Fail, no way. Sinn Fein- a crowd of economically illiterate lunatics with a leader who is clueless on the main issues in the South.
People moan about politicians lying in order to get elected.
Question: Would you vote for a party that advocated 25-30% cuts in public spending in their election maninfesto or would you vote for a party that promises the moneyfairy when it comes to public spending?
2010 General election survey voting habits in Scotland amongst people of different faiths in Scotland. The majority of Scottish Catholics still vote Labour.
I don't believe for one second that if Scotland voted for Independence It would lead to a Stormont style parliament whereby Catholics in Scotland would be treated as a 2nd class citizens.
Although there are doubtless many Catholics in the SNP these days and in fairness to Salamond who is a staunch opponent of sectarianism, quite a few Catholics in Scotland would still be suspicious of the SNP, the SNP had a leader from 1969-79 called William Wolfe who was notoriously anti Catholic.
If Tony Benn had ever become Labour Party leader and UK Prime Minister in the 70's or 80's he would have handed NI back to the Republic without a referendum.
Most English people wouldn't shed any tears if Scotland voted for Independence as well as a United Ireland. Westminster provides a block grant to NI. A quote from an article from 2012.
“The running cost of Northern Ireland is £20bn a year of which we contribute about £9bn in taxes. The British taxpayer is not going to continue giving us £11bn a year indefinitely.”
As for Northern Ireland a substantial minority of Catholics don't want a United Ireland at this moment in time given the state of the Public Finances in the Republic, including many members of my late mothers family.
If there was a referendum held on a United Ireland in NI in 3 years time it would be defeated around 70-30%.
A lot of Catholics in Scotland fear an Independent Scotland as many years ago the SNP did have a sectarian element, also many socially Conservative catholics in Scotland fear that a secular, SNP led government in an Independent Scotland would erode and ultimately remove the Catholic Church from Catholic schools in Scotland.
I have a cousin who lives in Scotland (from Northern Ireland) who is Catholic and will be voting against Independence because they regard the SNP as been hostile to Catholic education in Scotland, he normally votes for the Liberal Democrats in elections.
I read that article by Sheahan in today's Sunday Independent, SF is a aprty that does not tolerate dissent and the party leadership would be quite ruthless in dealing with any councillors, TDS or MLAs who dissent from official party policy or any major issue by de-selecting them as election candidates.
It's an authoritarian party that wouldn't look out of place in a dictatorship when It comes to dealing with dissent.
It's hardly suprising that most of the young guns in SF were defending Adams at all costs.
Not corrupt just disgusting and unprincipled, Keavney joining the party that wrecked this country.
Here's a quote from Keavney from last year describing a section of Fianna Fail.
“This rampant corruption of many of Fianna Fáil’s members and public representatives is part of the philosophy of tolerance that existed within that party,” Keaveney told the Dáil in June 2012.
I'm actually going to defend a Shinner and I can't stand them but in fairness to McDonald in 1998 when she joined SF, they were at 2 or 3% in the polls and only had 1 TD in the Republic whereas FF would normally have got around 40%+ in an election. I don't think that within 6 years McDonald would have expected to be an MEP in Dublin when she first joined SF in 1998.
I would have given a number 1 vote to the PDS if they had actually forced FF to rein in Public spending, sadly they did no such thing as regards public spending.
My father voted FF from 1973 up until 2007 inclusive, he was so disgusted with the way FF mismanaged the country that for the first time ever in his life in the last election he voted FG and has stated he will never vote FF ever again.
Seriously how any reasonably well educated person can vote FF in the next election is beyond rational thinking.
kennyfromdublin Forum Posts (531)
RE: why is there so much corruption in goverment in ireland
Do you think if farming handouts were abolished Food exports would plummet in Ireland, that certainly hasn't been the case in New Zealand and Australia where farmers diversified to other profitable crops when farming handouts were largely abolished.Why do you think self employed farmers should receive handouts, Do you not believe in the concept of self reliance?