By Are you willing to be counted?
A. Education
B. Social protection
C. Poverty
D. European relationship
E. Farming & Fishing
F. Service industry & regulatory bodies
G. Employment
H. Environmental (energy production)
I. Mental health (entire health system)
J. Tourism (including all export trade)
K. Welfare system & taxation.
Why have a rant today. Sure why not.
We got some issues and we need to talk about ’em.
The political ones, that is.
Dail eireann needs a serious clean out. Career politicians have become an acceptable norm, it is not acceptable any longer. Why because I say so? No, no not at all. Because each and every one of you is quite sick of one aspect or another.
There are so many issues gone astray, one wonders where to begin.
Let’s look at the country on a whole. Roads yup, these have been an issue for as long as I have been alive. In my 40’s now. Bringing in a sub contractor to perform local council road repairs appears to be “not working”. Perhaps the “British” companies that win some of these contracts is part of the reason. Unacceptable is a road that ends up in worse condition after a water main repair. Very simple process, re surface the road to like new after the dig and repair work has been done. NO payment to be made for shoddy work. This example goes towards all out sourced construction projects that will be paid for by state funds. That does not appear to be that confusing, does it?
Drugs
A serious issue nationwide and compounded by pub closures. Many people use alcohol as a release and a relaxant. Pubs closed, where can one relax now? At home using drugs. NO to drugs is a simple theory. I suggest we begin at the beginning and carry out drug tests on all appointed officials. ALL, that is correct I said all. This means the TD’s, the judges, the Garda and so on down the list. Want to stamp out drugs, lets begin there 1st.
Recently heard and argument made for why the schools should go back as soon as possible and it was made by a child caring and support charity. The argument claimed that children are safer in school. The reprieve from abuse for the 6 hours of the day were desperately needed and schools needed to be open during the pandemic. I do not disagree that the schools need to be open. The issue here is that the statement made is an acknowledgement of child abuse existing. Perhaps my own naivety is that I was not aware that child abuse was an acceptable part of our society. Stamp out, STAMP OUT child abuse. Laws need to be made immediately to make greater the punishment for child abuse. Yes that was immediately, is what I said. As an island nation who has depended upon foreign visitors to our lands. A clear message must be sent. We do not tolerate child abuse. We do not welcome it from other countries and we are stamping it out here. It may be a generational blemish upon our society from the days of kings and queens or the blind nature in which the church has had strangle hold over the nation for so many years. You have the right to choose your religious beliefs and worship as you see fit. A clear simple message of how abuse will no longer be tolerated needs to be established. Not only sexual abuse as one may feel that is the context, all forms of abuse of any person considered a minor or deemed incapacitated in any way regardless of age.
Accountability.
The big scary word for any government. The side stepping and using language to rationalize pathetic procedures and performance must come to a complete stop. The accountability being that the cronies lose out and no spaghetti junction of words can be enough to remove sanctions when necessary. Yes indeed no more hand shakes and reductions in charges or sentencing for the “in crowd”. Bankers, politicians, judges, department heads all accountable the same. An accountability would bring about the issue of performance and pay. Public representatives in government will be required to perform or not get paid, just like the road repair companies. No good = no pay. Which actually brings about the idea of pay. All elected politicians who sit in government office to receive a base salary of not more than 80k per year. An expense account is reasonable and can be submitted and redeemed yearly with a maximum of 25k. These figures allow for a generous lifestyle and expenses of almost 500 euro per week. Career politicians and expectations of large pensions need to be removed from the system of the society of Ireland.
The country of Ireland has a lot to offer, there is no need to sell out in terms of tax breaks to international companies. Ireland can provide intellectual staff, safe society and a political system that supports the countries laws.
We are Ireland first. We are European second. Yes we are European although the root of our Irish heritage must remain the cornerstone of our society on the island of Ireland first.
Having read previously how over 60% of Irish income goes to english companies monthly, I was disturbed by this. I also learned of bidding for hotel construction was open to british companies also. Irish construction companies must be put to the front of all bidding for all construction projects. SKY tv, Vodafone networks and many other monthly bills paid out by Irish families must be forced to get competitive and offer affordable services with impeccable service required. Why so? The Irish family must be considered above all else and all others by the government of our country. The survival of Ireland as a country, a nation and our heritage depend upon no longer breaking the pockets of Irish households & families.
Banking.
Banking historically was based upon a simple model. The people of a society deposit their money into the bank, the bank then invests the money and pays the people a small token of interest on their money for allowing them to profit from investing their money. The banks make a little more interest on their investments and so profit the piece in the middle. The lazy nature in which banks are openly saying that they are unable to perform the business of banking anymore is appalling. The fees charged to customers to subsidise the poor nature in which the banking process of a bank is being carried out. In order for any service within the country of Ireland to be permitted to operate, the service must meet criteria. Invite all business openly and ensure that the people of the country receive the best offers and minimal fees. This goes for all services. Your light company, your tv company, your mobile phone company, your gas company etc etc. Banks need to provide a better service. Longer opening hours, readiness and willingness to provide service to it’s customers. Bank holiday Mondays and closing at 4pm Monday through Friday falls very far short of providing a service. When a business claims to provide 24 hour banking then that is what is to be provided. Not offline from the hours of 2 am to 6 am nor outsourced chat bots to handle general queries after 5pm.
Once we can establish some better performance based ground rules for all businesses within our country, we can then begin to safe guard our exports. We must seek top payment from our European partners for our export trade. We are currently permitting foreign business to charge our nationals top price for their goods and services yet we go the negotiating table begging for a seat. We fall short on securing the best deals for our people. We as an entire nation are breaking ourselves and in a not too distant future will do such bad business for our country, we will cease to exist as a nation.
We are IRISH, we do not beg to be allowed sit with the more powerful nations, we demand our position there and we gain our respect through solid values as a nation.
Education.
The children of Ireland deserve the best education that can be given to them. We require teachers of the highest caliber. It is part of our heritage. Again the words accountability and performance arise. It is not enough to be a teacher and wish for higher pay and longer holidays. Education is a vocational profession and therefore requires performance based salaries. Educating the children to be the next generation of Irish who will take no prisoners as they press forward and continue to stamp the great name of a nation on the world.
Child care also comes up here in the area of education. The current system in place known as tusla has a requirement that goes something like this. Truancy is not acceptable in schools and should a child be noticed to be absent some investigating eyes are then brought upon the child’s home. A child can be removed from the home by this organization and placed into a care home. When the child is in the care home and has a new school to attend, the home care workers will encourage them to go to school. Should the child be somewhat rebellious and choose not to go to the school, the child care worker or care home worker will not force them to go. The answer I received when hearing of this “we are care workers and are not the parents. It is not our job to make them go to school”. This of course suggested to me that the care home and staff were possibly as incompetent as the home the child has been removed from yet their home was with their biological parent. SERIOUS REVIEW NEEDED.
The home has been the cornerstone of many societies around the world. The home, the family. It is the Irish government’s sole responsibility to protect this institution at all costs.
The current pandemic has shed much light on how the society of Ireland has been operating for quite some time. The brexit negotiations were somewhat caught up in the middle of the pandemic although the poor negotiations had been well understood by the time the pandemic hit. The nature of sweep issues under the carpet and throw money at a problem have been the M. O for quite some time. Not acceptable any more. The current covid payment system is throwing money at the problem. It does nothing for closing borders or vaccinating frontline staff. Although when the people are getting something, there will be less time for civil unrest when they have a few quid in their pocket. Like always the government has looked outside for a nation to follow. There has been no ground breaking actions taken. We can all stand proud with our chest out as a nation who have welcomed same sex marriage and abortion yet we have shown no clue in how to close our country and protect our citizens.
Due to the political body in place at the time of this writing, I suggest you tone down your “proud Irish” chant for a while. It is upon each individual of the country to break the system currently in operation and begin again.
Con jobs, hand shakes, watergate, golfgate, media deals, high speed internet deals, fishery deals, export trade, tribunals, deleted records, damaged testimony, construction cost over runs, banking back handers, homelessness, poverty. They all must stop. And STOP immediately.
The issues at hand are plentiful. The resolve at hand is minimal. I do not call upon you to begin an insurrection. I do not call upon you to revolt. I call upon you to pick up your phone and make heard your voice. I call upon you to become active in your own immediate society and take action by demanding from your elected official to take action on your behalf. Should that official be unable or unwilling to satisfy your request, make it known on the internet for all to know that they should no longer be in office and demand a resignation.
A new election is needed, the decision makers have proven to be incompetent and are in need of replacing. New blood, new laws, new effort to salvage all that Ireland is and to fully achieve the potential of the Irish people.
I am one person, one voice, I cannot physically put an entire country on my back. I sure as hell though, would give it a good go with the help of a few good Irish folk. You deserve better and you can provide better.
You can after reading some of these points raise some of your own here if you wish, you can also begin to encourage every person you know to begin the phone calls to elected officials immediately. The pandemic has highlighted too many errors. Do not let our generation be the one who stood by and did nothing.
You have had enough of scheduling NCT and then be told you failed and pay further mechanic costs, only to drive back and pay another fee for a retest then pass and drive straight into a pot hole on your way home.
You have paid enough of non descriptive social charges on your taxes. A social charge that means you must also pay for bin tags.
Somebody show me the way to the ballot papers where I will spend the rest of my days debating the nonsense and incompetence to bring about change. Change for the better for you and for me and all who have been blessed to be born Irish.
We want people to come and visit our country. We want their money in our economy. We want the world to speak of how they had the most relaxing time in Ireland. We want the world to speak of our comfortable pubs and our homely cooked meals. We want the world to know that Irish and the Irish way still exists. We are an island on the periphery of Europe. We always have been and always will be. We are IRISH. We all know we call the mainlanders “EUROPEAN”.
International investors into the banking and the building sector, for what? They want profit. They want to profit off of you. 2500 euro rent for an apartment so you can be in the capital city for a better job so you can pay even greater social charges. A city where you will walk to work among and avoiding the homeless. Unable to care or help because you are broke because of paying foreign international investors your rent money.
When was the last time somebody stood up in Dail eireann and called BULLSHIT?
When was the last time you felt energized and woke up delighted to be Irish? Ya see I know that exists in each and every one of us. We have the ability to smile and laugh and make jokes, we are Irish. Now imagine those smiles and those jokes while feeling proud of our nation once again.
All it is going to take is you, each individual to take action. No longer is the current establishment acceptable. No longer can the establishment hide from accountability. No longer, no longer, no longer.
Feel absolutely free to comment below. If you support these points please say so by sharing. Ty.
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