GearÓSc

Just listened to the Niall Boylan show on Classix hits Wednesday 23 August 23. The topic being discussed was young people living with their parents unable to afford rent or mortgages. ( Average salary  in Ireland is  €45,000. Average price of a  3 bedroomed house is €305,000, in Dublin average house price is €430,000. Borrowing limits are 4 times salary and a little more.)

What can people do ?

For starters they can pressurize the Government to provide more social and affordable housing, the government is dragging its feet on the  issue by building nowhere near enough houses.( Most of the government Td’s are landlords and have a invested interest in the status quo).

A tax on vacant homes / land with planning permission (stop hoarding )/ derelict houses and properties.

Encourage old people to rent out their houses when they are living in nursing homes.

More balanced regional development, much of rural Ireland is in the doldrums, encourage more people/ business’s to set up in rural towns and villages.

Better Roads and railways, better public transport.

Young people to get organized. Young people get the “shiity ” end of the stick precisely because they are not organized, they don’t vote or vote for parties like fine gael or fianna fail. Young people get shafted on everything like car insurance, student fees, accommodation, wage rates, healthcare and jobs.   Old people who vote get free medical cards,  free phone, electric discounts, bus passes, tv licence and so on.

vote out the present government, they are a government of the rich and will not alleviate the problems of ordinary people.

Have watched the situation in Irish hospitals unfold over the last few months, one has  to say the overcrowding issue is not new .Its the same story year after year for as long as I can remember,

Its made worse by having politicians in charge, their inept, incompetent and corrupt management of Irish hospitals leaves people in a dicey place when it comes to hospital admission, Lack of beds, lack of Consultants, lack of  nursing staff all add up.

Saw a presenter on Ireland am say that there was 6,000 more beds in the 1980’s than there is now and that was for a population of 3.5 million with the population of over 5 million now (26 counties). According to the Irish times 6,000  less hospital beds  equals to 10 hospital closures . They have done worse than that with 8 Accident and Emergency being closed in recent years.

Hardly surprising we have a situation on our hands is it ?

Things need to change, primarily the present Government which maintains the status qu0, more private medicine basically is what they’ll do. We need a government committed t0 public healthcare building new hospitals and adding thousands of beds and not lurching from crisis to crisis.

Here’s a link t0 s0me previous posts on the matter-

Health disservice / Cedar Lounge Revolution 7th June 2017

https://gearosc.eu/2017/12/13/an-excerpt-from-the-bitter-pill-or-what-is-wrong-with-irelandroi-healthcare-system/

The government have unwrapped new proposals on pension “reforms”. These “reforms” will allow people to “opt” to take a slightly larger pension at seventy years of age instead of sixty six at present. Other “reforms” will increase the length of contributions to forty years up from the present ten year prsi contribution. These measures are designed to cost the state less in pension costs and make people work till they are seventy !

I have said before that these proposals are anti-people and designed to catch the poorest and leave them with nothing . More than 50% of the workforce have no private pension and these people will be most effected by state pension “reforms.”.  Opposing the Government measures is a must for all workers.

Most people have worked hard for their retirement and don’t deserve any extra obstacles in the w\y. Maybe the government would look into civil service pensions and tax loop holes for the rich

Life expectancy Of Ireland =82.3- 82.6 yrs