It reminds me of the speed episode on fr ted. Dougal is on the milkfloat with no breaks. Three other priests discuss what to do. Something real. Something practical...got it...cut to them saying a mass.
Borrowing to pay for House building, seems as silly as borrowing to pay social welfare and the public sector pay bill. Yet one is ridiculed, the other is accepted as gospel by our political and economic classes. Even by 2013 the best we are hoping for is to increase our national debt by 3% year on year.

Here's an economic stimulus package, make 30,000 of the worst performing or surplus public servants either retire or redundant. Borrow now when it is still cheap to pay for that. Their lump sums can act as a stimulus package.

Maybe we should not use public sector employment or welfare as instruments of our monetary policy.

You forgot about the fekcin eejits that are in the Irish owned banks that aren't putting pressure on developers who aren't even servicing their debts.
They are sitting on property instead of having a firesale so at least we can reach the bottom and move on.

You also seem to forget that some people, out of principle, would rather not have a job than less pay.
This mindset is particularly noticable in very unionised industries.

Yep that's why I am makin them meself

A bit rich coming from a ff apologist who doesn't seem to notice the gaping holes in the intellectual capacities of top level ff ministers.
Lenihan, Coughlan are two that spring to mind that are completely in over their heads.
And please don't give us the sh*** about how glowing an academic career Lehinan has had. God knows what redeeming drivel can be brought out to excuse Coughlan.
Nowonder some see Clowen as an intellectual heavyweight.

Normally I wouldn't give a rat's ar** about how big a gobdaws they were, but when it has such consequences that it will mean I have to work even harder to raise and educate a family, just to probably watch them emigrate out of this banana sh**hole of a country that ff are primarily responsible for creating, it is sickening to watch their inept and often arrogant bumbling.

PS if you are one of those out canvassing in the months ahead, you better get used to meeting bigots who don't share your charitable and optimistic view of the ff party.

The Irish economy needs to produce goods and services that can be sold internationally.
Anything else is throwing good money after bad.

__________________
Its only a chat, we ain't the world council.
In 2000 the Women's Institute in Britain gave Tony Blair the slow hand clap to demonstrate their contempt.
It was dignified, restrained and effective.Doesn't Bertie deserve the same scorn. No shouting, no abuse, no agression just a relentless slow clap whenever he speaks in public would be enough to end that man's presidential fantasy.
If you agree copy the signature in to yours and lets get the whole country slow clapping Bertie.

You could get slated for talking sense! It's better to theorise on banking issues, outside influences, how to trim 70 million off a health service instead of getting the commerce running.

+1

The public needs to cut back massively on its purchasing on non-essential foreign goods and services. No more incentives for house building either. No 'scrappage' schemes.

If we can make more efficient use of our existing roads, we won't need to spend billions on new ones. Also, let's concentrate industry on urban areas with good services, plentiful skilled labour and pre-existing infrastructure.

Have you actually met the people you comment about? Well I have and the only obvious intellectual hole is the one between your ears.

You seem to ignore the fact that FF lead governments stopped forced emigration, brought peace to this island and doubled the number of people at work.

People like you no doubt claim FF had nothing to do with the economic boom, therefore by the same logic they have nothing to do with the economic collapse !

The reality is that we are one of the most open economies in the world and and so benefit hugely when the world economy is performing well, but also suffer when it is in decline.

I'll be certainly involved in the local elections and will have no problem in engaging with people.

BTW a bigot is a person who is intolerant of or takes offence to the opinions, lifestyles or identities differing from his or her own; FF respect people's views, we may disagree with some of them, but we're a democratically elected party, not a bigotted party.

Your nuts, we cant your kind of thinking here! Tax increases, spending cuts, bailing out banks and house building programs is the way to go!

Under no circumstances should we try and set up new companies (Automation companies, renewable research, electric hybrid cars, national rail/road system, make people work for their dole) not in this country