Class in Ireland, 2009

[eyeswideopen]

The social class of a person is determined by their relation to the means of production. Some people own factories/shares in factories etc. and live from profit derived from the work of employees and others live from payment for their own work.

Obviously this is broad brush and there are some grey areas.

[An Gilladaker]

A lower class person doesn't want to work, believes they are entitled to be supported by the state, never cared for school, doesn't take care of their children, what little money they have they spend on booze and fags, live in a council estate or get rent subsidy and enjoy a fight when they get drunk (which is often), they also think joyriding is a hobby and tend to have children very young (first of many).

Where are you have you emigrated or have you being captured and brought back

[True Republican]

The only people who are obsessed with class in Ireland are the Labour party, Sinn Fein and the hard left, most people outside Dublin couldn't care less about class structure in Ireland.

[EUrJokingMeRight]

Class is such an intangible. You can base class on wealth, salary, intelligence, education, social class(as defined CSO classification, ie occupation), literacy, artistic capability, accent etc etc. I see so many people actively discriminated against on 'class', rightly or wrongly, that it is as bad as racism or sexism. Basically I think it comes down to peoples own fear of what they see as 'different' than themselves.
I think when it comes to class in Ireland, the only thing every class can agree on now, is that Ireland is a second class country run by third class politicians.

[FutureTaoiseach]

The only people who are obsessed with class in Ireland are the Labour party, Sinn Fein and the hard left, most people outside Dublin couldn't care less about class structure in Ireland.

Labour are not obsessed with class. They are now a predominately middle-class party and that is the base of their support. That is why they oppose means-testing or taxing social-welfare for the better off. Note Joanna Tuffy's strange argument against it on the grounds that the benefit is "for the child" - as if somehow the child was the one spending it or the State required it to be spent on a child rather than on a lamborghini. The failure of the party to support Pat Rabbitte on Irish Ferries also showed the bourgeoise 'champagne socialist' groupthink of this party, which is now trailing all the other parties among the DE working-class groups, according to the latest TNS-MRBI poll (Sept 25th). Brendan Gallagher (SP) is right to call them a party of "trendy urban liberals", but only in the left-liberal sense.

[SAHM]

Labour are not obsessed with class. They are now a predominately middle-class party and that is the base of their support. That is why they oppose means-testing or taxing social-welfare for the better off. Note Joanna Tuffy's strange argument against it on the grounds that the benefit is "for the child" - as if somehow the child was the one spending it or the State required it to be spent on a child rather than on a lamborghini. The failure of the party to support Pat Rabbitte on Irish Ferries also showed the bourgeoise 'champagne socialist' groupthink of this party, which is now trailing all the other parties among the DE working-class groups, according to the latest TNS-MRBI poll (Sept 25th). Brendan Gallagher (SP) is right to call them a party of "trendy urban liberals", but only in the left-liberal sense.

Hold up there FT. I would be hugely against the gov't means testing anything purely because they are rubbish at doing it. That doesn't mean you should lump me in with all the 'labourites'.

[FutureTaoiseach]

Hold up there FT. I would be hugely against the gov't means testing anything purely because they are rubbish at doing it. That doesn't mean you should lump me in with all the 'labourites'.

Did I? Where?