Originally Posted by EUrJokingMeRight

Are you both unemployed or on minimum wage?

No neither of us have ever been in receipt of social welfare thankfully. My money isn't used on household expenses my father pays everything in relation to the home, he has a rather normal desk job that he's been in for 25 years nothing fancy (and no not public service) and yet with two mortgages and and car loans we come out with about 253 quid a week after everything is taken out (minus groceries and the fact that the washing machine is in a constant need of repair).
So I wouldn't call us well off I mean we've had the bank knocking on doors a couple of times but we're not in anywhere near an uncomfortable position.

Originally Posted by Daniel Plainview

You've stated it Never happens.

Your looking a bit foolish ...maybe had a few tins.

Hope no one went to bed hungry in your house.

You've still no facts and are still looking stupid.

Your desperate personal attack is no substitute for the facts and figures you have failed so far to deliver.

Again. Still waiting on your stats for Scrumpy Jack and cigarette consumption among the working poor, short-time workers and unemployed that leaves them with less than €100 a month disposable income. You've made the claim, back it up or continue to look stupid.

You began the personal abuse.

Do you want me to say that no child goes to bed hungry in ireland because their hard pressed parents choose to spend the little money they have on fags or booze?

Well no can do.

Do you have kids? Ever drop them to school? Surprised you haven't experienced it.

You know the kid who arrives with dirty clothes and hair. Parents drop them off and light up from a fresh box of twenty as they leave.

I've seen more than a few in one day. You don't have to look far.

Sorry no bank statements or photos to back it up.

Originally Posted by Daniel Plainview

Many many genuine cases I'm sure.

But many parents problem is they've no money left after paying the high taxed cost on cigarettes, betting and Scrumpy Jack.

How do you legislate against that?

Welfare and childrens wefare cheque books with Food Stamps / clothing vouchers etc the way to go?

There's the post. Still waiting on your facts to back it up. So far all you've managed is weak anecdotal generalised nonsense.

Have you got a cost benefit analyses for your Food Stamps / clothing vouchers scheme? I doubt it since so far you can't even quantify the problem.

Originally Posted by niall78

Have you got a cost benefit analyses for your Food Stamps / clothing vouchers scheme? I doubt it since so far you can't even quantify the problem.

What problem?

You said there is no problem.

Originally Posted by sondagefaux

I bet these people would give their right arms to have such a lifestyle:

Rural Zimbabweans are desperately panning for gold powder to ward off starvation | World news | guardian.co.uk



It sure fúcking is lady, it sure fúcking is.

NOBODY in Ireland is poor compared to the people in that film report.

But I think this is the problem. It's all bloomin' relative...

I have to be honest and say that if I could not send my teenager to the Gaeltacht this summer, pay for his music lessons (he is very talented) cook him a good steak once a week and buy fresh fish from my local fishmonger on Friday, go out for a cheap Italian dinner once every six weeks or so with my girlfriends...buy a good cashmere winter coat when my old one is worn out after five years....well, I would feel "deprived" I suppose..

But other people would find that lifestyle obscenely cossetted..

I sort of feel the same about friends with holiday homes, multiple properties, big cars, beautifully extended and decorated homes...and other things I could never afford...

Even my unemployed husband is privileged compared to those who are unemployed with an unemployed spouse,...and they in turn live an extraordinarily privileged life compared to those living in the Third World....

We are all in our own bubble....

Originally Posted by corporal punishment

You can doubt it all you like, but After bills and shopping etc are paid for, I don't have any spare cash. I use my savings for non essential stuff. I'm overdrawn and live from month to month. Despite all this I consider myself reasonably ok financially. there are loads worse off than me, and yes it is all enda's fault. He's tacling the bank crisis by taxing the employed literally untill the pips squeek. I don't know where the propoerty tax bill money is going to come from. Does this mean my house is at risk???

Okay I'm totally not criticising you or judging you here, but part of your post I don't understand.

You said you pay for all your basics with nothing left over. Got it.

You use savings to pay for non-essential things if you want them. Got it.

Yet you say you have an overdraft. Without being rude, would it not be better to use your savings to pay off the overdraft? The overdraft fees are going to be way higher than any interest you earn on your savings, surely?

Originally Posted by Daniel Plainview

What problem?

You said there is no problem.

Where did I say that? All I've asked you to do is prove your post. Maybe there's a massive problem and you are in position to prove it, at the moment you've failed to do that.

You said 'many' of the citizens with less than €100 disposable income at the end of the month have are in that position because they buy Scrumpy Jack and cigarettes and go to the bookies. You want food and clothes stamps to cut out this abuse. Yet you can't prove how many engage in this behavior. Your 'proof' seems to be some people you've seen outside a school and 'everybody knows someone'.

Like I said at the beginning, you've no facts or figures, just a big brush to tar the working poor, underemployed and unemployed with conjecture and weak anecdotes as proof of your position.

Are 'many' of the 400k newly unemployed all in the bookies? Are 'many' of the citizens on a short week all out of their faces on a never ending Scrumpy Jack binge? Are 'many' of the citizens on minimum wage smoking 80 a day?

You can't even quantify what you mean by 'many', what % is that? Many implies a sizable % of the 50% of of the population that don't have €100 disposable income at the end of the month engage in this behaviour.

You've zero facts and zero figures, I said that would be the case at the start and have been proven true.

Originally Posted by olli rehn

Very well said.
I see full pubs most evenings with people having plenty of dosh.
I see the bookies thriving in town- is it all coming from these 100 euros per month ?
I see plenty of new cars and people go on holidays as usual.
A lot of folks have money- no question.

No doubt- the unemployed and people on the minimum wage are really f ucked....
But do not tell me half of the country lives like that !

I don't know what the percentages are but I do know that if you're short of money you quickly become invisible.
You see the new cars, the packed pubs, the bookies..............by definition the polar opposite is hard to identify.

Originally Posted by Deep Blue

I don't know what the percentages are but I do know that if you're short of money you quickly become invisible.
You see the new cars, the packed pubs, the bookies..............by definition the polar opposite is hard to identify.

Don't mind him, he is a proven spoofer on this thread. The kind of person who sees rain on a summers day so declares it to be winter because the weather is bad.

His eyes don't lie, the pubs in his area are full and the bookies bursting therefore any research that says citizens are in trouble is an untruth and because of some hidden agenda that he can't specify. His research is what he sees in his own narrow little world and his facts, well he doesn't have any, he doesn't need any, sure the pubs are packed, that's all the facts he seems to need.

(He must be in a leafy suburb full of banker types, most pubs in the country are empty most of the week and bookies are closing in towns all over the country)