THE IDEAS CAMPAIGN - Campaign to harness ideas for economic growth

[oceanclub]

Ideas: batch #12 | Ideas Campaign

I suggest putting VAT on processed and packaged foods, and high energy and carbonated drinks, leaving only vegetables, fruits and non-processed meat and fish free from VAT.

Yes, because obviously people have too much money as it is.

Develop a national “Ireland” food brand. This national brand could be licensed by private food companies for selling into foreign markets

Hasn't this been done, oh, several times already? No-one has sufficiently explained to me why foreigners will be persuaded to buy overpriced food simply because is has Ireland on the label.

What I propose is a massive, national investment in a product which we have aplenty, and is increasing; is free in its raw state and is now worth more globally per litre than oil - FRESH WATER!

Like Lemass did in the 50’s, we need to invest large sums into ‘damming’ some of our (otherwise non-productive) upland areas - hills with glaciated/v-shaped valleys, which are common in places like West Cork & Kerry. We then use Hydro-Electric power (existing technology) to make electricity which powers the pumps required to fill tanker ships and filter the water.

That one is beyond parody.

Review the entire process for the granting of planning permission. We have cash rich viable private individuals with proven track records in construction and development and they are being strangled by bureaucracy and the small mindedness of our planning department.

Yes, because the big problem in Ireland at the moment is not enough property!

P.

[Slacker]

The first few posts in this thread have told me all I need to know about Politics.ie.

[KingKane]

I've an idea! One of the big weakness of the campaign is that no members of the public can comment or respond to any of the ideas so why not allow people to do that here? I'm going to post each batch of ideas from the ideas campaign and then people are free to pick apart those that are good and those that are clearly nonsense.

[jmcc]

I've an idea! One of the big weakness of the campaign is that no members of the public can comment or respond to any of the ideas so why not allow people to do that here? I'm going to post each batch of ideas from the ideas campaign and then people are free to pick apart those that are good and those that are clearly nonsense.

It seems to be an FF backed astroturf operation run by people who have never had an original idea in their lives and wouldn't know what to do with one if they had.

Regards...jmcc

[oceanclub]

Interesting blog entry over at valueireland.com. I'd wondered why there's been absolutely no even vaguely critical articles about the Ideas Campaign in the mainstream media. It turns out there was one, in the Irish Examiner, which was pulled. I quote part of it here, but go to the link for the full entry:

Supposed “whinging” clarifies Ideas Campaign for those submitting ideas - ValueIreland.com : Ireland's Only Truly Independent Consumer Watchdog

Last Friday morning, my concerns were highlighted in an article published in the Irish Examiner, written by Jennifer Hough.

The article was referred to on the Morning Ireland “It Says in the Papers” just after 8am. Subsequent to that, I was contacted three times each (phone, e-mail and text) by two RTE1 radio shows – Drive Time and The Marian Finucane programme – both asking that I speak to them about my concerns about the Ideas Campaigns Terms & Conditions.

There was nothing untrue or inaccurate in the article as published, nor in anything that I’ve published here on ValueIreland.com about the Ideas Campaign. This article was available on the Examiner.ie website until some time mid-morning when it was removed, and it is still unavailable. (A response from the Ideas Campaign is still available on the website, unsurprisingly!)

I am guessing that the article was removed from the Irish Examiner website at the request of the Ideas Campaign – presumably because in their mind it went against their “no whinging policy”. And as Friday went on, after their initial keenness to discuss the concerns regarding the Ideas Campaign, the RTE1 programmes no longer wanted to talk about the negative aspects of the Ideas Campaign that I was highlighting.
You can read the Irish Examiner article that the Ideas Campaign didn’t want you to read here. See anything bad about any of that?

P.

[Slacker]

It seems to be an FF backed astroturf operation run by people who have never had an original idea in their lives and wouldn't know what to do with one if they had.

Regards...jmcc

I beleive the "no whinging" to be a request to change the language which people use to describe a problem and solution.

Just to analyze the above statement.

It seems to be an FF backed (insulting link with unpopular govt) astroturf operation (nonsensical belittling insult) run by people who have never had an original idea in their lives (insult to people starting this initative)

I count 3, maybe 4 insults in that statement alone.

Fact is, if they allowed public feedback, every single idea, to a post, would be ripped to shreds by anyone who disagrees (mostly with posts like the above). This, coupled with the poster's anonymity (inherent in a forum) would allow the most nonsensical vitriol to spew fourth.

We need to find what's right in the country. There's plenty of people spewing fourth vomit about what's wrong, plenty of Orcs feasting on the good ideas of Ireland and ripping them to shreds. We need a Theoden on the hill, about to come in backed by his cavalry, expecting "ruin, the world's ending, and Death, but charging in anyway.

To quote the movie

"Ride! Ride to Ruin, and the Worlds Ending! Death!"

We're there lads. We can spew forth drivel like Denethor about abandoning our posts and fleeing for our lives, or we can stare the Orcs down and charge into them, expecting our demise.

This campaign is for finding what's Right in this country. Not to shoot down, burn and debate the ideas.

And anyways, if you DO have a viable business idea, how stupid would you be to give the game away to someone else?

[Slacker]

I've an idea! One of the big weakness of the campaign is that no members of the public can comment or respond to any of the ideas so why not allow people to do that here? I'm going to post each batch of ideas from the ideas campaign and then people are free to pick apart those that are good and those that are clearly nonsense.

Exellent idea. I support this.

[jmcc]

I beleive the "no whinging" to be a request to change the language which people use to describe a problem and solution.

No. It is a method of controlling reaction. It is a classic PR move in that it seeks to discredit any opposition by limiting discussion and critical evaluation.

Just to analyze the above statement.

Leaving aside your quaint American spelling, let's analyse the evidence, shall we?

It seems to be an FF backed (insulting link with unpopular govt)

Go look at the client list for Amas - the PR company that is the registrant of the domain and that has apparently funded the operation apparently to the tune of 10,000 Euro. It is heavy with government departments and semi-state clients. Then consider the support that the Taoiseach gave to the venture and the way that it just happened to be effectively launched on a flagship RTE programme. And we have Brian Cowen, the Taoiseach, supporting this campaign.

astroturf operation (nonsensical belittling insult)

Obviously your knowledge of US politics begins and ends with your American spelling of analyse. An astroturf operation is one that is, by its very nature, intended to create the illusion of popular support. It does that by a combination of concerted PR, high profile people being associated with the venture and a stream of apparently ordinary people being involved.

Fact is, if they allowed public feedback, every single idea, to a post, would be ripped to shreds by anyone who disagrees (mostly with posts like the above). This, coupled with the poster's anonymity (inherent in a forum) would allow the most nonsensical vitriol to spew fourth.

An idea should be able to stand on its own merit. The discussion of ideas is the very cornerstone of democracy. It is also the nature of the internet in that it allows for discussion and interaction. This is not what this "Ideas Campaign" venture is about. Indeed it sought to appropriate any good ideas and granted those behind the venture the right to effectively repackage those ideas for profit. That's hardly the action of a genuinely grassroots venture designed at encouraging ideas for the good of the nation, is it? The terms and conditions on the website were altered after this blatent attempt at appropriating the good will and, potentially, good ideas of others was mentioned on various blogs and fora.

We need to find what's right in the country.

Actually we need to find out what is wrong and go about fixing it. That is the difference between the simplistic Happy-Clappy approach and the realistically practical one.

There's plenty of people spewing fourth vomit about what's wrong, plenty of Orcs feasting on the good ideas of Ireland and ripping them to shreds. We need a Theoden on the hill, about to come in backed by his cavalry, expecting "ruin, the world's ending, and Death, but charging in anyway.

I'm afraid your Lord Of The Rings references are lost on me. I have always found Tolkien to be rather tediously juvenile.

This campaign is for finding what's Right in this country. Not to shoot down, burn and debate the ideas.

Really? You still believe that?

And anyways, if you DO have a viable business idea, how stupid would you be to give the game away to someone else?

As anyone in business will tell you, the idea is the easy part of any business. The execution and implementation of that idea as a viable business is the hard part.

Regards...jmcc

[jmcc]

Exellent idea. I support this.

So now you support the open discussion and open evaluation of ideas rather than leaving that to the good people in the Ideas Campaign? That's quite a turnaround.

Regards...jmcc

[123]

What ever happened to this?