Tales from the Canvass

[EoinMn]

Actually - on that subject, how about interest free loans or similar for green home improvements?

An interest free "green mortgage"? I think some banks are doing these at special rates, but it sounds like a good idea for the government to go the whole hog and give interest-free ones.

[QuizMaster]

An interest free "green mortgage"? I think some banks are doing these at special rates, but it sounds like a good idea for the government to go the whole hog and give interest-free ones.

It's a great idea. A credit agency for buying solar panels, wind turbines, etc.
We keep hearing these things pay for themselves eventually. So let the buyer pay for them over the time it takes for them to pay for themselves.
Loan secured on the appliance.

[Duth Ealla]

FF supporters on the doorstep can be identified by one or more of the following responses:

1) the problem is all over the world

2) the politicians should stop the bickering and pull together to sort it out and form a national government

3) ye are all the same.

4) express criticism of the FG leader

5) try to delay you talking round in circles and continuing to change the subject

6) invite you in favourite FF & SF tactic to delay you even longer

suffer from the paranoia for long John?

[grainne whale]

So...
You were able to afford a new boiler, heating controls etc, without the schemes..

but you claim you would not be able afford this new boiler, heating controls, etc with the schemes. Have I got that right?

When I worked out the figures for a Renewable System (to comply with Part L) the returns were just were not there, even with the grant. I had a friend (builder) do all the other work, this was just finished in February before the grants came into play. I can assure you that I got excellent value for money, my energy usage/ cost has dropped. When I get around to it I must do an audit and compare what the Energy Rating would have been before all the works.

[wysiwyg]

Lads, can we move this from being a "I hate the Greens thread", back to a tales from the canvass thread ?

[The OD]

I got a ''newsletter'' in the door recently for some new FF guy called Edno Cooley - believe it or not, I actually feel sorry for the guy when he starts canvassing, from what my (mostly elderly) neighbours have been saying of late, I can see a grey revolution coming and a lot of vitriol being spat at him. I myself will politely tell him I am not interested, but some of them (including my next door neighbour, 79 and very opinionated) will not be slow to give him a piece of his mind.

He must be mad!

[JohnCallaghanWill]

I got a ''newsletter'' in the door recently for some new FF guy called Edno Cooley - believe it or not, I actually feel sorry for the guy when he starts canvassing, from what my (mostly elderly) neighbours have been saying of late, I can see a grey revolution coming and a lot of vitriol being spat at him. I myself will politely tell him I am not interested, but some of them (including my next door neighbour, 79 and very opinionated) will not be slow to give him a piece of his mind.

He must be mad!

Edno is a nice able sincere fellow. He might scrape in on the 255 hard core FF vote

[EoinMn]

Feedback I have been receiving is of a very high level of apathy.

Compared to previous elections I'm finding the exact opposite.

I can see a grey revolution coming and a lot of vitriol being spat at him

Yeah, we're finding that the over 65s aren't afraid to speak their mind / behave like roaring loons, depending on your point of view.

[adamirer]

It would be so easy for us to stay in oppostion and join the mob with their cat-calls and sneers. It would be even easier to hop over to flavour of the month Labour, and presumably hop off somewhere else when Gilmore is no longer everyone's darling.
Instead we choose to do what is hard. Hard to do and hard to explain to some.
Wind generation is growing exponentially. On a windy day Ireland now gets 20% of its power from renewable resources.
Microgeneration has come in. You can now sell electricity on the grid.
There is a new tax on any oil or gas that may be discovered.
There are strict new rules on election spending and party fundraising.

I could go on at length about things that are coming. But I'm just concentrating on things already acheived. For the benefit of people who "don't see anything". Seriously, I did not intend to be smug. But to "not see anything" you would have to close your eyes quite often when watching the news or reading the papers.

Lets be honest, much of that was in hand before Gormley & Ryan got in place. I'll tread carefully here as I've worked for both depts they manage, but the Wind Generation take up has bene happening for years, and long before Ryan took power, so dont do the FF thing of claiming too much credit for stuff in hand.

That said, FG have adopted the green idea on renewable energy and the greens should take a lot of credit for that - they have helped change the mindset. The Microgeneration connection was a very simple and worthwhile move which i dont recall hearing about under Dempsey reign. The rest.. lets not get too excited. Ryan is still pushing a broadband scheme he was highly critical of in opposition (see orieachtas committee reports). That said, the greens have done ok with their briefs and they are liked by their staff as competent Ministers. It ain't always the case.

But... While I'm very angry at ths Gov, i don't hold the Greens responsible I dont really hold Lenihan either, to be hnest, and thought he's done a good job defending what he's done in the media. I do however hold the following responsible, in very close order

Ahern, McCreevy, Cowen.. then FF/PDs from 2002-2007.

Those three, since 2001, moved the foundation of our economy from competitive enterprise to fuelled by a false economy. Enough warnings were given by the central bank, bacon and others of the consequences. When things did cool off some years ago, they inflated them again! Throw in decentralisation, wasting the boom etc...

So when FF come to my door, they'll get a polite no (canvassing is such a thankless job). The Greens will get a no, but mainly because they went in with FF.

The greens wont get the brunt of this, because i think the anger, while seething at the way the cuts are coming, is more rooted in the need for the cuts, and that clearly lies with Aherns governments.

[QuizMaster]

Lets be honest, much of that was in hand before Gormley & Ryan got in place. I'll tread carefully here as I've worked for both depts they manage, but the Wind Generation take up has bene happening for years, and long before Ryan took power, so dont do the FF thing of claiming too much credit for stuff in hand.

That said, FG have adopted the green idea on renewable energy and the greens should take a lot of credit for that - they have helped change the mindset. The Microgeneration connection was a very simple and worthwhile move which i dont recall hearing about under Dempsey reign. The rest.. lets not get too excited. Ryan is still pushing a broadband scheme he was highly critical of in opposition (see orieachtas committee reports).

But... While I'm very angry at ths Gov, i don't hold the Greens responsible I dont really hold Lenihan either, to be hnest, and thought he's done a good job defending what he's done in the media. I do however hold the following responsible, in very close order

Ahern, McCreevy, Cowen.. then FF/PDs from 2002-2007.

Those three, since 2001, moved the foundation of our economy from competitive enterprise to fuelled by a false economy. Enough warnings were given by the central bank, bacon and others of the consequences. When things did cool off some years ago, they inflated them again! Throw in decentralisation, wasting the boom etc...

So when FF come to my door, they'll get a polite no (canvassing is such a thankless job). The Greens will get a no, but mainly because they went in with FF.

The greens wont get the brunt of this, because i think the anger, while seething at the way the cuts are coming, is more rooted in the need for the cuts, and that clearly lies with Aherns governments.

Nice to see a cool balanced post on here. I know I'm as guilty as anyone in this respect.

In fairness too though, even though a lot of stuff was already in train, they have survived the cuts. Maybe they wouldn't have otherwise.

I'm assuming our candidate is getting a positive response because she is already a local celebrity, but you never know, maybe the Greens won't do so badly after all.