Thank the stupid people who voted Fine Gael and Labor.

If Kenny remains I say to the people fight the good fight but let Kenny take us over the cliff. The people will get the medicine they begged for if they choose to re-elect Kenny or Fianna Fail. When we are back in recession in early 2013 perhaps the people will finally understand that Ireland will be heading into a second bailout.

This economy is heading off a cliff one way or the other; the fiscal cliff in early 2013 and then another cliff when FG-LAB-FF are in power.

‘According to the Chief Medical Officer of Ireland,
a 30% reduction in alcohol-related harm would result in a cost saving to the Exchequer of €1 billion’

‘If we reduced alcohol-related harms by 30%, we would save 30 lives per month and 600 overnight hospital admissions per day’
Chief Medical Officer of Ireland, Dr. Tony Holohan

A former government adviser on drugs has told MPs that alcohol consumption would fall by as much as 25% if Dutch-style cannabis “coffee shops” were introduced in Britain.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jun/19/david-nutt-alcohol-cannabis-cafes

http://alcoholireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/aai_pre_budget_submission_2011_and_the_case_for_minimum_pricing1.pdf

Just out of curiosity who do think should have been elected instead of FG and Lab? Do you actually think FF, SF or anyone else would have done thing differently.

Sadly I don’t think we have one member of Government/Opposition that has the balls to make real changes that will make a difference in this country.

Mr. Lynch

Study a little history, and see how well Sinn Fein have worked in the past during governments.

Which governments would they be Tim?

Yes Tim. I too will be voting for SF.

Anyone but Kenny or Martin…

Shame on you enda kenny .
Shame on you eamon gilmore.

is it true that enda kenny gets ?500,000 extra to fund HIS constituency office to keep the gombeen politics going?

Embarrassing for the country embarrassing for us the people embarrassing for the disabled who have to sit out and protest not embarrassing for our government who have no shame.People in wheelchairs begging for protection and you have Kenny & co coming on congratulating Team Ireland in para-oylmpics do you want this creep representing you..wake up

How is it a sham of a Government? They were fairly elected and would be in again in the morning.

In saying that, these cuts are a disgrace and are just an attempt by O’Reilly to hide his ineptitude and protect his budget. He needs to go.

Bob,

If Kenny stays in office his next conservative program might represent to borrow more money from China to fill the tax breaks he gave to the top 10%.

Repeal the wealthy tax breaks and replace the property tax with smaller government, funded by a wealth tax for the few services the government is providing, and only if they provide them well.

Casino capitalism has ruined every economy in which it has been implemented in part or in full.

Tim – I think you have your countries mixed up.

Or perhaps you could spell out the tax breaks Kenny has given to the top 10%?

In any case, my point still stands – they would be in again in the morning. It’s called democracy.

Bob,

When Kenny drives Ireland over the cliff in 2013 and 2014, you can willow in your populace. Nothing will be left of the country. Fine Gael gave tax breaks in the 1990’s to corporations and the wealthy: the “double Irish arrangement” is a tax break that Apple and Microsoft currently use to AVOID paying taxes to Ireland. This despite their presence in Ireland.

RECENT FINE GAEL TAX BREAKS:

The newly published finance bill will enable the mega-rich to avoid paying tax on 30 per cent of annual income between €75,000 and €500,000. It also offers them immigration status if they park their €500K in Ireland. A Tax Haven despite a deficit of €20 billion and an over-taxed middle class. When 2009 repeats itself all over again, the conservative Mormons will be itching when they leave Ireland due to a boom-bust taxation policy. The only way to create stable employment is structural reforms and a downsizing in the overpaid government.

@ Bob

Why would anyone want to vote for Fine Gael or Fianna Fail?

The lack of credible opposition?

Credible Opposition:

Sinn Fein & Independents.

Suuuuurrreeeee…….

So faceless man point out to me where SF and the independents have damaged this country? Also remember Kenny was in opposition as the main party in Leinster house when FF/PD?G party was in power so tell me really seriously about the credibility of Kenny and FG in Government as of today. What have they done?

Well done Ann, at least you are getting out there and doing something!

I didn’t hear about it Ann :( Were there advocacy groups getting the information about it in the public domain? There probably wasn’t time for spreading the word! Fair play to ye for getting out there, take good care of yourself til ye get your strength back, I’ll keep a lookout for future protests x

Well done Ann. Stay strong because someone has to.

They should get international coverage for this.
Shame the bustards
Shame them

I agree with both of you. Its an outrage. If they blocked the gates at 7am and had a high media frenzy there, the Gardai wouldnt be able ro move those courageous people because the images of disabled people in wheelchairs being moved away by Gardai would be international news that would collapse the government!!!!

maybe we should get off our arses and join them in their protests.

lee rock – you are so right. We have to protest. This has gone too far.

can you believe it – a socialist party trodding on the poorest. maybe Michael d could show example and give up 50% of his salary? of course he wouldn’t smoked salmon is expensive.

Don’t be silly Sean..who would pay for their foie gras in chapter one!!

The right-wing Mormons divide and conquer because they know Sinn Fein will make a better government than Fine Gael ever did. Just because FG have the most qualified ministers doesn’t necessarily mean you will see proper governance. Sometimes, people with no experience make better governments as history has shown in other countries.

Mormons?

Mormons???????
Thats hilarious

Starving the beast may be the only way to rein in spending. Nothing else has worked. When govt demonstrates an ability to manage their spending reasonably, then we can figure out the right amount of taxes to pay. Until then, encouraging their bad behavior by giving them more is simply the wrong incentives.

Tim, I think your ducks are a little out of quack…. Do the glorious, infallible Sinn Féin have some anti Mormon issues, or is it just your good self. It was the aliens I tells ya….

No only 600 million this month.A billion on the 1st of October just in time for a desposit on a new 2013 Maserati/Porsche.

Those who paid the household charge, apart from those who did it out of fear, are a bunch of muppets.

Kenny/Howlin/Gilmore/et al are deliberately destroying the economy, so they can use the crisis to implement more government takeover.

Ann sorry to read all that.I know it is of little comfort but try not give up hope.

The lads in the pub was saying that RTE are only stirring up trouble,They dramatise everything, But the Goverment shouldnt cut any disability money or services, But dont heed RTE.

And May i add Ann..in spite of all this being thrown at you. You have kept your dignity and sound like an utter lady.

Margaret well done for your protest i hope ye achieve the results you deserve,as for Senator Whelan i don’t think you’ll need to reserve him a seat.
It is time TDs heard our angry voices when they attack the weakest they attack all of us.Ring them visit them annoy them start letting them know who they work for.

Norman please dont be annoying the good Senator. Hes a hard worker like me and very busy runing the country.

Ah Richard you of many talents fitting your bar job around running the country.:-)

Sorry Richard a letter missing in “runing the country”so is it “ruining” or “running”?

Con Russell, our unemployment rate was actually about on par for the EU, and in some years pre-recession was lower than that of the UK which is usually held up as some kind of standard by anti-welfare types. There should always be some degree of unemployment as people are between jobs, or to help fuel growth if they’re short on manpower. Also – some people, frankly, are just cheaper to keep at home until they do something about their general uselessness.

The vast majority of money being spent on welfare right now is on genuine cases.

also, welfare is the stupidest thing to cut in a recession as it’s effectively a natural cash injection into the economy. we need a stimulus, if anything.

@leigh i don’t dispute that most welfare cases currently are for real , as i said the damage was done years ago when we allowed people to free load because the majority of folk had jobs , at this point in time welfare as a cash injection is not really as big an impact as you may think as people are spending the same amount to live as they did in the celtic tiger (rent ,food etc) when you consider we actually pay people to be in prison ,we also cover all their needs – clothes , food , medical needs etc , and yet we dont have a few shillings to support the disabled , you say we need a stimulus i don’t disagree at all , but first we need to get our priorities right on how we spend money Ireland and its goverment is here to service the people not the banks

Andrea,

We will be safer under a new government of Sinn Fein and Independents.

Andrea it was a con job,stagemanaged if you like, wait for the real cuts,smaller but more spread out.The art of plucking a goose ie the most amount of feathers for the least amount of hissing.

May i respond to Tim…f*** off time we are bored of hearing from you.

No Norman the government we elected failed based on their promises and it is up to us as voters to tell them at every possibility that they have failed.

Thank You Mr Whelan….join us tomorrow.

Senator,

But you go repeating those Rainbow talking points. You’ve probably said them enough times that by now you believe them. We should have learned our lesson from voting you into office not to go into more tax breaks; it’s your government that has us with more expenses than when you entered office, got us involved in stealth taxes, is threatening to keep Croke Park, and is backing us into a corner with you. Take my advice: call early elections to see the real gauge to your popularity.

That kind of two-faced lip service from a Labour senator makes me puke. Senator because the people of Laois Offaly had the sense not to vote for you when you were parachuted in to stand for Dâil.
Shut up or leave the sell-out Labour Party. Enough of this hypocritical shite.

John well done for coming on here,would you care to respond to any of the commentators or is just a written sound bite you’ll be leaving us with?Back to you.

Why post here if you refuse to engage,you do realise that is the point of this site to comment on the news and interact.

Whelan still on the gravy train.

They haven’t finished defending their rainbow government on the other news articles… A bit like the sinking Titanic.

They’d rather red thumb you and run Norman…because their arguments would not stand up.

Senator you still a member of the government progressing these cut backs or have you resigned? If you haven’t resigned maybe cut back on the waffle? Don’t give me the better to be in the tent pissing out guff. Clown.

Fair enough Norman. Theres a lot of upset people on this today….

Well, here’s the rainbow in a sick kind of voting. If Kenny gets re-elected and when the country REALLY goes south; then yes … he can blame the previous administration. And my bet if both things happen ….. you’ll be hard pressed to find a single individual who won’t be better off than Greece.

Think change people. Kenny is dividing and conquering you but you still haven’t seen this.

The Irish people live in a world of denial. It’s a much easier place to be than the world of fantasy under the present coalition.

Robert. Sinn Fein wouldnt cut disabiliy services. Just ask Mary Lou.

Richard Lennon, you are living in a dream world if some how you think SF won’t cut anything that affects people that includes disability services.

They’ve barely got their foot in the door and they’ve ripped off what they can including 50k of print cartridges…thats only small fry to what they are capable of doing. They are more then capable of making any other previous government look like they took it easy when it came to abusing the system

Barry agree with you,but it took the the SF td 2 years to rip off 50,000 in cartiridges,FG junior minister from Sligo 5,000 in mileage in a month where the Dail is on holidays.Can you figure that one out because i cant,think Minister Quinn achieved the same 5,000 mileage in a month the Dail wasn’t sitting aswell.

What about the Mormons?

I agree Tim.

Do tell us how the Mormoms will run the country though, I’m very interested

Timmy!

Mark i don’t Margaret was having a go at you.You just doesn’t wish to see other groups treated the same way.

Mark. My best friends brother was a heroin addict. He got clean, set up his own c.d.p. in helping others with their addictions. A very successful man both on life and work..4children and a beautiful home. Always giving back to his community. I take offence to what you call some people with addictions.

Gotta say Tim – as a protester who stayed there all night and for over 24 hrs without any sleep – not ONE Sinn Fein TD came out to support us and the one Independent who did was just jumping on our gravy train and came only for a photo opportunity. Not impressed by them at all. At least Michael Noonan’s office called to get our side of what was going on and apologise for him being out of town.

I’m going to go out on a limb here Tim and guess you won’t be repeating your FG vote.

Tim
You haven’t told us about the Mormons yet. Please…we want to know!