Yes. The next budget won’t be long sorting that out. This rightwing government couldn’t give a hoot about the less well off. They will continue to squeeze them. They won’t dream of hitting the Fine Gael hard core voters tho. They makes me sick!

”What’s left? Over 1 million adults have less than €50 after bills”

Would somebody in the media mind telling this to our government
or at least pass it on to one of their expensive PR companies.

FG & Labour

The Eurobankers Bailiffs.

what is this ‘disposable income’? never heard of it

Or even retired politicians living on their pension.

career politicians – I needed a good laugh on a Monday thanks Jimbo

or “corrupt” politicians still drawing their pension.

That’s if exactly Tony!! When you remove all the spin, the domestic economy and domestic demand is still in serious recession and it’s because of the 4 years and counting of these austerity measures which hit the most venerable in society most also.
I believe There is no such thing as society in Ireland any longer. The ‘look after your own’ ethos that Thatcher and Regan drove was enshrined into our psyche by previous FF governments and the media and even in these horrible times, people refuse to stand together and in particular with the vulnerable. The household charge is proof of this, it’s ok people deciding to pay but in doing so, they are saying this charge is ok and fair on ALL. Public sector v Private .. Urban v Rural and now HH tax payees v Non payers.. These are the divides been driven by government to conquer us and keep us down.. Unfortunately people buy into it and they are succeeding

1.80?? Tell me where u are buying your petrol, because here even before the end of the year we will be paying at least 2 euro per litre.

It’s no wonder that shops are closing down every day! It’s just one big vicious circle! The government take more, people have less, shops and businesses close down because no one has any money to spend! So the government has to pay out more on social welfare! You have to ask yourself! Who do this government value more? The people of this country or the people in Europe that are stripping Ireland bare! The only way out is to say enough’s enough! We either pay back debts over a far longer timespan or we go it alone! Invest in the people. Create jobs, and get money flowing again. We’ve wasted nearly 4 years because of fools not having the courage to stand up for the people who elected them! It’s time to stand up for ourselves! Any option has to be better than the one our Government is presently taking! Can’t they see what’s going on? They’ve become obsessed by trying to get more and more out of people that just don’t have it! Do they really think that people will just lie down and let them install water meters? And then have the audacity to charge us for them! The household charge is one thing, but if they try and go ahead with this water meter thing, that, I’m certain will be the last straw for the Irish people!

There’s gonna be a new tax on comments made in the journal!

Isnt it great you have them to go to!!! Some people are solely dependant on themselves

Your entitled to breathe but you hardly expect others to pay for it surely!?!?!

There is a need for change I agree. One simple straight forward 1 would be to reduce Enda’s salary to €100k, ministers to €75k, junior ministers to €65k and TD’s to €60k and scrap the expenses gravy train. If they want people to suffer for the sake of the banks and the Euro it’s about time they showed a bit of leadership and made a bit of a sacrifice themselves.

spot on Kerry

Yes we are totally screwed and guess what I feel like doing is just handing my home contents and all to the government, brick by brick in a trailer to Dail Eireann and I will replace it with a caravan.. Why did we buy our own home????? Well I bought mine because we were both working when we git married , we planned to have family, and thankfully we have been blessed with both ,then!!!! Along came HAUGHEY THEN CAME BERTIE AND CAME COWEN AND NIW WE HAVE KENNY AND GILMORE …. my children are Now thank are now adults and an absolute pleasure and joy and a light in very dark days for usWhat have done wrong ???? We are Now retired and thought that we were secure but Kenny and Gilmore have SPAT in our face and told ha ha ha ha no you are not cos even your little nest egg is gone and your believed sons will more than likely be moving to far away lands and your home will go to rack and ruin cos you will have no money to maintain it cos we are going to take all from you ….FOOLS the lot of us for trying to secure our future and our old age So why not live in a caravan it would make sense cos we would not need much heating so we save there,we would not have much space so would only need very basic of clothes and as result of such a cramped space,we would nit be able to entertain, I could keep going on but I think I have painted my picture as I see it. VERY VERY Dark Days ahead with little Sunshine and hey We are the Proud Irish

@Sean Norris… Get over the Cantona references

Cantona references? No idea what you mean Nigel…… I am being serious I don’t follow soccer!

Actually John, almost two thirds of people did not vote for FG. 64% of voters did not give FG their first preference vote in the last election.

The sad truth John!! All the outside commentators have remarked the same

Where have you been Jake? Pre boom!! Pre war is more like it!!!

Hi Sean,

RTÉ reported that 1.6 million have less than €100 – here we chose the headline that over 1 million actually have less than €50.

Hope that explains it. Just choice of headline, information in both is accurate.

Thanks,
Sinead

Thanks Sinead for the clarification on that. Keep up the good work!

Jägermeisters agus Cártaí Creidmheasa!

Unfortunately convenience food is often cheaper than cooking from scratch but wouldn’t it be great if people could tear themselves away from the billion tv channels spouting crap at them all day (is tv an essential bill?) and spend some time cooking. Perhaps the whole country will get an imaginative quantum forwards leap when folks start realising that tv is rubbish and a total waste of money. Convenience means crap.

My grandfather spent his childhood in the workhouse with his mother and siblings. Got out married and lived through two world wars in England. He and his wife never bought convenience foods and always made their own soap from fat saved from the roast. Made a lot of their own clothes. My paternal grandparents who were their contemporaries lived in the country and grew a lot of their own food. They always said that the privations of rationing affect those who lived in the country less. If this country gets any worse financially I am getting rid of the telephone and going off grid again to recoup the stealth charges of the future.

And if we don’t buy crisps and biscuits and what have what are the people who make crisps and biscuits gonna do?? Go on the scratcher??
Big Picture please, not populist nonsense.

Blessed are
the Crisp-makers!
the Biscuit-makers!
and the Pre Cooked Foods makers!
Indeed anyone involved in the convenience food industry…..

Sorry, couldn’t resist!

Actually, with the prices going up steadily on the ingredients that’s not exactly true.
It’s a lot cheaper to feed yourself crap than it is to feed yourself good quality nourishing food.

Speak for yourself Gavin!!

No that’s after no nights in the pub, one trip to visit family in England on a cheap ryanair flight and no haircut for 2 months, being skint isn’t fun and I know for a fact that there is a large proportion of people worse off than me

oh oh, looks like another Tobin moment of brilliance

Good God man, did you even read the article?

If you read it Gavin you’d see it was after essential bills!

well baited gavin

What qualifies a 23 yr old to give anybody a “lesson in life” …. ?

how about a degree that could get me a job in most counties at home and zero debt for starters?

Wow Sean, how arrogant are you? You might want to take a closer look at the Australian economy, economists are making the same predictions about Oz as they made about Ireland before our economy tanked. Australia has a big construction boom at the moment, over inflated house prices and a huge increase in the cost of living over the last decade. Dont be so naive and keep educating yourself. As much as you like to think you’re a know it all, you’re not.

So seagulls are out, and only those who have nothing else to do may contribute to the Journal. And by the way, do you seriously think this is a debate?

you shouldnt be so hard on yourself sean, im sure you make the odd comment that contains a modicum of merit, not that ive witnessed one mind

Pat, There are many fine contributors to the forums here both busy people and those with in your words “who have nothing else to do” and they represent all views and post thoughtful contributions/participate in real debates but I see one seagull flying around here on a regular basis. I used the word debate but it could equally be contribution.
Revolting Peasant, I am under no illusions of granduer about any contributions that I make in this forum as I get as much possitive as negative feedback mind you I don’t keep track but I see someone for who I just cannot see what they could be possibly adding to any discussion that they post in so I am classifying them as a seagull and yes Pat, Seagulls are out!

but sean it boils down to the same thing i.e. your opinion of someone elses contributions, its on the same level as anyone elses put down of another commentator except you dont have the bottle to name them, so forgive me when i allude to my suspicion that you refer to yourself

Revolting, when the original contribution by the Seagull rather than the reply extends to one word what can you possibly do with that? I take your point that in the absence of naming them that maybe the torpedo I fired is on its way back to me but so be it. Why did I post my contribution? after running through one of the threads from yesterday I sensed a frustration by some posters towards this individual which I had to say I sympathised with so I had my rant, hissy fit, throwing all the toys out of the pram, or whatever you want to call it moment this morning.

c’mon sean,
de-fuse that torpedo that you fired

Tell us who ‘The Seagull’ is,
Go on my son, you can do it!

Joseph, I am playing back your comment in my mind with an accent from the some random Hollywood Military picture (take your pick) and it sounds good. A thumbs up from me but I am still not telling!