# Not just a recession - how to prepare



## z103 (4 Mar 2009)

It's has become increasingly obvious to me that we are in more than just simply a recession. This isn't just a return to the 80s for a few years.

- Number of job losses. The job losses are horrendous. It really is shocking how quickly these jobs are being lost. We are already at 10.4% unemployment rate.
- Types of jobs being lost. We know we're in trouble when the likes of KPMG are getting rid of staff, and accountants and bankers etc applying for McDonalds jobs.
- Collapse of ISEQ. It has crashed within the space of a few months.
- Collapse of Banks. One has been nationalised and it doesn't look too rosy for the others.
- SMEs dropping like flies. This isn't as reported as much in media, but a friend whose company deals with SMEs tells me that this month, he is getting more cancellations from bankrupt SMEs than orders. Scary stuff.
- Many people are up to their eyeballs in debt and mortgages. This makes a striking difference from the 80s.

So how do we prepare for the future?

-----
Bad: Job loses ease a bit, massive tax increases
How to prepare:
Pay off all debt (if possible). Move country - but where? Any other ideas?
-----
Very Bad: Social unrest, >30% unemployed
How to prepare:
Start stock piling food and other rations. I would suggest tinned, high protein but not very nice food. Water filtration equipment. Weapons.
Horde stuff that can be bartered.
Home security - beef this up a bit.

Anyone have any other ideas?


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## Ruam (4 Mar 2009)

I think you have a point but unless society plan for the breakdown it will be a very ugly world.  I think food and security will be the priorities.

The article below was written by James Kunstler someone who has been predicting the collapse of our economic system for a number of years now.  Makes for frightening reading.



Isn't that a question, though....
      The Peak Oil story was never about running out of oil. It was 
about the collapse of complex systems in a world economy faced by the 
prospect of no further oil-fueled growth. It was something of a shock to 
many that the first complex system to fail would be banking, but the 
process is obvious: no more growth means no more ability to pay interest 
on credit... end of story, as Tony Soprano used to say.
     There was a popular theory among Peak Oilers the last decade that 
the world would enter a "bumpy plateau" period when the global economy 
would get beaten down by peak oil, would then revive as "demand 
destruction" drove down oil prices, and would be beaten down again as 
oil prices shot up in response -- with serial repetitions of the cycle, 
each beat-down taking economies lower -- the only imaginable outcome 
being some sort of quiet homeostasis. This scenario did not play out as 
expected. It was predicated on a mistaken assumption that all systems 
would retain some kind of operational resilience while ratcheting down. 
Anyway, the banking system was mortally wounded in the first go-round 
and the behemoth is dying hard.
     The last desperate act of the banking system in the face of Peak 
Oil's no-more-growth equation was to engineer species of tradable 
securities that could produce wealth out of thin air rather than 
productive activity. This was the alphabet soup of algorithm-derived 
frauds with vague and confounding names such as credit default swaps 
(CDSs), collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), structured investment 
vehicles (SIVs), and, of course, the basic filler, mortgage backed 
securities. The banking system is now choking to death on these delicacies.
     The trouble is that the EMT squad brought in to rescue the banking 
system -- that is, governments -- can't remove these obstructions from 
the patient's craw. They don't want to drown in a mighty upchuck of the 
alphabet soup.
     The collapse of complex systems is actually predicated on the idea 
that the systems would mutually reinforce each other's failures. This is 
now plain to see as the collapse of banking (that is, of both lending 
and debt service), has led to the collapse of commerce and 
manufacturing. The next systems to go will probably be farming, 
transportation, and the oil markets themselves (which constitute the 
system for allocating and distributing world energy resources). As these 
things seize up, the final system to go will be governance, at least at 
the highest levels.
     If we're really lucky, human affairs will eventually reorganize at 
a lower scale of activity, governance, civility, and economy. Every 
week, the failure to recognize the nature of our predicament thrusts us 
further into the uncharted territory of hardship. The task of government 
right now is not to prop up doomed systems at their current scales of 
failure, but to prepare the public to rebuild our systems at smaller scales.
     The net effect of the failures in banking is that a lot of people 
have less money than they expected they would have a year ago. This is 
bad enough, given our habits and practices of modern life. But what 
happens when farming collapses? The prospect for that is closer than 
most of us might realize. The way we produce our food has been organized 
at a scale that has ruinous consequences, not least its addiction to 
capital. Now that banking is in collapse, capital will be extremely 
scarce. Nobody in the cities reads farm news, or listens to farm reports 
on the radio. Guess what, though: we are entering the planting season. 
It will be interesting to learn how many farmers "out there" in the 
Cheez Doodle belt are not able to secure loans for this year's crop....

[broken link removed]


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## bamboozle (4 Mar 2009)

3 things that need to happen for the country to stabilise....

1- new budget, getting a grip on govt. expenditure
2- General Election, our spineless reactive govt need to be replaced and fast by people who are willing to make hard proactive decisions and be unpopular
3-world markets stabilise, at least if world markets stabilise we will at least see some of thes benefits here with inflows of business & increases in international trade.

problems- 
how can massive public sector bill be adequately trimmed?
where will future job creation here come from?
inadequate educational system, anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded, we are poor at languages, weak at sciences & engineering, in a global economy these are vital.


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## rabbit (4 Mar 2009)

bamboozle said:


> problems-
> how can massive public sector bill be adequately trimmed?.


The day will come when nobody will lend the Irish govt more money to featherbed them....why should they when they are the most overpaid in the world ?



bamboozle said:


> where will future job creation here come from?.


I suggest we emigrate to open Irish pubs in China.



bamboozle said:


> inadequate educational system, anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded, we are poor at languages, weak at sciences & engineering, in a global economy these are vital.


 
true


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## Towger (4 Mar 2009)

leghorn said:


> So how do we prepare for the future?


 
Where can you buy seed potatos at the right price.


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## z103 (4 Mar 2009)

Potatoes would probably be a good crop. If you have land that you can easily guard. Very good nutrition.

If you get normal potatoes and chop them into thirds or quarters, this might work. Probably not as good or disease resistant as seed potatoes.

(I got my last batch of seed potatoes at a garden centre.)


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## Ron Burgundy (4 Mar 2009)

rabbit said:


> The day will come when nobody will lend the Irish govt more money to featherbed them....why should they when they are the most overpaid in the world ?
> 
> 
> *I suggest we emigrate to open Irish pubs in China*.
> ...


 
Really, can i donate to your ticket..........


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## rabbit (4 Mar 2009)

Touche....Shure why not put your money where your mouth is and I will go out on an exploratory fact finding mission first, travelling " FAS" class of course....if its good enough for our public servants t'is good enough for me ..........


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## liaconn (4 Mar 2009)

Rabbit

No matter what the topic of a thread, if it mentions the word 'recession' you turn it into another opportunity to bash the public sector. I thought this had been banned.I can't understand why you haven't been as well.


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## cole (4 Mar 2009)

bamboozle said:


> how can massive public sector bill be adequately trimmed?
> 
> inadequate educational system, anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded, we are poor at languages, weak at sciences & engineering, in a global economy these are vital.


 
The recent OECD report states that "just two countries, Greece and the Slovak Republic, spend a smaller proportion of their GDP on education than Ireland does. While spending on education here has increased in recent years, when it is taken as a proportion of GDP it has actually fallen."



bamboozle said:


> how can massive public sector bill be adequately trimmed?





rabbit said:


> The day will come when nobody will lend the Irish govt more money to featherbed them....why should they when they are the most overpaid in the world ?


 
Here we go again...yawn.


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## cole (4 Mar 2009)

liaconn said:


> Rabbit
> 
> No matter what the topic of a thread, if it mentions the word 'recession' you turn it into another opportunity to bash the public sector. I thought this had been banned.I can't understand why you haven't been as well.


 
It doesn't even have to have recession in it for rabbit to start his predictable public sector bashing. I've added rabbit to my ignore list.


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## Superman (4 Mar 2009)

bamboozle said:


> 2- General Election, our spineless reactive govt need to be replaced and fast by people who are willing to make hard proactive decisions and be unpopular


If that's the case, we might as well give up hope now.


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## UptheDeise (4 Mar 2009)

What to do?

Well stocking up is very good idea, tinned foods, high in protein like tuna or salmon say.
Also stock up on tobacco as people will want this.
You may need to get a gun as security will become an issue. If you live in a working class area like I do maybe two? the working class areas will be abandon by the law and they will become no go areas. 99% of peopel who live in WC are sound people BTW.
To preserve your wealth invest in gold and silver perhaps.
Learn mandrin chinese because the 21st century will belong to China.
Get to know all your rights under Irish law. As the civil unrest kicks off martial law will be declared and you could end up on the wrong end of the law accidentally. But if we have martial law your civil liberties and human rights will more than likely be suspended.
Also be aware that the Lisbon treaty will be passed. Did you know that the death penalty is permissable under this treaty under certain conditions like civil unrest and rioting?
Finally, say your prays.


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## DublinTexas (5 Mar 2009)

UptheDeise said:


> What to do?
> 
> Well stocking up is very good idea, tinned foods, high in protein like tuna or salmon say.
> Also stock up on tobacco as people will want this.
> ...


 
Great ideas.

My last shop included long term goods in cans already, the check out lady who knows me looked very worried about that.

My local superintend has still a couple of weeks left to deceide if he wants to approve my request for a shotgun

Now where can I lean more about my rights in case of marial law. But than again as the army is on strike too it's anyhow everybody for himself.

I'm not really for praying but I think I just migth be convinced to (re)join some organised religon.


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## bamboozle (5 Mar 2009)

cole said:


> The recent OECD report states that "just two countries, Greece and the Slovak Republic, spend a smaller proportion of their GDP on education than Ireland does. While spending on education here has increased in recent years, when it is taken as a proportion of GDP it has actually fallen."
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

anyone who thinks there is no need to reduce public sector expenditure has not got a grasp of reality.  we've gone from public sector expenditure of 4 billion in 2000 to 19 billion in 2007- its hardly rocket science to identify public sector expenditure as an area which needs to be urgently addressed.  This is not public sector bashing this is harsh reality.


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## Calico (5 Mar 2009)

Is this thread for real? People buying tinned food and keeping guns?


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## DublinTexas (5 Mar 2009)

Calico said:


> Is this thread for real? People buying tinned food and keeping guns?


 
Well let's see, 25% umemployed that can't get their payments because the public/civil servants are on strike (20% of the workforce) plus Dublin Bus not longer going hindering another 20% from going to work with the Gardai on blue flue and the defence forces not stepping in because they don't want to cross a picket line following by the goverment not longer being able to borrow money internationaly and the "super rich" having left the country.

So what do you think? Woudn't you want a gun to protect yourself from the food riots.

The only reason we are not currently as bad in shape as Iceland is that we are part of the EU zone and we hope that Germany is (once again) bailing us out.

The only reason we don't see violent demonstrations as in Greece is that we are still hoping the socialism is working and everything will be fixed.

What we need are actions from the goverment and a fair distribution of the burden.


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## Bronte (5 Mar 2009)

rabbit said:


> Touche....Shure why not put your money where your mouth is and I will go out on an exploratory fact finding mission first, travelling " FAS" class of course....if its good enough for our public servants t'is good enough for me ..........


 
Rabbit I've just noticed you're banned so how come you can post?


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## bamboozle (5 Mar 2009)

Calico said:


> Is this thread for real? People buying tinned food and keeping guns?


 
have you not got a gun yet??


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## Fingalian (5 Mar 2009)

Bí ullamh.

http://www.amazon.com/Long-Term-Survival-Coming-Dark-Age/dp/1581605757


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## Pique318 (5 Mar 2009)

Cool, I've always loved the Mad Max films....soon I may be able to live the dream


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## Towger (5 Mar 2009)

Pique318 said:


> Cool, I've always loved the Mad Max films....soon I may be able to live the dream


 
So, if i had my seed potatoes & toold etc the next problem is how to protect the crop. I have access to site of a couple of acres in Dublin surrounded by houses with a fresh water supply. Any suggestions on how to keep the hungry masses out? 

There is also a problem of having a trade, no money in the computer game, no power to run them, but I recon I would make a good blacksmith, must buy a few books on the subject... Plenty of money (goods to be traded) in producing basic hand tools and shoding horses.

I am starting to sound like a old school teacher I had, who with his relatives has drawn up plans out how to survive a nuclear war. They had farm land in a valley in Clare which could only be accessed by an easily defended pass…


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## cole (5 Mar 2009)

bamboozle said:


> anyone who thinks there is no need to reduce public sector expenditure has not got a grasp of reality. we've gone from public sector expenditure of 4 billion in 2000 to 19 billion in 2007- its hardly rocket science to identify public sector expenditure as an area which needs to be urgently addressed. This is not public sector bashing this is harsh reality.


 
My yawn comment was directed at the public sector bashing from rabbit.


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## z103 (5 Mar 2009)

> So, if i had my seed potatoes & toold etc the next problem is how to protect the crop.



We have a small patch of ground that we can grow crops in. We are also going to put up fencing around it - out of sight out of mind. Chain link fence worked out too expensive, and can be easily cut.

With regards a gun, do you not have to have a licence to get one? I've been looking at archery bows, but a shotgun might be a better deterrent. Maybe even a replica?


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## Teatime (5 Mar 2009)

leghorn said:


> With regards a gun, do you not have to have a licence to get one? I've been looking at archery bows, but a shotgun might be a better deterrent. Maybe even a replica?
> [/font][/color]


 
I would not recommend a replica...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTi6GGywBAM


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## liaconn (5 Mar 2009)

cole said:


> It doesn't even have to have recession in it for rabbit to start his predictable public sector bashing. I've added rabbit to my ignore list.


 

Good idea.


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## liaconn (5 Mar 2009)

Bronte said:


> Rabbit I've just noticed you're banned so how come you can post?


 
Hi Bronte

Just wondering how you can see if someone's banned?


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## UptheDeise (5 Mar 2009)

liaconn said:


> Hi Bronte
> 
> Just wondering how you can see if someone's banned?


 
Look under their name at the top lefthand corner of the post. Some people are frequent users others are banned.


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## liaconn (5 Mar 2009)

Thanks.


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## AlastairSC (5 Mar 2009)

So if someone's banned, how can they post?


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## cole (5 Mar 2009)

I think he posted before he was banned.


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## Mel (9 Mar 2009)

Towger said:


> So, if i had my seed potatoes & toold etc the next problem is how to protect the crop. I have access to site of a couple of acres in Dublin surrounded by houses with a fresh water supply.


 
You'll also need to deal with blight warnings - keep an eye on the farming forecasts and have the spray handy when you need it.


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## Gordanus (9 Mar 2009)

Don't forget the wind-up radio for when the electricity goes out....and the wind-up torch...first-aid kit....inflatable boat for the floods coming with global warming....and the thermal underwear as our climate deteriorates when the Gulf Stream stops....


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## z103 (9 Mar 2009)

Gordanus - I've already been looking at alternative energy sources. I expect we will be having blackouts later on in the year.

I've been thinking of a diesel generator that I can hook up to my house electrics, as a short term solution. Thinking more long term, a steam powered generator may be the way to go. It seems to be much more complex though, from the youtube videos and websites I've looked at.


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## Ancutza (10 Mar 2009)

Move to Romania!!

Things are nothing like as bad over here as they seem to be in Ireland.  And if it all goes pear-shaped here too then you can buy a nice property in the country with a large garden for buttons where you can grow your own vegetables, raise a few animals, go fishing and generally take it easy which is what I do at least one month a year (except the animals bit) and what my neighbors in the village where I keep my house do all the the time.

Life's too short.  Lighten up! Remember there are always other options.

I've decided to only think positive thoughts and as a mark of that I'm currently starting a new business.


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## z103 (16 Mar 2009)

Food stockpiling strategy.

---------------------------------
*Short term (Haulage firms go on strike, or other distribution problems)*

- Tins of tuna, beans and fruit salad.
- Bottled water.
- Frozen foods
- Slabs of chocolate.

---------------------------------
*Medium term (hyperinflation, massive unemployment etc)*

- Tins of spam
- flour
- Condensed milk
- salt and sugar

---------------------------------
*Long term (social breakdown, war etc)*

- Water filtration system, suitable for turning rainwater into drinking water.
- Tins of cat food (For human consumption)
- Vitamin XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- seeds
- Bags of glucose powder


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## Vanilla (16 Mar 2009)

No medicine on the list. I'm currently bringing the kids around all the GPs in the county and getting antibiotic prescriptions ( they always have some cough or cold), filling the scripts and holding on to them. My local chemist has started becoming suspicious about my seeking the longest best before date so I am starting to go to other chemists for my own scripts ( anti-inflammatories, strong pain killers, all sorts of contraceptives). Thank god for the drug refund scheme.

I thought about training as a chemist, doctor or nurse but soon worked out it would take too long. So I'm doing a herbal remedy course by correspondence.


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## Westbound (16 Mar 2009)

Has anything happened in Iceland that would necessitate the measures as espoused by Leghorn et al in Ireland?

This reminds me of the film Tremors, where a one of the locals had himself a neat little bunker/fort and a stockpile of weapons....a bit paranoid, but then he needed it in the end!


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## Mouldy (17 Mar 2009)

Fools! don't you see Leghorn is obviously Brian Lenihan trying to make you all shop for consumer goods, water filtration systems, weaponary and underground bunkers so that it will stimulate the economy! And ensure that all our morons are living underground eating beans when Obama comes to visit...


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## Purple (17 Mar 2009)

Mouldy said:


> And ensure that all our morons are living underground eating beans when Obama comes to visit...


... and fix things here as well.


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## z107 (26 Mar 2010)

I was just looking at this thread from last year, and was wondering how far along are we now?

I believe there will be major strike action over the next few months. The riots will probably happen after either:
1. The introduction of Property tax
or
2. Social welfare payments being slashed.


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## Towger (26 Mar 2010)

It needs something like that, I would put my bets on a tax, such as property or water etc. If you lose a few quid in you pay, that is one thing, but if you have to stump up a €1,000+ as a separate tax it is another. Even if it is the same amount of money.
Or maybe the new *Universal Social Contribution*, to fund the *Department of Social Protection* will be the trigger, especially if it is as high as some of the other EU social insurance.


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## VOR (26 Mar 2010)

_*There will be strikes, there won't be blood.*_
I really don't know about riots on the streets. Perhaps time will prove me wrong. My guess is that most people will complain, shrug and then get on with it. 
Outbreaks of violence against "the man" are not that common here.


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## galleyslave (26 Mar 2010)

VOR said:


> Outbreaks of violence against "the man" are not that common here.


Unless "the man" happens to be the british crown....


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## Shawady (26 Mar 2010)

umop3p!sdn said:


> I was just looking at this thread from last year, and was wondering how far along are we now?


 
It will have to be something that affects both private and public sector workers. Otherwise, they will be too busy fighting each other to take it to the government.


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## Purple (26 Mar 2010)

Shawady said:


> It will have to be something that affects both private and public sector workers. Otherwise, they will be too busy fighting each other to take it to the government.



Why do posters persist with that guff?
The recession is hitting all sections of society. The difference is that most people in the private sector accept that the government has to make major cuts in order to stop total economic collapse whereas most people in the public sector (who post here anyway) don't seem to live in the real world.

It's hard, it's not always fair and it stinks... but it's necessary. Suck it up and deal with it.


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## z107 (29 Mar 2010)

Article about American 'preppers'.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8587464.stm

I can't understand the logic of only preparing for two months. What happens after that?
Stock up on the cat food.


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## RMCF (29 Mar 2010)

But surely if I get a gun and shoot someone trying to steal my tinned prunes, I'll do 20 years for it.

Sounds like a bad plan to me.


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## shammy feen (29 Mar 2010)

RMCF said:


> But surely if I get a gun and shoot someone trying to steal my tinned prunes, I'll do 20 years for it.
> 
> Sounds like a bad plan to me.


 
What if you REALLY REALLY like tinned prunes?

Then it might seem a more reasonble approach to pop a cap in some random prune thief.

Its all subjective really.

;-)


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## Shawady (29 Mar 2010)

Purple said:


> Why do posters persist with that guff?
> The recession is hitting all sections of society. The difference is that most people in the private sector accept that the government has to make major cuts in order to stop total economic collapse whereas most people in the public sector (who post here anyway) don't seem to live in the real world.
> 
> It's hard, it's not always fair and it stinks... but it's necessary. Suck it up and deal with it.


 
Where in my post did I say the recession was not hitting all sections of society, did I compain about unfair cuts or that public sector employees don't accpet major cuts have to be made?
My point is that if something is going to get people on the streets against the government, it will be have to an issue that affects everyone, possible a property tax as previously suggested.


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## Bronte (29 Mar 2010)

umop3p!sdn said:


> I was just looking at this thread from last year, and was wondering how far along are we now?
> 
> I believe there will be major strike action over the next few months. The riots will probably happen after either:
> 1. The introduction of Property tax
> ...


 
Ahem, where have you been, property tax came in last year and has to be paid again after March 31st


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## z107 (29 Mar 2010)

That's 'property tax lite'. This was just to introduce it gradually.
Wait until it's €2000 per property, regardless of income, for all residential property.


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## shnaek (29 Mar 2010)

umop3p!sdn said:


> Wait until it's €2000 per property, regardless of income, for all residential property.



Except for the vulnerable.


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## SlurrySlump (30 Mar 2010)

[broken link removed]

The bottom line will become foremost in all of our minds.


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## Complainer (30 Mar 2010)

RMCF said:


> But surely if I get a gun and shoot someone trying to steal my tinned prunes, I'll do 20 years for it.
> .


Just give 'em the prunes - that'll teach them.


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## Joanne1 (2 Apr 2010)

Thought provoking thread!

Ok I must start stocking up on the necessities.

So far that's chocolate and condoms.


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## Pique318 (2 Apr 2010)

joanne1 said:


> thought provoking thread!
> 
> Ok i must start stocking up on the necessities.
> 
> So far that's chocolate and condoms.



lol


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## Purple (2 Apr 2010)

Joanne1 said:


> Thought provoking thread!
> 
> Ok I must start stocking up on the necessities.
> 
> So far that's chocolate and condoms.



Yes, chocolate is an excellent source of energy and condoms can be used to carry up to one litre of water... what's what you mean, right?


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## z107 (2 Apr 2010)

> condoms can be used to carry up to one litre of water.


Mine can carry three or four litres of water.


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## Joanne1 (2 Apr 2010)

Why yes of course I meant for carrying water!


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## Purple (2 Apr 2010)

umop3p!sdn said:


> Mine can carry three or four litres of water.



Sorry, I'm just going by what your missus told me.


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## Gordanus (8 Apr 2010)

leghorn said:


> Gordanus - I've already been looking at alternative energy sources. I expect we will be having blackouts later on in the year.
> 
> I've been thinking of a diesel generator that I can hook up to my house electrics, as a short term solution. Thinking more long term, a steam powered generator may be the way to go. It seems to be much more complex though, from the youtube videos and websites I've looked at.



That was a year ago.  Things bad yet?

[broken link removed]

http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html


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## DublinTexas (10 Apr 2010)

I wonder when the other EU countries are seeking an exception from the freedom of movement/residency for Irish citizens so that they don’t need to take all of the refugees in.

I have purchased a dinghy that will bring me over to wales in case the airports/sea ports and the border up north will be closed when the riots start.

Now in depended from riots scenario a good Basic Emergency Supply Kit is at my home for the case of minor natural catastrophes (like snow or an earthquake and the regular power outages in my area), that is basic preparedness.


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## D8Lady (16 Apr 2010)

So how long will fresh food supplies hold out because of the volcano ash stopping flights? I doubt that lettice is shipped in containers.

If the ash cloud lasts a few more days, are we likely to start seeing shortages... dun dun duh!


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## DublinTexas (17 Apr 2010)

And our government is taking this aspect very seriously:




> Taoiseach Brian Cowen said this afternoon it was impossible to have a contingency plan in place for events such as the Icelandic volcano.


I’m sure given that they don’t go shopping themselves they don’t have a clue how much of our groceries are actually from outside Ireland.


Or maybe I just have taken his quote out of context to fit my own purpose because I’m starting a political party “This is my Ireland too” and I train political speech.


In any case, I have always advocated a good Basic Emergency Supply Kit and loads of people laugh at it, but if the weather changes and the ashes come down on us causing traffic to stop I’m not going to share my kit!


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## Gordanus (18 Apr 2010)

oh, masks so that I can breathe if the cloud comes down over us!
link; [broken link removed]

but I ordered it over the internet from the US


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## z107 (30 Oct 2010)

Just looking at this old thread.
Are we getting closer to civil unrest?

Has anyone started stock-piling yet? I've seen posts where people are safe guarding their savings, so will stock-piling be the next step?

"If you're in a camp and a bear attacks, you don't have to be faster than the bear. You only have to be faster than the slowest camper"


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## Firefly (1 Nov 2010)

umop3p!sdn said:


> Just looking at this old thread.
> Are we getting closer to civil unrest?


 
This might indicate that we are..

[broken link removed]


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## z107 (13 Nov 2011)

It will be interesting to see what the next budget brings.

There's been no social unrest so far. Will there be a breaking point?


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## RMCF (13 Nov 2011)

There won't be any social unrest. Ireland as a nation has become very subservient. 

As long as the folk have their PS3s, Sky TV, XBox, X Factor and Strictly, they will put up with a lot.


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## Leper (14 Nov 2011)

RMCF is right. There will be no social unrest. During the Cork Jazz Festival I was informed that the last time there were more than 10,000 on Cork streets protesting it was in support of the Cork GAA team dispute.

And we are about to qualify for Euro 2012, we have the X-Factor, good provincial rugby teams etc - all keep us from protesting.


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## Mpsox (14 Nov 2011)

umop3p!sdn said:


> It will be interesting to see what the next budget brings.
> 
> There's been no social unrest so far. Will there be a breaking point?


 
Problem with the next budget will be that many of the changes will be subtle. For example, people might protest if their PAYE tax bill was suddenly increased by 2-3k overnight, but if you increase 50 stealth taxes and spread that over the course of a year, then the effect is not as obvious. Likewise if there is a clampdown on SW abuse as opposed to simply cutting rates across the board.
Cynic in me also wonders will budget week be the week the Anglo bankers finally get charged?


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## Boyd (14 Nov 2011)

RMCF said:


> As long as the folk have their PS3s, Sky TV, XBox, X Factor and Strictly, they will put up with a lot.





Leper said:


> RMCF is right....the last time there were more than 10,000 on Cork streets protesting it was in support of the Cork GAA team dispute.
> 
> And we are about to qualify for Euro 2012, we have the X-Factor, good provincial rugby teams etc - all keep us from protesting.




Im sure we could easily rustle up 10, 000 to protest against X-Factor and "Strictly" et al being shown


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