# 5 Reasons why the government should accept Skoda's offer of "Superbs" as State Cars



## ajapale (13 Mar 2011)

5 Reasons why the government should accept Skoda's offer of "Superbs" as State Cars.

#1 They are not German. (ok they are owned by VW ..but you get my drift)
#2 They are not French.
#3 They are not English.
#4 We woulnt have to hear Bill Cullen banging on about it for the next four years.
#5 Skodas are best suited for rough roads in the West of Ireland (need to factory fit them with the rough road suspension).


----------



## Lex Foutish (13 Mar 2011)

Have Skoda really offered them cars, Aj?


----------



## ajapale (13 Mar 2011)

It seems so this was posted on boards today and the twitter sphere has had loads about it.


----------



## Lex Foutish (13 Mar 2011)

They're fine cars! We'll watch that one with interest.


----------



## RonanC (13 Mar 2011)

Superb idea  

As a proud Skoda owner, i'd happily go along with this plan!!


----------



## Protocol (14 Mar 2011)

Full page ad in the Indo.

Open letter to the new Govt.

"If you want to save 500k on ministerial transport, then consider the Skoda Superb"

To prove it, they offered 5 Superbs for a 3-month trial, no obligation.


----------



## Protocol (14 Mar 2011)

A new Superb is available for 22k with scrappage.

Great value.


----------



## Bronte (14 Mar 2011)

What exactly is the 500K spend on.  It's not just the cost of the cars, does that include the cost of a driver.


----------



## csirl (14 Mar 2011)

Bronte said:


> What exactly is the 500K spend on. It's not just the cost of the cars, does that include the cost of a driver.


 
They only replace the mercs every 3-4 years, so I'd imagine that most of the cost is on having a corp of garda drivers available 24/7.


----------



## Bronte (14 Mar 2011)

Do other countries with an economy of our size pay for cars and police drivers for their ministers?  I can understand for the Taoishaige but why do they all need a driver all the time?  Can they not drive themselves like normal people?


----------



## micmclo (14 Mar 2011)

The cost of the cars isn't realy the main issue. And this was an incredibly effective stunt by Skoda, sure aren't we here talking about it.

The cars are only replaced every few years and since the State wouldn't pay VRT on their own cars, it's not that high a bill in the scheme of things.

Main cost are the garda drivers. Full time, well paid, pensions due and always available.

I think the Minister of Justice needs a car and full time garda driver, they carry around DPP files and now Defence documents.
Not sure about the others though


----------



## csirl (14 Mar 2011)

In the past, Ministers have used the excuse that they need a driver because they usually work while travelling - ringing people on mobile, reading documents, making notes etc.


----------



## Thirsty (14 Mar 2011)

> usually work while travelling


Take the train!


----------



## Staples (14 Mar 2011)

The proposed car pooling arrangement should take care of any excess and, if worked properly, will act as a means of allowing a minister work more effectively without being regarded as a perk it has been.

I'm all for moderation, but some reasonable standards need to apply.  I think going to the Aras in a bus was a step too far in austerity.  (Could they not have gone two or three to a car?)

Anyway, some people won't be happy until Ministers are obliged to travel by bus.


----------



## TarfHead (14 Mar 2011)

Staples said:


> I'm all for moderation, but some reasonable standards need to apply. I think going to the Aras in a bus was a step too far in austerity. (Could they not have gone two or three to a car?)


 
Or have the President come to Leinster House ?


----------



## Shawady (15 Mar 2011)

The government are dropping the garda drivers for most of them. They are to replaced with a financial assistance to employ a civilian driver.

It will free up 54 garda.


http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0315/politics_transport.html


----------



## fobs (15 Mar 2011)

how much "financial assistance" will be given and who will be hired i.e friends and family? Will this just end up costing more as the garda drivers will not lose their jobs and so will now be paying them and the new drivers?


----------



## Bronte (16 Mar 2011)

Staples said:


> Anyway, some people won't be happy until Ministers are obliged to travel by bus.


 

What's wrong with travelling by bus, doesn't it make better sense if you live in Dublin for travelling to work?  Aren't their dedicated bus lanes and you have no parking problems?  Didn't the green minister go by bicycle. 

I see Chris Patten the ex governor of Hong Kong will be travelling by tube and sees no reason to burden the tax payer with a limosine and driver for his new job with the BBC.  Very admirable.


----------



## Firefly (16 Mar 2011)

fobs said:


> how much "financial assistance" will be given and who will be hired i.e friends and family? Will this just end up costing more as the garda drivers will not lose their jobs and so will now be paying them and the new drivers?



It may cost more money, but I would rather the Gardai to be focused on crime than act as glorified taxi drivers.


----------



## Staples (16 Mar 2011)

Bronte said:


> What's wrong with travelling by bus, doesn't it make better sense if you live in Dublin for travelling to work? Aren't their dedicated bus lanes and you have no parking problems? Didn't the green minister go by bicycle.


 
Public transport is fine for the daily commute.  I'd be delighted to see Ministers do this as they's get a fairly acute appreciation of the constraints facing most workers.

However, whatever you might think about government ministers, their time is valuable and they have a lot of engagements to potentially perform.  While I don't think a full time car/driver is justified, neither do I believe that ministers should have to rely on buses as their primary source of transport just to pacify "Outraged in Clontarf". 

And as for the green ministers cycling, a lot of this was for the sake of optics on the way to public appointments. They were very often followed by their state car in which they took a lift back.


----------



## TarfHead (16 Mar 2011)

Staples said:


> And as for the green ministers cycling, a lot of this was for the sake of optics on the way to public appointments. They were very often followed by their state car in which they took a lift back.


 
I once saw John Gormley arrive for work in the Custom House by bike. Which is fine if you live a, relatively, short distance from home. No sign of a State car tailing him with his briefcase.

Without the State car, this may prompt many Ministers to decline some invitations, like the opening of a off-licence that Mary Harney indulged.

Does every campaign need a Government Minister and Georgia Salpa to publicise it's launch ? There's a photo of Jimmy Deenihan in today's METRO that made me cringe.


----------



## Pique318 (16 Mar 2011)

TarfHead said:


> Without the State car, this may prompt many Ministers to decline some invitations, like the opening of a off-licence that Mary Harney indulged.



She took the Air Corps helicopter !


----------



## Slash (16 Mar 2011)

Pique318 said:


> She took the Air Corps helicopter !



She didn't. She took the Air Corps Casa.


----------



## Pique318 (16 Mar 2011)

Slash said:


> She didn't. She took the Air Corps Casa.



Oops, I stand corrected. Either way, the car went to Leitrim or wherever, empty!


----------



## WicklowMan (16 Mar 2011)

I personally know a Skoda dealer who was given a list of unreasonable demands by Skoda, who are now winding down his operation as he can't meet them. This is a re-run of what got so many garages into trouble during the boom (you know, concessionaire - forced 2.3 million euro 'investment' / resultant gigantic glasshouse in a village with 3,000 inhabitants)

To cut a long story short it seems that they want to integrate the distribution of Skoda with the U.K. operation, if what this particular guy told me about the overall picture is true. This guy built up the brand from scratch over nearly 20 years, but Skoda reckon people will travel any distance to buy their cars so they don't mind knocking him out on the presumption that his customer base are desperate for the brand. 

That aforementioned 'consolidation' being the case, the Government will be supporting jobs outside of Ireland by buying their products. They will also be giving our friends in Germany more money; switching from one German brand to another. I'd be in favour of them buying Toyota or Lexus in solidarity with the Japanese given what's come to pass there over the last week.


----------



## Firefly (16 Mar 2011)

WicklowMan said:


> ... Skoda reckon people will travel any distance to buy their cars so they don't mind knocking him out on the presumption that his customer base are *desperate* for the brand.



Are we still talking about Skodas?


----------



## WicklowMan (16 Mar 2011)

Firefly said:


> Are we still talking about Skodas?


 
Had a good lol at that comment  No doubt but some of the earlier ones were quite forgettable!

I'm in no way connected with Skoda, but I'm amazed at how popular they are - not least in rural areas. I don't think when V.W. bought them the intention was that they'd catch on in this part of the World at all: it was more in the hope that those in the Czech Republic / Eastern Europe would feel a certain brand loyalty.

A major part of what drove their sales was dealership experience - with satisfaction ratings among customers very high. I think all companies go through a phase of forgetting what made them the money in the first place. 

I remember the early ones - my neighbour had a 'Foreman' estate - and it was so angular you'd nearly cut yourself off the edges!  Gross looking thing! Totally reliable but ... give me an Alfa Romeo please!


----------

