Ireland - Its sinking ..

Re: acculturating

On the economic front, full employment, low overall taxation and reasonably high incomes are often considered positives.

I don't have children and I'm in good health so I can't comment on schools or hospitals.

On the social front, I don't drink much but I must say I think the social/nightlife in Dublin is amazing. Anyone who thinks its all about binge drinking isn't looking very hard!

What's harder to measure is what it "feels" like to live here. For me, living in Dublin, I think there's a huge buzz to the city. I know its chaotic, but there's such an energy in the place that its like a drug! The crowds, the construction, the fact that there's something new happening all the time. The internationalisation of the city has been a tremendous development both economically aesthetically and culturally.

Our development of infrastructure certainly hasn't kept pace with our needs. That's one of the downsides. However, we'll learn and eventually catch up. Remember, only a decade or so ago, we were so poor, we didn't need infrastructure as there was no economic activity that required it!

So a lot of our current problems are the problems of success (infrastructure creaking at the seams, services unable to cope with demand) rather than the problems of failure (unemployment and emigration).

I think the worst thing in the country is a lack of civic pride and responsibility. We could learn a lot from our continental cousins there.

Overall, and this is a purely personal thing, the energy, the growth and the new-found self confidence in Ireland (especially Dublin) make this a very exciting place for me to live. Other places may be better developed, but it is the journey towards that level of development that does it for me. And (to borrow my employers marketing phrase) "we're getting there".

How does one lure a pig? With an orange, of course! I am Irish, the Protestant variety.

Sadly, I detect more than a whiff of bias among the 'tru and tru' group. Seems that one's national affliation is of great import and determines the tone and timbre of the post. Worldly? I suppose, given that racism exists in every corner of the globe.

By my count, the 'abroad-Irish' have yet to acknowledge a positive trait and the 'stay-at-homes' to propose one.

Just my 2p.

"Sadly, I detect more than a whiff of bias among the 'tru and tru' group."

You've penned this one yourself . No one else believes it except you. Perhaps you hope if you keep saying it enough people will start to believe it. You seem incapable of understanding shades of grey. Everything is black and white it would seem. You either staunchly defend Ireland or you hate it. Very sad.

"Seems that one's national affliation is of great import and determines the tone and timbre of the post"

One's national affiliation is important to some people max. I don't see how it affects this post though.

"Worldly? I suppose, given that racism exists in every corner of the globe."

Maybe you could explain this to me?

"By my count, the 'abroad-Irish' have yet to acknowledge a positive trait and the 'stay-at-homes' to propose one"

One wonders if you have trouble reading what people have been saying max. Or is it just that you choose to ignore what we've been saying, because it better suits your twisted views?

..

funny after all his talk about xenophobes etc MH felt the need to admit to being Irish but then to attach the Protestant bit. Why should that make any difference?

Anyway, its easy to slag off but as he's found out its more difficult to be constructive.

johnny foreigner top tens

10 things i like about Ireland

unsolicited chit chat with total strangers

8 cups of tea a day

your 'un with the tits

the great irish weather

admit you eat "sausages and marmalade" and no one beats you up...yet

job hopping

i'll see you later...you don't show up and you're still friends.

the lack of dress sense

the hearty irish breakfast

meeting my wife

10 things i hate about Ireland

you all "need" a car now

pubs with loud music and tvs in 'em

the lack of dress sense

30 years of eu funding down the flipping drain

drunkness seen as an ecxuse rather than an aggravatng factor in courts

some jobs are for Irish only ditto for promotions

inner city dwelling - track suit + fake gold ring wearing - heroin pushing - pram pushing plebs

bertie ahern and mary harney

Dubliners slagging off country folks

The Irish who hate the British.

Simply responding to a direct question from piggy.

This is beginning to get pathethic because anybody who defends living here is getting slagged off for doing so.

Are you Irish max?

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<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->piggy has yet again proven my postulation that the colour of one's affliation, school attended, accent, pigmentation, etc. do matter to many. Sorry folks, but that adds up to racist.

So taking a quick look at the results thus far we have for the 'tru and trus'<!--EZCODE LIST START--><ul><li>Family</li><li>Home turf</li><li>People we like</li><li>Da buzz</li><li>People like us</li><li>Clubbing</li><li>People that think like us</li><li>Hillocks</li><li>People we know</li></ul><!--EZCODE LIST END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->...and the 'offshores'<!--EZCODE LIST START--><ul><li>Equality</li><li>Co-operation</li><li>Respect</li><li>Integrity</li><li>Acceptance</li><li>Social conscience</li><li>Infrastructure</li><li>Planning</li></ul><!--EZCODE LIST END-->
<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->Join us after the break when things begin to hot up and the faeces strikes the oscillating blades!

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i could be wrong but i dont think anyone asked you for your religion. YOU felt the need to differentiate yourself from others. Seems a touch hypocritical to slag off people for their parochialism then.

By the way you must tell us where this Utopoan land is that has all these great attributes. Because on my travels I have never seen this magical land. So please let us in on your secret. I dont think you can so you'll probably reply with a "cutting" comment rather than with anything constructive.

If I must.
The issue is not where but what. Glaringly obvious, right? Apparently not. Nirvana can be in our backgardens. A few critical observations and some posters blew a gasket. Almost popped their clogs, they did. Ireland does not need defending, it requires fixing. I believe to a person, the returnees expressed that sentiment. But others could not abide the truth in their words and set out condeming them and calling for their explusion. Strange behaviour, that.

As for others, boasting about living abroad without elaborating on the experiences raises suspicions. The returnees and non-Irish have nailed their colours to the mast. Extended periods (years) of living under different social and cultural conditions tends to alleviate myopia.

Simply responding to a direct question from piggy.
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This is beginning to get pathethic because anybody who defends living here is getting slagged off for doing so.

Are you Irish max?
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piggy has yet again proven my postulation that the colour of one's affliation, school attended, accent, pigmentation, etc. do matter to many. Sorry folks, but that adds up to racist.

Normally when someone attacks me like that max and calls me racist (when I'm not) I ask them to take it back. In your case I won't bother. You live in a special world all to yourself.

"As for others, boasting about living abroad without elaborating on the experiences raises suspicions"

Who was boasting?

I was merely stating something. Why should I elaborate on my experiences? For what purpose?????

"A few critical observations and some posters blew a gasket. Almost popped their clogs, they did. Ireland does not need defending, it requires fixing"

No max, you missed the point entirely. As usual.

People started to 'blow a gasket' as you put it becuase of the absurdity of the way the question was being posed. But I think that that went over your head.

I don't care if people want to point out Ireland's flaws. I do it all the time. It's when they start pointing them out and saying that we shouldn't live here because of them...that's what I have a problem with.

"But others could not abide the truth in their words and set out condeming them and calling for their explusion"

No one asked for anyone's expulsion max. Again throw around some fictitious comments.
What was suggested, and rightly so, was why do you want to live here if you think this country is so crap.

The DEBATE continues ..

After all the debate I am glad that posters are starting to state the things they like about Ireland.

My point was and always has been this. Every country has its positive and negative points. There are some major things with Ireland that need fixing. If I didnt care about Ireland I would never have bothered posting the frustrated post that I did.

Living in different culture does broaden the mind. That is a fact. You see how other people live (bad and good).

I hated lots of things about Sweden too! I really hated the lack of spontnaity, the dark depressing winters, the isolated living culture in Stockholm and the conservative traditions to name but a few.

I also realise that having friends and family is a big big factor (and rightly so) of why we live and where we choose to live.

My overall feeling I was expressing was frustration. I think Ireland has great potential and I get frustrated at the corruption I see and state of public services.

Anyway I don't wish to go over old ground. I hope that my post in some small way has made some us think a little about Ireland today and perhaps about what we can do to fix it. No I havent decided to leave just yet..

Elk

Again Pigster, you flatter yourself. I referred to 'many'. Have you not read the T&Cs of the board?

The visceral nature of some opinions previously expressed lead me to dislike circular logic. For the ITers present, it is known as GIGO.

Max, the way this sort of thing normally works is when people make points about the things you've said you respond to them.

There's about two pages of me and others responding to some of your comments...yet you seem to ignore them.

Are you a politician by any chance?

Of course you're entitled to ignore them and we can just listen to you drone on in your flowery language all day if you like.

On expulsion -
piggy wrote:

<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->

Click to expand...

Do you understand the meaning of the word expulsion max?

Noo, it's not prejudiced here -

From today's Indo :

Three jailed over ATM scam that tapped into 90 accounts

THREE Romanian men who were involved in a sophisticated ATM scam which allowed them to access 90 bank accounts were jailed for two years yesterday.

All pleaded guilty to 14 counts of theft dating from November 25-27 last year, contrary to section four of the Criminal Justice Theft, Fraud and Offences Act 2001. A total of €5,290 was siphoned out of the bank accounts of six customers, over the three-day period, some on several occasions.

On passing sentence, Judge Michael O'Shea said the men had been involved in an extremely serious offence. But he accepted they were 'small players' in the scam. He sentenced each of the men to two years on each individual charge, all of which will run concurrently. Leave to appeal was refused.Troubled employee caused €1.5m blaze

AN arsonist, who caused more than €1.5m damage when he started a fire at work because he was "pissed off", received a suspended sentence yesterday.

Thomas Murphy (24), of Quigley Park, Rathdowney, Co Laois, pleaded guilty to five counts of arson and one count of criminal damage.

Murphy told the court he was "very sorry for what I've done, the damage I've caused".

Judge Anthony Kennedy accepted the acts were not of a "sick mind". He sentenced Murphy to three years each for the five arson charges, and to one year each on the criminal damage and the larceny charges.

He suspended the sentences, placing Murphy in the care of the probation service and ordering him to continue in therapy.Comments? Rebuttals? Refutations?

For the consideration of students of the English language -Reflexive pronouns in introspective thought :

I keep asking myself the same question, over and over and over. Why don't you go live somewhere else where your life isn't so crap?

Click to expand...

The "you" in that sentence referred to you max, not me.

From now on I'm going to pay more attention to post.