Pat Rabbitte to resign today?

Not anywhere they want to, just anywhere they own land - you couldn't build a house in your neighbours garden for example. The person building will have to factor in the cost of providing services, which would be a lot more efficient than the current mess.

Fair enough but that still does does not answer the question in regard to services such as schools, transport, hospitals etc,...There is no guarantee that the services they want will be near the land that they own.
 
Fair enough but that still does does not answer the question in regard to services such as schools, transport, hospitals etc,...There is no guarantee that the services they want will be near the land that they own.

Stands to reason they shouldn't build there then if they aren't happy with the services in the area. See how the system is self-regulating without any requirement for planning departments?
 
Stands to reason they shouldn't build there then if they aren't happy with the services in the area. See how the system is self-regulating without any requirement for planning departments?

No, I wouldn't agree with either point. Firstly, I think people will always want to build on their own land as its cheaper and they get exactly what they want in a house. We see all over the country where people build where they are not near services of any nature. IMHO the State can best provide services where people lives in clusters the further distant people are to each other the more strain there are on services. Also, there must be some enforcement of standards particularly now in view of the need to conservce energy. I can see what you are suggesting but I dont see Irish people buying into such a self regulating system.
 
No, I wouldn't agree with either point. Firstly, I think people will always want to build on their own land as its cheaper and they get exactly what they want in a house.

It's cheaper precisely because the cost of providing services is socialised. If you want people to live in clusters then this is more likely to come from a system that accounts for the externality of service provision, not one that relies on "knowing the system".

As for energy conservation - laughable. We still build houses they way they did in the 1930s. If planning was scrapped I imagine we would see a wealth of low cost affordable homes, such as those built by Kingspan. We'd also be more inclined to build smaller homes - ones that meet our needs now, not ones we hope will meet our needs in ten years time.
 
As for energy conservation - laughable. We still build houses they way they did in the 1930s. If planning was scrapped I imagine we would see a wealth of low cost affordable homes, such as those built by Kingspan.

Why can't those "low cost affordable homes" be built now?
 
IMHO the State can best provide services where people lives in clusters the further distant people are to each other the more strain there are on services.

On this particular point the State isnt out of pocket because people choose to live far from services. We paid a council levy for no service so far. We paid an ESB contribution to connect us to a line that already passed a couple of hundred yards from our house. We have our own water source & sewage, all paid up front by ourselves.

A private operator collects our bin - so its not like its uneconomic to provide services to us. An Post drops the mail beside the road they already travel on.

So barring a community mini-bus that would be pub runs and a few "mercy missions" as required, I dont see that a) we have any significant lack of services or b) that it would be impossible to provide the remainder of services. This holds true for the majority of country dwellers.

I'm anxious to know if the Green will develop a mature attitude to country living - their view on other more serious issues have proven to be a bit flexible so far.
 
Why can't those "low cost affordable homes" be built now?

Because planning creates a deliberate bottleneck, throttling supply. This adds an artificial premium to the price of land and as such, it may not be economically viable or desirable to build low cost affordable housing on a resource that is so precious.

Planning laws in the UK, including "greenfield zones" and the like, were a move to protect the value of land held by wealthy landowners and I don't see our laws as being any different.
 
I dont see that a) we have any significant lack of services or b) that it would be impossible to provide the remainder of services. This holds true for the majority of country dwellers.

Being from the country myself I understand that service provision in the country is not impossible. However, it is fact that city dwellers subsidise their country brethren.

That is not to say everybody should live in the city - but a more transparent system would make determining costs easier. I find it most bizarre that when I travel to visit friends in Meath - who moved there along with many others because a "shortage" of housing in the city made prices there unaffordable - I must travel past acres of green fields to reach them.
 
Planning laws in the UK, including "greenfield zones" and the like, were a move to protect the value of land held by wealthy landowners and I don't see our laws as being any different.

I would agree that land is held in banks by developers and given the close relationship between them and political parties (FF tent Galway Races) I don't see this situation changing soon.
 
I would agree that land is held in banks by developers and given the close relationship between them and political parties (FF tent Galway Races) I don't see this situation changing soon.

Agreed, I don't see it changing soon either but it is no harm to be aware of their purpose. Since planning laws are used to prevent free market competition and protect the wealthy, it follows that scrapping them would be beneficial.
 
Back on topic, while I got the impression that Pat Rabbitt is probably quite a nice man I never liked his brand of 1980's style opposition for oppositions sake politics. I didn't like the holier than thou pontificating that passed for speeches but what I really don't like about the Labour party in general can be summarised by YORB's quote;
But will we ever learn in this country and or will the gombeen man always win out? Politicians in this country seriously pander to the lowest common denominator.
So the 40 odd percent of the population that vote FF are gombeens; dishonest and/or stupid, and the smart principled people vote Labour.
If only there were more of those smart principled people so that Labour could run the country. I find that attitude both arrogant and insulting and I’m not in Fianna Fail.
 
Back on topic, while I got the impression that Pat Rabbitt is probably quite a nice man I never liked his brand of 1980's style opposition for oppositions sake politics. I didn't like the holier than thou pontificating that passed for speeches but what I really don't like about the Labour party in general can be summarised by YORB's quote;
So the 40 odd percent of the population that vote FF are gombeens; dishonest and/or stupid, and the smart principled people vote Labour.
If only there were more of those smart principled people so that Labour could run the country. I find that attitude both arrogant and insulting and I’m not in Fianna Fail.

No, you have extrapolated incorrectly from the comments I made. In nay case, what is arrogant and insulting about my comments? I stick to the comments I made, politicians do pander to the lowest common denominator....look at the increasing number of constituency offices...read all of my posts and you might understand what i am saying..
 
So the 40 odd percent of the population that vote FF are gombeens; dishonest and/or stupid

Beverly Flynn was re-elected to the Dáil despite the Supreme Court finding that she encouraged tax evasion and has no reputation deserving of protection. Bertie Ahern has stated since her re-election that "Beverly Flynn will come back into her natural home which is Fianna Fáil" and "she definitely has a very good future as an office holder". Enough said . . .
 
No, you have extrapolated incorrectly from the comments I made. In nay case, what is arrogant and insulting about my comments? I stick to the comments I made, politicians do pander to the lowest common denominator....look at the increasing number of constituency offices...read all of my posts and you might understand what i am saying..

When you say "lowest common denominator" what do you mean? I would have thought that in a representative democratic system, a politician who doesn't appeal to the wants of the broadest range of the populace (i.e. the majority) is the politician who stays out of power.
 
Beverly Flynn was re-elected to the Dáil despite the Supreme Court finding that she encouraged tax evasion and has no reputation deserving of protection. Bertie Ahern has stated since her re-election that "Beverly Flynn will come back into her natural home which is Fianna Fáil" and "she definitely has a very good future as an office holder". Enough said . . .

Precisely my point! And, of course, this is nothwithstanding the deal that was done with Michael Lowry. You will remember the bold Michael does an illegal deal with Dunnes, tells lies to the Dail, to his constituents, and then realises he has to get reelected so what does he do, yes, you've guessed it, he blames the Dublin "medja", who are out to get him. Then of course, ignoring the facts, the locals elect him to top the poll. Because it wasn't really Michael's fault, it was that Dublin "medja" and their agenda!

And thats even before I get started on the Bailey brothers and the FF tent!
 
Then of course, ignoring the facts, the locals elect him to top the poll. Because it wasn't really Michael's fault, it was that Dublin "medja" and their agenda!

Maybe the locals were fully cognisant of the facts but chose to vote for Lowry anyway on the basis that what he did was "nothing I wouldn't have done meself if I was given the opportunity". Certainly an opinion I've heard expressed on many occasions.
 
Maybe the locals were fully cognisant of the facts but chose to vote for Lowry anyway on the basis that what he did was "nothing I wouldn't have done meself if I was given the opportunity". Certainly an opinion I've heard expressed on many occasions.

Maybe they would have known some things but that doesn't excuse his insinuations that the "dublin medja" were out to get him. Also, given that he lied to Dail about his offshore account when he read out his personal statement it would have been hard for the locals to know all the facts. It always easy to blame "dem fellas up in Dublin!".....
 
Maybe the locals were fully cognisant of the facts but chose to vote for Lowry anyway on the basis that what he did was "nothing I wouldn't have done meself if I was given the opportunity". Certainly an opinion I've heard expressed on many occasions.

Exactly! So the people who knowingly vote for these chancers are - to answer Purple's question - dishonest, or at least see nothing wrong with dishonesty in their elected representatives. The only crime is getting caught and for many people even getting caught is no big deal.
 
Exactly! So the people who knowingly vote for these chancers are - to answer Purple's question - dishonest, or at least see nothing wrong with dishonesty in their elected representatives. The only crime is getting caught and for many people even getting caught is no big deal.

Especially, when those who are caught can socialise, interact and have the ear of those in Government. In 2006, Bovale Limited (principals Mick & Tom Bailey) made the largest tax settlement in the history of the State, €22m. Last year and again in 2007, they were welcomed into the FF tent at the Galway races. The who are elected to make and preserve the laws, including tax law, sitting with those who break them.

What did the late Leona Helmsley say "taxes are for the little people".
 
When you say "lowest common denominator" what do you mean? I would have thought that in a representative democratic system, a politician who doesn't appeal to the wants of the broadest range of the populace (i.e. the majority) is the politician who stays out of power.

I mean low grade work following up routine issues for constituents. Correct me if I'm wrong but one of the reasons that we began to pay Councillors was to ensure that they did they looked after the small stuff and the TD's could concentrate on legislation and policy. In addition, each TD was also given a political researcher too to assist in this task. However, it appears that TD's are content to keep the status quo and we are paying councillors and researchers for nothing. I could think of other ways to spend this money.
 
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