I agree with all of that (except maybe the "They are kind-of busy with the day job" bit
I agree with all of that (except maybe the "They are kind-of busy with the day job" bitDes didn't learn it for the good of his health. He made a TV show which presumably earned him lost of money.
But seeing as you take the knee-jerk reaction of asking why our public servants don't learn Irish, here's a few;
1) They are kind-of busy with the day job. What loss in productivity of public services would you be prepared to live with to give people the time to learn a new language?
2) Taking money off people would be a breach of existing terms and conditions and would be illegal. It's generally not a good idea for the Govt to take illegal actions.
3) The vast majority of the Irish population are very likely to continue to want to interact with the public service in English, therefore the value-for-money return in spending time and cost on all public servants learning Irish is highly questionable.
4) Forcing people to learn a language is generally not very effective. They've tried it that way with Irish in schools, and it hasn't worked. Why would you want to continue to go down this road?
Maybe if you sit back and think about this for more than a few seconds, you'll come up with some constructive suggestions.
Many people at these courses were HSE employees - improving their knowledge of the language on their own time.
I am sure they expect no additional payment but to improve their ability in using the language.
Article 8[1] of the Constitution proclaims the Irish language as the national and first official language of the State, recognizing English only as a second official language.
If public servants have a problem with the Constitution - hard luck.
Were these people unaware of the Irish constitution before taking up jobs in the public sector?
Down here in Cork - many people from the HSE learn Irish in their own time.
What is wrong at having more than one language?
What is wrong at having more than one language?
It causes confusion and misinterpretations as well as costing a lot of money in translations. Better to have everyone speaking the same language.
opposed to the idea that the Government can provide services in english in parts of the country where most people speak english.
All HSE areas have an Irish Officer who has a list of staff who are competent in irish.
Utter balderdash.
What is wrong at having more than one language?
It causes confusion and misinterpretations as well as costing a lot of money in translations. Better to have everyone speaking the same language.
Why would I do that when I wouldn't have a clue what they were saying?People should be demanding services in Irish.
Look at Belgium, I think 3 languages are spoken there and they communicate just fine!
Cad é sin arís?The public sector needs to raise their fame big time with regards the language.
The public sector needs to raise their Game big time with regards the language.
Oui, exactement General Zod!The Flemings & Walloons known for their love of each other. Where they only just agreed on a Prime Minister after their 2007 election. Like the Palestinians and Israelis or Unionists and Nationalists.
As if the country's finances weren't looking bleak enough as it is, we have the white elephant of a dead language to support.The HSE pays for it - if they have good attendence.
The Librarys have circle comhras.
Brian Cowen sees the Irish Language as one of his priorities.
I have no dout - a bi-lingual public sector is on the eay.
Great, I can see it now; Nurses with bi-lingual placards picketing hospitals while they look for even shorter hours and one of their tri-annual pay increases. Meanwhile granny Murphy inside on a trolley will be told that there's still no bed for her in a language she doesn't understand... good to see we've got our priorities right.But the public sector in parts are. HSE employees in Cork go to the 20 week conversational classes. The HSE pays for it - if they have good attendence.
The Librarys have circle comhras.
Brian Cowen sees the Irish Language as one of his priorities.
I have no dout - a bi-lingual public sector is on the eay.
Having a few with Irish in a public office is not an acceptable solution.
Great, I can see it now; Nurses with bi-lingual placards picketing hospitals
As if the country's finances weren't looking bleak enough as it is, we have the white elephant of a dead language to support.
Why not just treat it like Irish music? - If people want to learn it (and use their own money) to keep a tradition alive, great. Other people shouldn't have to suffer.
Simple, they don't need to know it to do their jobs. They don't need to know how to play the tin whistle either.These people have steady and pensionable jobs. Why they don't already have the language is beyond me.
These people have steady and pensionable jobs. Why they don't already have the language is beyond me.
Civil Servants who pass the scudu beal get extra payment - why not extend this to the HSE and Local government?
As a CS who has passed this exam, I would also like to hear of an example where civil servants get additional payment for passing this. I certainly don't (nor do I expect one).
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