"Why aren't people rioting in the streets?"

T

tiger

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I've heard this bandied about on many media & web discussions on our current financial crisis. I think most people don't fully understand what's going on, plus the pain will be spread out over years, and there's no leadership. Rioting is for angry young students, not for angry couch potatoes (like me...).

Equally I've seen plenty of "web campaigns", but I don't see that these as carrying any weight. It's too easy for people to send an email, click on an online survey, etc. for it to have much significance.

I do think there have been criminal acts, and acts of corruption which have helped bring us to our current situation. My idea would be to setup a reward scheme for information leading to criminal convictions, along the lines of what lead to the Mahon tribunal
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Idea would be along the lines of:
1. Set up a "clean up Ireland" fund which would.
2. provide rewards for people providing info to the authorities which leads to criminal convictions of senior businessmen/bankers, politicians or senior public servants.
3. money to come from the "people of Ireland" who feel aggrieved enough to contribute.

The scheme would need some form of legal trust to administer it.
People would donate via a website.
If successful claims aren't made after a 5-10 year period, they money is divided amongst a group of charities.

Any thoughts on the feasibility of such an idea, & what it would take to set it up?
If a few hundred or few thousand people were each willing to contribute a few hundred or thousand euro, we'd have a good sized fund.
 
One small problem, did any of the senior bankers/politicians/senior public servants actually break any laws or were they just incompetent chancers? In some cases perhaps they have broken the laws but part of the issue was lack of regulation in the first place
 
Irish people don't do riots or protests very well. You would be lucky to get a few people organized and at that they would only protest for an hour or so before going to the pub for some lunch and a few drinks.

In Iceland they stayed outside the local parliament until their minister resigned. They stayed for a few days in shifts and only left when he resigned.

No that's protesting.
 
Who bid up the price of property at home + abroad?

Who will be protest aganist?
Auditors. Newspaper Supplements, RTE, Bankers, Builders, Regulators, Block Layers, Carpenters, Car Sales Men, Politicians?
 
If a few hundred or few thousand people were each willing to contribute a few hundred or thousand euro, we'd have a good sized fund.

If people saw a wrong doing - why would would they want a monetary reward?

Tribunerals etc solved nothing for this country. Their operation and bloated exixtance has been a disgrace.

They just drag on & on.

Costing millions & millions.

It is high time people started protesting aganist jornalists and politicians who sought these bodies.
 
Well they have been rioting recently in the streets in Greece.

But I see the IMF and EU agreed a massive aid package today, but it involves Greece having to make 'massive cuts' as part of the deal.

This is the bit I can't understand about the problems in Ireland. No-one wanted to take any cuts but yet if the IMF was called in then the cuts would be compulsory and people would suffer more.

Just heard on the radio this morning that the Greek PS had some crazy bonus schemes added in the boom times. One even involved getting a bonus for coming to work on time !!! Madness.

They are paying for it now.
 

This is the stark simple truth that the selfish foot stamping children that seem to make up most union voices don't realise.
 
Caveat said:
This is the stark simple truth that the selfish foot stamping children that seem to make up most union voices don't realise.
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Strangely enough, most union members aren't foolish or childish, and have the same level of understanding of our economic position as most other people.

But I guess it is easier just to attack the person instead of trying to understand their POV.
 
Complainer said:
Strangely enough, most union members aren't foolish or childish, and have the same level of understanding of our economic position as most other people.

.
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In fairness, anyone I know in the Public Sector I know does understand the economic position. The problem/issue is that some don't understand why they have to pay for it in reduced take home pay. Instead these seem to think that "going after the bankers" or "making senior civil servants pay their fair share" or things like that will result in some magic pill that will make everything ok. Reality is, we can't afford the current public sector costs.
 
Reality is, we can't afford the current public sector costs.
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No, we can't afford public sector costs. Neither can we afford Anglo and bank bailout costs.
 

What they don't understand is why there is no fairness in the cuts that have been applied to date. Why have there been no cuts to property tax reliefs, and Minister's pensions, and EU Commissioner's 'transition allowances'. Fairness should be an important feature of all Govt policy, and this Govt will pay the price for not remembering this.
 
I understand this perfectly.
The government will only cut stuff that won't see them ousted from power. This is yet another symptom of the flawed Irish election process.

The government's priorities are very much different to the citizens' priorities.
 
In greece if you are a forrester you get paid an allownace for working outdoors.
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In Ireland, if you are in the NAVY, you get an allowance for GOING TO SEA ON A SHIP!!!
 
colin79ie said:
In Ireland, if you are in the NAVY, you get an allowance for GOING TO SEA ON A SHIP!!!
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So? People in the army get paid allowances for going to serve overseas. I get allowances when I have to work abroad and I work in the private sector.
 

I understand your point, but the work invloved to change ministers pensions / trabsitions allowances will "only" save a few million here and there. Given the state of the property market and falling rents, I doubt that the gov is losing much in the way of the property tax releifs.
On the otherhand, given the rise in PS numbers and the increases in the pay rates up until last year, this is the low-hanging fruit that can save potentially billions...
 
Sunny said:
So? People in the army get paid allowances for going to serve overseas. I get allowances when I have to work abroad and I work in the private sector.
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OK, pay the Navy an allowance for going overseas, but not for going on the seas!
 
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