Yes, of course. How could anyone support the economic policies of a government which has brought us to the brink of bankruptcy? After years of unprecedented boom our health service should be the envy of Europe rather than being the very worst. The neo-liberal policies of privatising everything, cutting taxes on incomes that can well afford to pay and allowing 'big business' a clear field to fatten the fatcats even further are responsible for the depth of recession. There is no indication that these policies are going to change. Every Irish citizen should take to the streets to give a clear message to this government that its policies have to change and the interest of the citizens of Ireland should be paramount.

I think that public and private workers should get together on this one and give the governemnt a run for their money. I know that public sector workers are hard hit, but so are the majority of private (now I dont want to get into this whole who is worst off debate). MOST PEOPLE are taking a hit in some way, and we all need to voice our anger at this point.

the question is do the GOVERMENT know what they are doing? its like the blind leading the blind. i agree with Buzz..all they do is talk round in circles.

In a democracy, when the majority of the people disagree with government policy and implementation, quite simply those policies are wrong.

I for one am not in favour of strike action as it can and will directly impact on the lives of 'everyday people' around the country, including lost productivty, loss of income, people having to take time off work etc.

However, I agree that the majority of people are affected and it's long overdue that we did something about it. I would heartily support a day of protest, if such a day were on a Sunday as due to cause least loss / damage to majority of people's lives and it were organised as a protest march in each major city and large town through-out the country.

Not only would such an event gain national coverage and demonstrate to government that we're fed up with their incompetence, but it would also gain international media coverage and create enormous pressure for change.

We have a government that allows financial regulators and heads of banks to be sacked for incompetence and then given huge pay-outs and pensions with government officials saying they can't do anything about it because they're entitled to it. Such a goverment is not governing on behalf of the people and does not have a mandate from the people to allow this.

Ireland is one fo the smallest countries in Europe, yet pays ministers the highest salaries. Their perks and expense allowances are a disgrace and insult to the people of ireland. And when they get voted out, do the laws that apply to you and me if we're made redundant apply? Of course not, they get their pockets lined again.

I and many others I speak with are sick and tired of the duplicity, arrogance, self-regulation, corruption, rewards, benefits and lack of accountability that this government enjoy.

So yes, let's have a day of protest, but not go on strike, not hurt each other as best as possible and get the world to see that we will not accept this shambles of incompetence any longer.

The only form of consultation left to the ordinary man or woman is now protest. so called consultation is not happening. this out of touch government decide what is to be done and then go ahead and do it. sadly a lot of the time they do not seem to be sharing plans with their own members. For example the Minister with responsibility for older people was not aware of the fiasco with the medical cards for the over 70's until it hit the headlines. Where was the consultation re the cutbacks with special needs teachers etc? Who consulted with who regarding the planned downgrading of local A&E services in local hospitals in the Mid West? What is left to the ordinary man and woman, very little else except protest and even this only allows the public to vent their concerns. it does not mean this government is going to listen to anything the electorate have to say.

If I believed that they were protesting against genuinely unfair policies I would agree, however from what I have heard in radio interviews with union leaders, the two issues they genuinely have are the pension levy and not getting the guranteed pay rise. Striking against these issues is like throwing a tantrum, all it does is make Ireland look spoilt and unrealistic and reduces the attractiveness of our country, therefore hitting the private sector once again. I will support, even though I am not unionised, any rebellion against unfair government tactics but the unions need to wake up and smell the coffee, pension levies and pay freezes are not unfair, in fact they are something I would welcome and find incredibly fair given that in reality I have been given a pay reduction, short time hours and pension wipe out.

I will finish though by saying fair play to those members in the unions who had voted against strike, thank you for thinking of our combined future.

Zzebedee2 has expressed my sentiments in virtually every word.  I would not be in favour of a strike, which only discommodes the public and does no harm whatever to those who cause all the trouble.  A public protest, preferably on a Sunday is the right way to go. Unfortunately as an OAP I would not be up to walking in a protest march, but my heart would be totally with it!

The sooner we have a general election the better, and let us clear out the scruff out of Dail Eireann. I just wish I had more confidence in the opposition not to follow the same old beaten track but at least they can't be worse!

Striking at this stage will solve nothing.  We did not casue this crisis.  The governemnt should go after the people who caused this in the first place i.e. the builders and the banks.  Can somebody tell me why some people need a million euros a year to live on while the old age pensioner lives on 230 euros a week.  There is no equality in our system and there never will be when we are leaving those who caused this problem to walk away.

This country is on it knees, what it doesn't need is the unions sticking the boot in. There is no magic wand, every facet of the society is having to endure pain and disrupting services ultimately only causes still more suffering.

Whilst I totally disagree with the action or should I say inaction of our current Government, I could not support industrial action which can only make a bad situation worse. I also smile to myself when I listen to some of the top people in the Trade Union movement when they criticise and demand retribution against employers, one would think that employers are some kind of disease which need to be cut out and thrown away. Most employers have their life on the line to their banks, most employers, who in the main consist of small firms, are mortgaged or borrowed up to their eyebrows and are working extraordinarily hard to keep their businesses running and in so doing keep their workers in employment. No I am not criticising the workers as they are the essential part of keeping the wheels of industry and commerce moving and are making a major contribution to this country, but what contribution are the union leaders making in trying to bring this country even further down. What deductions have they agreed with their very fat salaries and expenses? They are very quick to publicise 'bosses' salaries, but what about their own? add their salaries and expenses together and see what you get, 4 to 5 times the average industrial rate. It is time for every citizen to join together to get this country moving because if we don’t our children and to their great grand children will be paying back the debt we will build up.Its time to stop the witch hunts, let the Authorities deal with the wrongdoers and let the rest of us get our shoulders to the wheel and get the country moving forward again.

I don't really agree with strikes but it very difficult to do nothing while Mary Harney can agree to pay rises for top HSE Executives while the Junior Drs etc are expected to work more hours for less pay etc. etc. Something has to happen to bring a balance. If all this carry on with the banks etc. was happening in another country it would be brought to a hault by the people. We are too soft. There are such double standards here its crazy!!!

NO- DEFINATELY NOT- PEOPLE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A JOB DURING THIS

ECONOMIC BAD TIME.

I AM A WHEELCHAIR USER NOT GETTING PHYSIO FOR MANY YEARS.

THE PEOPLE OF IRELAND WHO CAN WALK SHOULD COUNT THEIR BLESSINGS.

The Govenrment is a mess, the unions are a mess, the banks and their bosses are a mess. The finances are a disaster not a mess. Do you not think the rest of the world has enought messes to laugh at about us, with out a useless unneeded national strike, and what will turn out to be a lot more laughing gas.

While I fully support unionisation for the benefit of workers, I do think the current union action is wrong at this time, protestign about pensons levies and pay freezes is unrealistic and makes them look totally out of step with reality for all other workers. I am in favour of a national day of protest against our corrupt 'elite' tho.

I agree with buzz.

The government, on purpose, set the private and public secotrs fighting against one another. This i heard from somebody involved in politics and the government.

It was a strategy, can ye all see it now after all that has happened.

the PEOPLE united, must demonstrate. like buzz said, take to the streets. every sunday in every town until there is change.

The government has ruined the country along with the banks and property developers and fat cat business men.

How can you justify €1million a year and then a pension pay out of €28 million.

The government is corrupt from the top down, all of it's departments are corrupt. they are living off the people and they are shafting the people.

The people need to unite and focus on the problem. it's not a case of private v public, that is playing into their hands. it's a case of every single person saying ENOUGH. we pay your wages, we want you out. We want CHANGES.

United we stand, divided we fall.

How on earth are they still in power? Blind leading the blind is right.

Giving hospitals a general rating is of limited use.

Quality of care, cleanliness, nursing and medical care can vary from ward to ward in any hospital. I have personal experience of this in a Dublin hospital. A friend spent several weeks in an over crowded ward which was stinking of body effluents with bags full of laundry left for days.

I was in a different ward (in the same hospital) that was spotlessly clean, was cleaned more than once a day and was a credit to any hospital.

My question is... if a given hospital is given a "Red" rating, it unfairly reflects on all the hospital staff, good and bad, motivated and just too lazy.

Who can blame the nurses for contemplating strike action when all are lumped together, good, bad and indifferent?

Perhaps we could take them a little more seriously in their current "plight" if they hadnt spent the last 10 years holding the country to ransom with strikes ANYWAY. This is nothing new, and they have very little support, particularly from thsoe who have worked just as hard, have as many mouths to feed and mortgages to pay, and who now find themselves without work. I am sure these people would be delighted at the chance of a guaranteed weekly or monthly wage and would gladly hand over a "cut" which in actual fact is going to be given back to them anyway. The problem is not that they have to pay MORE than their pension now, it is that they have to pay more FOR it. They had it to easy before, and that is why it looks bad now. They still pay less than what they actualy GET when they retire, but they FEEL hard done by because years ago they paid even less again.

I don't understand why the government gave tax breaks to horse breeders who pay no tax on their stud fees which amount to thousands of euro. Bono and U2 are fifthy rich yet they moved their businesses to Holland so they could save 13 million euro. He is always banging on about the third world. Well since Mary Harney became minister for health we have a third world health service That 13 million euro could pay for the vaccine to prevent future generations of women getting cervical cancer.

Nell and Zebedee2 are bang on, protest but dont cut off our own noses acting like spoilt kids used to living beyond our means[ which most of us have been over recent years].

3 other points of protest should be

1. putting an end to the stupidity of 'decentralisation' which has lead to huge extra cost not least because unions insisted those affected didnt have to move but should still be paid even if doing nothing or shifted to another department where they werent needed or were untrained.

2. Halving the number of TDs to bring us nearer to the european norm.

3. Allowing real time debate in the dail instead of the charade we have.

yes, to protesting on the streets in each county it would be great, each city every Sunday in a peaceful manner, but where is the Formula to do this? Which media will listen to the people of each County by way of newspapers, radio programmes, Television so that our people will know about it. So in all respects we don't have any real platform to speak from like our Government Parties do. They have the people power not us. I did think people power would work, but from what I hear in the media in the last couple of weeks there seems to be nothing we can do to change things.

We are disregarded, and always will be, this is the Democracy we live in, and have been living in since our free state was founded. I believe we cannot help our grown up children and grandchildren to make a better life for them. We get the bullet to bite next week 7 April, and whichever way it goes we have to take it. This is the reality of democracy in Ireland.

Chrissie

I think Sammi is so right!!! The government have set the private and public sectors against each other and we are playing right into their hands. If we are distracted talking about the public sector, and these are lower paid public sector workers, then we are taking our eye of the real problem which is the government.

A strike may not achieve anything but you must remember it's all relative. If any of ye got a job in the civil service and pension etc. was part of your pay arrangement you wouldn't be too pleased about it either. I know they are lucky to have jobs... (I am not a public service worker and I have taken a 10% pay cut) but I still think we have to start from the top down. It's like me, a private sector worker who has taken a cut and yet my boss will still spend Easter in his private holiday home in the Bahamas.... I'm not happy either and I do have a certain amount of sympathy for the public sector workers who still see the "top" executives in the Banks, HSE and Governments Departments etc, who are also paid out of the same pot, getting millions in golden handshakes, bonuses etc. and they are being cut.

There needs to be a total clear out and shake up of the system with fair play for everyone.

aine

the government under charlie haughey ( need we say more) brought about the horse breeding and tax relief scenario. so that the irish could be on a par with the foreign race horse breeders. another case of a handful of people getting very wealthy as a result. base line stud fee is € 500 for jumpers and go up in scale to € 1,000 plus. then for racehorse €5 - €50,000 upwards.

jumpers use artificial insemination and can cover 10+ mares a day. earnings of €25,000 minimum for those 10 mares. plus grants for setting up yards, stables.

they were minting it. they have to pay tax now.

Hello all,

1. There might never be a strike if there was equality in society.

2. Those in power here were given that power by the electorate....who were looking after themselves....i.e party politics, nepotism etc....."you vote/campaign for me and if I'm elected I'll 'look after you' !!

3. There are numerous politicians/ministers ex-taoisi who have there own businesses and external resources....and still receive money for doing nothing.....(any politician want to argue this I'll gladly go on live radio/TV).

4. WHY HAS RTE AND THE REST OF THE MEDIA NOT FOCUSED ON THIS ??.......because the whole country/system is rotten and corrupt !

5. THE GOVT. IS/HAS BEEN LINKED WITH THE BANKERS/DEVELOPERS....AND THIS IS FACT...NOT FICTION....SO WHY ARE THEY STILL IN POWER ?

6. THE GOVT. AND THE LAW SOCIETY ARE ALSO INEXTRICABLY LINKED.

The govt NEVER (has) adjusted/changed laws which would result in equality in society...(again, I invite a member of the govt. to argue live on air).

7. N.B. WHY CAN'T WE NAME THE POLITICIANS WHO ARE CONNECTED TO THE TOLL-BRIDGES OBSCENE PROFITS ??....AND, IF THEY ARE STILL RECEIVING WAGES/PENSIONS ETC ...WHY/WHO ARE THEY??

8. The above questions (and answers) are never asked and published.....AND THE CORRUPT IDIOTS IN POWER WONDER WHY THIS COUNTRY IS SLIDING DOWN THE SLOPE OF ANARCHY ?

9. Pat Kenny has announced he will shortly be hosting a 'political programme' ..to take over from 'questions and 'answers' !!....personally...I don't hold out much hope that the right questions will be asked...never mind answered !!

Finally....think about this....the monies that these politicians receive, largely will not change...no matter what 'pain' they profess to suffer.....ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVE WHEN HE WILL LOSE HIS JOB, WHEN HE HAS TO HAND BACK THE KEYS TO HIS/HER HOUSE, WHAT HIS/HER NET INCOME IS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR...AND DEMAND PROOF....THEN YOU'LL GET CLOSER TO WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THESE 'PEOPLE' !!

All the above is just a little reminder of why ordinary hard working people may demonstrate/strike.....and I haven't touched the half of it....any one blame people for reacting !!??

Aine we do not have a third world health service. It may need shaking up but it is certainly NOT third world!

You are right buzz, it is not a "THIRD WORLD" health service but I know what Aine means... and we shouldn't have to be "GRATEFUL" that its not third world status and feel guilty for complaining about it. That's a completely different agrument altogether and the world governments have a lot to answer for in this regard but when you spend a few days very ill on a trolley in a narrow hallway off the A&E depatment of a major Dublin hospital where you would nearly be knocked off it by people passing it's certainly closer to "third world" than one of the riches countries in Europe.   WE NEED TO COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN AND THEN COMLAIN SOME MORE.......

But thats all we ever do - we are a nation of professional moaners. It doesnt get us anywhere. We need a different tactic I believe. The problem with the higher powers though, is that we are trying to vote in "the best of a bad lot".

I tend to have this debate regular with my other half.

This is a social / political state. these people go back hand in hand for generations. the chain needs to be BROKEN.

Buzz is right, all everyone is doing is moanin. I saw on another post 11 April 11 a.m Dail Eireann, i think it's a protest.But people don't need to head for dublin. If only they would unite in their own towns. And make a noise.

the media is on the governments leash yes, but hey, you can't stand in the way of a tidal wave when it's coming at ya. Rome was the greatest empire of the world but it fell. If they they realise they have to show the workers a bit more respect-because they fear the collective power that can force change-they will change. but they are sitting pretty knowing that the irish people will only moan, they will not get proactive and force change.

Your are right...we complain and moan to each other but we need to complain to the right people or get organised somehow. Bombard the minister, HSE, whoever and keep at it until someone takes notice!!!!

So what are WE going to do about it?

There is nothing stopping us as individuals from:

1. collaborating and organising a protest

2. collaborating and approching unions. other interested parties to help organise a protest

3. standing as independents in the next general election of TD's

Zebedeee

What are people's predictions for today at 4??

Hi Buzz

Predictions today, well we heard by today's news "It will be the worst budget since our state was formed (our 26 Countries) 3.8 million yesterday, today 4 million cutbacks. I believe there will be another emergency budget before end of 2009, (not usual annual budget) lost count of what they are paying our 20 junior ministers + all their expenses, but Brian Cowan wants 5 to go (how he'll do that we do not know) will he announce that in the next 1 hr? He's cutting back hard, the only way he can bring money into the Pot now as I have read someone said on this Site, or another Site, he/she was right.

He's hitting hard to all going to bring levies up, what way we won't know. These ecomonists say he can't bring into remit income tax/P.A.Y.E. That's right I know. I used to work on payroll. What the Revenue Commissioners have to do is send out new P.A.Y.E. Forms what they are allowed earn tax free for 1 year, to send to each person working in our State in mid year would take too long e.g. to implement higher taxes right now from today, to implement tax credits, different rates, depending/or not depending on Pay As Your Earn.

Chrissie

We're all waiting in anticipatien, lets see what he does, what he delivers? shortly we'll see all.

zebedee2

I totally agree with you. i honestly cannot understand why there isn't uproar on a massive scale given what the government and banks have done.

The people should be out in force DEMANDING change.

But no, like a bunch of mute sheep, they follow. I can only assume it's fear, fear that they will lose something.

Government wages should be slashed, numbers of ministers reduced, rules of accountability should be brought in and enforced. huge clear out of HSE. which has been going down the pan under drumm for years. slash their wages. If they don't like it, resign. they are no good anyway.

But it won't happen. Sheep only follow, they do not lead.

"But no, like a bunch of mute sheep, they follow. I can only assume it's fear, fear that they will lose something."

I assume you were out protesting outside the Dail then

Who are "they" anyway?? Shouldnt it be "us"???

It does not appear to the many trade unionists in this country that of the many who were were asked or volunteered to take a pay cut, senior management of unions were conspicious by their absence. I go so far as to say the very few, if any trade unionists know what the pay of senior trade unionists is, and I ask of them when did they last see the financial accounts of their union???

In most cases, absolutely YES

but in the delivery in healthcare, one has to be very careful of not sabotaging the end result by the means to get there.

i am not a healthcare worker in ireland, but in the US. so i make comments realizing we have our own problems here. i am very aware and knowledgable about healthcare and medical services in ireland, especially in emergency services.

the delivery of healthcare in ireland is woefully behind the times, and people are dying because of it. both the HSE and all the providers at ALL levels bear responsibility for the problems. unless you all figure out a way to resolve these issues without placing the PATIENT in the middle of it, it's all for nothing.

instead of putting egos first, and digging in your heels about who does what and who gets what, how about worrying about the sick and injured.

isn't that why we do this work, anyway?