CVByrne

You missed out on my favourite drug of all... Alcohol. Couldn't imagine not having a pint of Guinness on a Sunday. Unthinkable.

Anybody who voted no, **** off.

Brian O'Driscoll is some player. He'll win world player of the year after that.

Also best Essential Mix is Alex Wolfenden, still haven't stopped listening to it and it's almost two years old.

Electro House for moi. MSTRKRFT, Justice, Desyn Masiello, Daft Punk etc..

Chelsea will win this. We'll fight hard but come up short in the end. I'd love a draw at this stage. Can't see us beating them.

I meant if I decided to train as a teacher I'm sure I'd have been able to make it as one. Not that it's such an easy job I could go in there and do it myself tomorrow. But the one thing I realise more and more is that you can't see the Irish Public Sector as anything other than the same as your own one. I'm sure someone can lose their job by not working at all when the come into work over there? Thats not the case here There has never been a person fired in the Irish Public Sector for not doing their job. Yet there are people who come into work every day and do nothing and get paid for it. They can't be fired because they can say it's bullying. Now if you beileve I'm lying and this does not happen then there is no point in us debating any longer.

Tony, you're right. I'm sorry for being rude. I just am touchie with Conservatives being proud and happy that Ireland voted no, as if we agree with them and it's proof of their philosophies on Europe. When the facts are people voted no because they didn't understand it. Because Declan Ganley, on the Conservatives pay role spread lies and confused people here. Bottom line is if a pary ran for election here on the conservatives policies and beliefs they wouldn't win a single seat. Ask any Irish person if he or she is pro Europe, almost every one would say yes.

I'm not going to debate contributions to the Economy. The world is a complex place. But most of those teachers could not do what I do while I'm sure I could do what they do. The world does not reward just hard work I'm afraid. Intelligence and natural talent plays a very big part too. I don't make the rules of the game I'm forced to play. But I play it as best I can. I'm able to do my job and my employer decides how much I deserve to be paid, if I could do a similar or better job somewhere else and get paid more I'd move. The system set the rates at which I'm paid not me. If didn't have friends who became teachers just because it's a handy job with excellent holidays I may see them all as saints. But I see them just as I see myself, people playing the game of life, making their own decisions.

Did you even read why my bonuses was suspended? The Government stopped it, not my Employer. They're negotiating a recapitalisation of the bank and forced the suspension of bonuses. They have not been cancelled and considering the circumstances I'm thankful for the fight and effort my employer put up to honour our contracts. Rumour is the bonuses will be paid in the summer. Also please find the fairness in the blanket % increaes the Public Sector Unions get from the Government.

I am in love with Ireland over that decision I'm just hoping they have the courage of their convictions to vote NO a second time , though of course they shouldn't have to go through a second vote No means NO .. Shut up talking about something you know nothing about. If Irish people voted in England the conservatives wouldn't win a single seat. We may be cowards and greedy, but we're very pro Europe and when we vote again for Lisbon it'll be a landslide yes. The recession has woken people up and they realise we need Europe more than they need us.

We used to be very poor, we then in the 80's worked together and made hard decisions and made sacrafices to build a better future. We need to do that again, but we are not the same people, the wealth has made us selfish and greedy and nobody is willing to give up anything for the greater good like we did before. The Lisbon treaty was an example, people didn't vote yes because they didn't think we were getting anything like the money the Mastricht treaty got us. The view we've got all we can from the EU, we sure as hell ain't going to contribute anything. Ireland is full of greedy cowards now. We're a changed people, it disgusts me.

Nice little dig at me there Gringo. :winkold: Here is why I personally don't need a Union. I am a very talented and hard worker and I got my promotion and pay increases and all because I'm a valued employee. If I was under paid I would find another job. I will leave my current job at some time in the future I'm sure when a better opportunity arises. Also my bonuses are not imaginary, they are contractual and cannnot be taken away any easier than my pay. I've detailed the exceptional circumstances a few pages back about why they were postponed indefinitly.

No, but the "Social Partnership" where all the public sector unions get together and meet the Government every year or 18 months and bargain for blanket pay rises for all public servants is totally wrong. Utterly wrong. Different areas of the Public sector should get different levels of pay increases. The Grada (Police) are hugely underpaid, while the whole middle management of the Health Service Executive are over paid. It's simply a waste of money giving blanket pay increases in this manner where people on 200,000 get the same % pay increase as someone on 20,000. Someone explain the logic in that ? Ireland is so so different to the rest of the world.

I couldn't agree more. **** cowards, the whole country is now full of cowards. The people who got us out of the 80's would be dismayed by the disgrace we have become.

I have no problem with Private Sector Unions. The reason is because a balance will be found in the end becuase the Union know the Employer has limitations on what it can pay. While the Employer knows they will suffer industrial action if they take advantage of their workers, so will conceed to fair demands. My problem is with Public Sector Unions. They are huge and very powerful. Their Employer is the Government who has access to potentially limitless finance via taxation. The also know their members vote, so they hold that over the Government too. So when a Government is presented with a budget surplus it's hard to negotiate with Unions demanding blanket pay increases particularly close to an election date, because if you don't conceede you could lose your place in Government. It's easier to just give them the money, they'll be happy and you'll get re-elected. There is a big difference between the two types of Union in Ireland.

yep, it is a scare tactic a lot of companies will use Was he in a union? It doesn't matter, if he was permanent staff it was illegal to fire someone for not making it to work because of the weather. Consult a Lawyer and he'll make a packet. Happened to my brother before, work wanted rid of him for no reason so he got a Lawyer. Won the case handy. What kind of sick human being fires someone for not making it to work in a Blizzard anyway. Should be shot.

It has Snowy, Sterling Euro parity will not happen now that ECB will cut rates this year a few times.

No, Ireland is full of greedy, selfish cowards and we deserve the the fate we are about to suffer.

Trichet signalled future rate cuts in Euro Zone, hence forward rates are lower meaning less of a gap is seen in the future between interest rates hence Euro drops against pound. Forward rates are the predicted interest rates at points in the future.

The big mproblem is low to mid income earners are the ones who contribute the most tax to the exomomy because Ireland has a huge middle class. They can't tackle the public finances without hitting them. I found out yesterday that incriments will still be paid this year in the Public Sector so there is no promotion freeze on, incriments are usually over 1000 euro. Considering we are in a deflationary environment and that the levy is tax deductable most public servants spending power will not be eroded. But all of this is very hard to explain to people. So a teacher on 38,000 will get their 1,200 incriment this year and a levy of 2250 on their pension, 48% of which is taken back in tax deduction, which results in that teacher paying 1170 in after tax levy and getting 624 after tax incriment. Leaving net reduction in pay this year of 546 or 45 euro per month. Considering the reduction in Gas and Electricity bills, plus lower mortgage repayments and general deflation that teacher will have more spending power this year than last. But I know this because I work in Finance, but it's very hard to explain to the entire public sector. But I think they levy is fair and they are being asked to make a small sacrafice in the grand scheme of things. We had to do something because Moodys will review our AAA rating today I think. If we maintain that rating that saves us approx 600mil in interest payments this year alone.

You are entitled to your opinion. I was angry at the time because we were told about our bonuses and the amount we were getting. Then the Irish Times got wind of it and phoned the banks saying they were running it as the front page article on their Saturday Paper. The Government and Bank Executives had hasty discussions and because of the importance of the Public Sector cuts being negotiated at the time put pressure on for bonuses not to be paid. Since they are contractual the bank has to pay them, so they were deferred indefinatly, and a pess release was issued to that effect. The Irish Times changed their story. We were contacted on the weekend by our managers and informed of all this so we didn't find out in the papers. People were less than happy believe me, "slaved away in this most difficult year, somehow achieving our ovjectives and then having our reward taken away by the f*ckin Irish Times" to quote a manager in my department. I do understand the situation both the Government and Executives were in. This seems the only option available. Ireland is sinking into a black hole, everyone is going to feel pain, you can suck it up and get on with it or go complain and go on strike. None of this will change the cold hard facts that we're in a bad situation and strike will only make things worse. We need to be brave like we were in the 80's and work together to get out of this. Problem is this country is full of greedy, selfish cowards and we don't deserve to get out of this.

Doctors in Ireland are a disgrace by the way. Paid 250k a year, well over double an NHS doctor. It's a problem we have because we've a two tier medical system so Government has to negotiate with doctors to get them to work in Public Healthcare as well as the Private. But I mean, all sectors of the Public Sector. People who are paid by the Government. You're naming the few who it's hard to ask pay cuts from. But the majority just work office jobs in various deartments and administration. On a side note. Police here in Ireland are vastly underpaid. It's a disgrace for the work they do.

The point is that it was not necessarily up to the government to address it by reducing public sector pay or public sector pay increases but for the private sector workers to bind together and address what they felt as an injustice with their private sector bosses. But then one would always be higher than the other and then they'd play an endless game of catch up, which would result in spiraling wages, which would result in higher inflation, which would result in higher wage demands. It's a tricky thing to balance. Paying people more money isn't always the answer. It's a cruel thing to say but in the complex world of Economics it's a fact.

Your problem with your bonus might suggest otherwise. :? No it wouldn't. Not getting my bonus, although not fair, is a necessary sacrafice. Why? Simple, the Government need to get pay cuts from the Public sector to help stabilise the budget defecit. This shows international markets we are tackling the problem and our AAA rating will be reaffirmed by Moodys this month. This in turn means our cost of borrowing will be less and hence lessen the debt burden on our country. Now I can understand people hate bankers, it would make the Governments job of negotiating those pay cuts harder if those Greedy bankers got bonuses. So despite this simplistic view of all bank employees, I understand it and for the sake of the country we all need to make sacrafices. Well, except the Public Sector that is. Can you see why I might have some beef with them right now?