Today is Budget Day in Ireland. And boy is it going to be a tough one, probably the toughest budget in Irish history. Ya see, there's a significant hole in public finances after the job and construction markets collapsed and also the banks were bailed out. The government needs to make public spending cutbacks of €4 billion. That may not sound like a lot but for a small country with drastically reduced tax intake and an economy that has been absolutely battered, that's a lot.
So where are these cuts going to come from? Well, our illustrious leader, Brian Cowan, is taking a €60,000 paycut, but he'll still be one of the highest paid leaders in Europe. So that's a start at least. Most of the cuts will likely come from paycuts to the public sector as well as decreases in social assistance payments (which again, are currently among the highest in Europe).
We found a really stinging way that the government is trying to make up some lost revenue as well. A leaflet was posted through our letterbox yesterday for a town meeting to discuss the plans a local businessman has to develop some land in the centre of town...for a bigger supermarket and apartments on top. According to the leaflet, if you want to submit an objection to any planning application in the county (may apply across the country, don't know for sure), you must include €20 with your objection. Completely ridiculous, €20 to participate in public governance?
Apparently there will be no tax increases in this budget.
Stay tuned. And don't be surprised if there is an election around the corner in Ireland.
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Ways to boost tourism
An article today in the RTE website talks of strategies to boost tourism in Ireland. Apparently Tourism Ireland hopes to boost the number of visitors by 3% next year, after a 12% drop in visitors in 2009 (that's 600,000 fewer visitors!). Apparently the strategy will focus on luring British and German tourists to our fair isle.
The article also admits there was a 25% drop in visitors from Britain last year, likely as many people are opting for 'staycations' during these tough economic times.
What the article doesn't state, and I haven't looked elsewhere for reasons, is why tourists aren't coming to Ireland. I've got a few ideas, so here goes.
The exchange rate and the cost of everything. Currently the pound sterling is worth about €1.10, making rough approximations as to the cost of things fairly valid. So, with this in mind, and in general people with less disposable income, I think the question should be 'why the hell are people still coming to Ireland? Hotels are expensive and often not up to the same standards as Britain or the US, car hire is expensive, eating out fairly ridiculous, and the price of a pint in Temple Bar should send every tourist scurrying back to the airport pronto.
The inconvenience of it all. Yeah, I know I complain about the inconveniences of daily life here, and that probably comes from living in Canada and the USA for too long. But it is so true! Public transport is inefficient, the roads network is good in places and quite poor in others, shopping can often be a struggle, and government services are dated on concepts from the 70s (not that tourists see that). Some people see these inconveniences as quaint, which I suppose they could be if you're here for a 2 week holiday, but they can become annoying if you life here.
So why do people come to Ireland for a vacation? I would think two main reasons. First, the scenery. Absolutely beautiful mountains, coastlines....even the bogs are gorgeous. The cultural scenery is great too (churches, ruins etc.), but I'm not sure its anything better than they already have in the UK. Most tourist spots are woefully unprepared for large numbers of tourists though. I've taken coach loads of students on trips to the west coast, and just try finding somewhere with public toilets, or where you can get a meal for 30 people on the spur of the moment.
The second reason I think would be heritage. I've stopped counting the number of people I've bumped into (mainly Americans) who are over here seeing where their forebearers came from. Mostly older and likely with a bit of disposable income and looking for a bit of comfort on their travels. The recent economic conference at Farmleigh called on the diaspora to come home to Ireland (either physically or at least to support financially), yet there appears to be no organized effort to help this along. I think a big campaign in America to get people over here for a visit would do wonders.....let's call it Come Home to Ireland - 2012. Making it two years from now should give us a bit of time to scrub up, remove some graffiti, finish a few roads, and to allow the floodwaters to drop.
The article also admits there was a 25% drop in visitors from Britain last year, likely as many people are opting for 'staycations' during these tough economic times.
What the article doesn't state, and I haven't looked elsewhere for reasons, is why tourists aren't coming to Ireland. I've got a few ideas, so here goes.
The exchange rate and the cost of everything. Currently the pound sterling is worth about €1.10, making rough approximations as to the cost of things fairly valid. So, with this in mind, and in general people with less disposable income, I think the question should be 'why the hell are people still coming to Ireland? Hotels are expensive and often not up to the same standards as Britain or the US, car hire is expensive, eating out fairly ridiculous, and the price of a pint in Temple Bar should send every tourist scurrying back to the airport pronto.
The inconvenience of it all. Yeah, I know I complain about the inconveniences of daily life here, and that probably comes from living in Canada and the USA for too long. But it is so true! Public transport is inefficient, the roads network is good in places and quite poor in others, shopping can often be a struggle, and government services are dated on concepts from the 70s (not that tourists see that). Some people see these inconveniences as quaint, which I suppose they could be if you're here for a 2 week holiday, but they can become annoying if you life here.
So why do people come to Ireland for a vacation? I would think two main reasons. First, the scenery. Absolutely beautiful mountains, coastlines....even the bogs are gorgeous. The cultural scenery is great too (churches, ruins etc.), but I'm not sure its anything better than they already have in the UK. Most tourist spots are woefully unprepared for large numbers of tourists though. I've taken coach loads of students on trips to the west coast, and just try finding somewhere with public toilets, or where you can get a meal for 30 people on the spur of the moment.
The second reason I think would be heritage. I've stopped counting the number of people I've bumped into (mainly Americans) who are over here seeing where their forebearers came from. Mostly older and likely with a bit of disposable income and looking for a bit of comfort on their travels. The recent economic conference at Farmleigh called on the diaspora to come home to Ireland (either physically or at least to support financially), yet there appears to be no organized effort to help this along. I think a big campaign in America to get people over here for a visit would do wonders.....let's call it Come Home to Ireland - 2012. Making it two years from now should give us a bit of time to scrub up, remove some graffiti, finish a few roads, and to allow the floodwaters to drop.
Saturday, 21 November 2009
The trains are back in North County Dublin!
Well, the trains are now running again since they've fixed the bridge at Malahide. Replaced the bridge, rather. The first day back was last Monday, and now that the week is over I've been on that train 10 times. Not once has the train been on time. Not once. I think the drivers have forgotten how they work.
And now they've just announced a new schedule for the northern commuter trains (not that they follow the old schedule anymore). And of course, fewer trains during the evening rush hour. Yeah Irish Rail, that's not exactly the way to get your customers back after cancelling services for 3 months now, is it?
And now they've just announced a new schedule for the northern commuter trains (not that they follow the old schedule anymore). And of course, fewer trains during the evening rush hour. Yeah Irish Rail, that's not exactly the way to get your customers back after cancelling services for 3 months now, is it?
Ireland and the Hand of Frog
It's been three days since Thierry Henry 'handed' Ireland their exit from the World Cup, and the papers are still full of the fury. I'm not even Irish and I was raging. Catherine isn't Irish and hates football and she was mad. Accusations that FIFA wanted France to win, that Henry knew exactly what he was doing, and suggestions that the French Football Federation (FFF) should do the right thing and offer a replay are all common themes. Even the French people appear ashamed of their hollow victory (almost all of the newspapers are carrying apology letters from French people).
But something struck me about the level of upset seen in Ireland over this whole affair. It's not all about football (or soccer as the Irish call it), as none of the players even play for Irish clubs and it's not even all that popular a game here (rugby, hurling and Gaelic football are arguably more popular with spectators in Ireland). No, it's all part of a strong feeling running through the Irish these days of having been screwed over by the 'authorities' one too many times recently. The government is unpopular and doesn't listen to the people, the banks and developers conspired to get us into this economic mess, and Ireland is feeling alienated by the EU. And now we have the opportunity to feel good about ourselves for once.....and who takes it away? Another EU country, and an institution (FIFA) that appears biased and corrupt and lacking in moral fibre and sense of fair play. The FFF are also guilty of that Gallic shrug that says 'we don't care about you, we won, it may not have been fair but we are going to South Africa'. Where have we seen that attitude before? Oh yeah, the government, the banks, and the developers who got us into this financial mess.
There's lots of public outrage in Ireland these days; I hear it on the street, in the office, on the radio, and in the pubs. This is just another instance of the little guys getting screwed and those that make the rules saying tough.
Shame on France, shame on FIFA, and shame on the FFF. And well done to the Irish team. A brilliant display.
But something struck me about the level of upset seen in Ireland over this whole affair. It's not all about football (or soccer as the Irish call it), as none of the players even play for Irish clubs and it's not even all that popular a game here (rugby, hurling and Gaelic football are arguably more popular with spectators in Ireland). No, it's all part of a strong feeling running through the Irish these days of having been screwed over by the 'authorities' one too many times recently. The government is unpopular and doesn't listen to the people, the banks and developers conspired to get us into this economic mess, and Ireland is feeling alienated by the EU. And now we have the opportunity to feel good about ourselves for once.....and who takes it away? Another EU country, and an institution (FIFA) that appears biased and corrupt and lacking in moral fibre and sense of fair play. The FFF are also guilty of that Gallic shrug that says 'we don't care about you, we won, it may not have been fair but we are going to South Africa'. Where have we seen that attitude before? Oh yeah, the government, the banks, and the developers who got us into this financial mess.
There's lots of public outrage in Ireland these days; I hear it on the street, in the office, on the radio, and in the pubs. This is just another instance of the little guys getting screwed and those that make the rules saying tough.
Shame on France, shame on FIFA, and shame on the FFF. And well done to the Irish team. A brilliant display.
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
The Arctic Fox...in Dundalk?
This past weekend I did a bit of a spur-of-the-moment trip to Dundalk to do some coastal walking. What looked great on the map turned out to be a series of salt marshes that are a pain in the *ss for walking. So, I didn't explore as much as I wanted to, and ended up spending part of the afternoon exploring the lovely (?) city of Dundalk.
Not much to report about the town. Fairly large, a bit dreary, prosperous perhaps in a bygone day. But one thing did really stand out at me. Walking along some old but anonymous backstreet I spied one of those blue tourist signs attached to a building that usually designates the birthplace, deathplace (?), or former residence of someone barely famous. But this one got me excited....this run-down, fairly large house (for sale too!) was the birthplace of Sir Francis Leopold McClintock. Who? Well, a houshold name amongst those with an interest in the Arctic, McClintock explored huge areas of the Arctic in the search for Franklin in the mid-1800's, he mapped Melville Island and discovered both Price of Wales Island and Prince Patrick Island. Not bad for a kid from Dundalk.
Not much to report about the town. Fairly large, a bit dreary, prosperous perhaps in a bygone day. But one thing did really stand out at me. Walking along some old but anonymous backstreet I spied one of those blue tourist signs attached to a building that usually designates the birthplace, deathplace (?), or former residence of someone barely famous. But this one got me excited....this run-down, fairly large house (for sale too!) was the birthplace of Sir Francis Leopold McClintock. Who? Well, a houshold name amongst those with an interest in the Arctic, McClintock explored huge areas of the Arctic in the search for Franklin in the mid-1800's, he mapped Melville Island and discovered both Price of Wales Island and Prince Patrick Island. Not bad for a kid from Dundalk.
Friday, 23 October 2009
Letting the days go by....
It's been a while since my last post. Just letting the days go by I suppose. Maybe it's because I'm becoming very drained by my commuting situation. The train bridge is still not fixed so I'm relegated to the bus still.
I must say that Dublin Bus has done a surprisingly good job of putting on plenty of buses to serve our town, but it still adds 45 minutes each way to my commute and also means I have to leave an hour earlier to avoid traffic. If I arrive at the bus stop anytime past 7 am, then the traffic on the highway into town is way too heavy and it becomes a nightmare. Oh well, I'm sort of getting used to the early mornings but I do yearn for the train to come back.
On other notes here in Ireland, it looks like there will be a public sector strike coming soon. Public sector workers have been told they'll have to take a 7% pay cut to 'do their bit' during the recession. This on top of the 5-7% pension levy they also had to pay. While Ireland does apparently have the highest-paid public sectors in Europe (and by the looks of things, the most bloated), this is a bit steep. I'm not public sector but this still raise my hackles. Especially when AIB Bank, which is now effectively owned by the government and taxpayer and something like €80 billion in the hole, has just voted themselves a 3% pay rise.
I also wouldn't mind paying my share if I saw a solid government plan for getting out of this deficit. Taxing your way out of a recesssion doesn't work, neither does continually cutting wages. Let's face it, this country is in a very bad state, and the government has no clue how to get out of it. Banana Republic economics all around.
I must say that Dublin Bus has done a surprisingly good job of putting on plenty of buses to serve our town, but it still adds 45 minutes each way to my commute and also means I have to leave an hour earlier to avoid traffic. If I arrive at the bus stop anytime past 7 am, then the traffic on the highway into town is way too heavy and it becomes a nightmare. Oh well, I'm sort of getting used to the early mornings but I do yearn for the train to come back.
On other notes here in Ireland, it looks like there will be a public sector strike coming soon. Public sector workers have been told they'll have to take a 7% pay cut to 'do their bit' during the recession. This on top of the 5-7% pension levy they also had to pay. While Ireland does apparently have the highest-paid public sectors in Europe (and by the looks of things, the most bloated), this is a bit steep. I'm not public sector but this still raise my hackles. Especially when AIB Bank, which is now effectively owned by the government and taxpayer and something like €80 billion in the hole, has just voted themselves a 3% pay rise.
I also wouldn't mind paying my share if I saw a solid government plan for getting out of this deficit. Taxing your way out of a recesssion doesn't work, neither does continually cutting wages. Let's face it, this country is in a very bad state, and the government has no clue how to get out of it. Banana Republic economics all around.
Wednesday, 23 September 2009
Sunday in the Wicklow Mountains
We've had a visitor with us from Canada, Glen, who's never been to Ireland before. So Catherine and I figured we'd show him a few of the sights (although he was great about getting out and exploring on his own). So, early Sunday morning Glen and I headed up to the Wicklow Mountains for a bit of a drive and some fresh air. Here's a photo from the Wicklow Gap area....very pretty.
Now the town of Glendalough is quite touristy but not much else is in the area, so it's great for just wandering without the fear of packs of Spanish tourists.
Now the town of Glendalough is quite touristy but not much else is in the area, so it's great for just wandering without the fear of packs of Spanish tourists. We made it back home just in town to head to the pub for the All-Ireland Championships (Gaelic Football), Kerry vs. Cork. A cracking match and we both enjoyed it, as did the whole pub. Now that's a sport I'm going to enjoy, along with hurling. Not quite a full replacement for hockey but it's a start.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
