What is the biggest problem facing Ireland today?

Question

What would you suggest as a solution? Pros and Cons to the solution?

And nobody mention Lisbon please or we'll be fighting forever =)

Answer 1

to be honest, i think its drink and drugs...if we found a way to control our useage of dangerous substances, it would reduce crime, road carnage and anti-social behaviour. also, we have an issue with gangland feuds in dublin and limerick which is strongly linked to drugs...also it would reduce strain on our hospitals (which are in dire state). for a start, I would target problem areas and educate the kids on these issues. some of these kids have grown up surrounded by drink and drugs and don't kno any other way of life. its a simple thing but its not bein done. i would put a heavy fine or whatever on buying alchol for minors and introduce random drug testing...

Answer 2

Well, if the Lisbon treaty comes in, it will far usurp any current problems.

Answer 3

The Celtic tiger made us all crazy. We were all seduced by having a couple of extra quid in our pockets . In the last election we put FF back in purely on the economic argument. We are beginning to realise now that there are a lot of things wrong in our country and we have taking our eye of the ball.

Health, Crime , the enviorment, child poverty just to mention a few areas that have not progressed in recent years. When the next election comes around we must think about the wider issues , what type of country we want to live in and can Biffo and his mates deliver.

Answer 4

Public sector unions and the inability to fire incompetant public servants leading to money being over spent on keeping these buracrats in a job when it could be diverted to the people it really makes a difference to like more teachers and doctors.

We pay for their jobs with our taxes give the public more accountability. Their inefficency and constant unwillingness to changefor the better is a drain on our economy, just look at the last ESRI report

Answer 5

I think its poverty.

1 in 10 Irish children live in poverty.

1 in 5 ill/ disabled adults lives in poverty (including me).

The only real solution I can see is more money needs to be spent trying to end poverty.

At every budget various agencies make recommendations to the government about what what the rate for lone parent/ dole/ incapacity benefits should be and the  governmtent ignores it.

The gvoernment consistantly keeps welfare payments BELOW the poverty threshold.

THere are evne simple things they copuld do for example if your a lone parent  with one child you get €197 a week for yourself and €24 for your child a grand total of €221 whci anyone will tell you isnt enough to raise a child.

You moght be lucky enough to get child support from the father. Say your getting 70 a week off him, so thats €291 which is not so bad. But you wont get that because if te father gives you 70 the government gives you 70 less and brgings you back down to €221. They keep you at €221. If tehy stopped stuff like taht it would help.

You are allowed work earn a certain amount of money with out losing your welfare but whose supposed to take care of your kids while you work? The childcare will cost much more than you earn. You could wait until they are in school but try finding a job that will let you work so little that you wont lose any money. I have so many firnds in this situation and it impossible.

The goverment set out a plan for ending poverty and they diditn follow it.

They arent willing to out their money where their mouth is meanwhioe they're pulling in ridiculously huge salaries.

Much more money has to go into education. Programmes to identify those at risk of leaving school and keeping them in school. A good education is waht can break the poverty cycle.

Afordable childcare for lone parents so they can gat back to work/ education.

Aslo I will bring the Lisbon treaty into how can I not?

If the treaty is passed we will have to spend more money on our militry.

Possiblily up to 6% of our GDP we currently spend about 1% and that plenty. Where do you think the extra 5% should come from?

How much harder do you think it will be to lift people out of poverty if we spend up to 6% of our GDP on the army?

Answer 6

I think the biggest problem is gangs and anti-social behavior.

Everywhere you go, you see gangs of teenagers smoking and doing drugs. If you say anything to them or sometimes for no reason, they are just like "What the f**** did you say? I'll knock your F****ing teeth out!! ya f****ing r****d!" I swear, you cant talk to anyone in towns or cities without them giving you a real skanger attitude.

Answer 7

I have to agree with the guy above, it's like you can't go anywhere without feeling intimidated or getting started on, or seeing someone else getting started on. I was at the bus stop not too long ago in Wicklow and a group of girls that must have been only 15 started accosting this girl and telling her to give them coins for the bus, she didn't have extra money and the abuse they gave her was unreal, calling her fat and saying how dare she give them cheek (although truly weren't they the ones giving her cheek?). It's just a lack of respect for other people.

Answer 8

Drugs. =[ And speeding cars.