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Another Irish expat, living in Germany. The cynic in me says the timing of the gay marriage, the abortion referendum on abortion and now this progressive drug

Another Irish expat, living in Germany. The cynic in me says the timing of the gay marriage, the abortion referendum on abortion and now this progressive drug stance is the government playing a game of misdirection with the electorate. This current government was elected on the specific promise of fixing the economic mess and getting rid of the disastrous policy of bank debt being hoisted onto the sovereign balance sheet. I know plenty of people who are struggling financially, losing their homes and so on back in Ireland, but by using controversial social measures (which I agree are a step in the right direction) they are distracting from their pathetic failure to fix the economy (any progress you see economically has nothing to do with the government, but a recovery of the global economy and the multinationals in Ireland along with it. We have very little indigenous industry, startups, etc.)

anonymousDan 11y ago
Oh come on, Ireland has been the fastest growing country in Europe for the last few years. This government has done a pretty good job considering the circumstances. Would you rather they had gone the Greek route for example?
- patrickk 11y ago
  With all due respect, you have no idea what you are talking about. The headline figures for Ireland are very misleading. The bond spreads are coming down because Irish banks were bailed out at enormous expense and are buying Irish govt debt. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands have left the place for good due to a lack of opportunity. Many ordinary people are still struggling badly. Ireland and Greece are nothing alike, we never went on a spending spree like Greece did, it was all the dirty dealings with the bank bailout that made the recession so long lasting.
  - anonymousDan 11y ago
    Nah. We were already screwed when this government got in because of the last one. To lay the blame at their door is ridiculous. They did a good job with the hand they were dealt IMHO (particularly Noonan). Furthermore the bond spreads aren't "coming down", they've been next to nothing for a while. Unemployment is still too high but a lot better than it was.

anonymousDan 11y ago

Oh come on, Ireland has been the fastest growing country in Europe for the last few years. This government has done a pretty good job considering the circumstances. Would you rather they had gone the Greek route for example?

patrickk 11y ago
With all due respect, you have no idea what you are talking about. The headline figures for Ireland are very misleading. The bond spreads are coming down because Irish banks were bailed out at enormous expense and are buying Irish govt debt. Meanwhile hundreds of thousands have left the place for good due to a lack of opportunity. Many ordinary people are still struggling badly. Ireland and Greece are nothing alike, we never went on a spending spree like Greece did, it was all the dirty dealings with the bank bailout that made the recession so long lasting.
- anonymousDan 11y ago
  Nah. We were already screwed when this government got in because of the last one. To lay the blame at their door is ridiculous. They did a good job with the hand they were dealt IMHO (particularly Noonan). Furthermore the bond spreads aren't "coming down", they've been next to nothing for a while. Unemployment is still too high but a lot better than it was.