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LUAS SERVICES HAVE once again been shut down today, marking the 11th day of strikes since a dispute between staff and management burst out into the open at the beginning of the year.
Over the months there have been claims and counter-claims from both sides of the dispute. There have been losses of wages for striking workers and losses of revenue for operating company Transdev.
However, as the months have ground on, both sides have dug their heels in and the dispute has become increasingly intractable as the public becomes more and more frustrated.
Siptu has served notice of more stoppages throughout June, while Transdev has hinted at the possibility that workers could be laid off if the dispute isn’t resolved.
With things seemingly getting worse as the months pass, are we in any way near a resolution?
Where we’re at
Transdev says that it will only engage in further negotiations with Luas drivers and Siptu if there is a reasonable basis for them to do so.
In a statement on Wednesday, CEO Gerry Madden said that there was “no basis for any third party intervention or for direct discussions” while the drivers maintained their current position.
The drivers overwhelmingly rejected a proposed deal reached at the Workplace Relations Commission in March, with over 99% of those balloted voting against it.
Transdev has since removed that deal from the table, saying that the longer the strikes go on the less money it will have to offer up as a solution.
Transdev is fined €100,000 for breach of contract for each day it fails to run the Luas service, bringing the total amount lost to date to €1,100,000 (although some of this is offset by not having to pay the workers’ wages for these days or their yearly bonus).
So while Transdev says that it will only offer less than the WRC deal, Siptu and the drivers are still looking for more – and therein lies the seemingly unsolvable nature of the dispute.
Diminishing pot
Speaking on RTÉ’s News at One this afternoon, Gerry Madden said that if the drivers were to come forward with a reasonable solution, talks could continue.
“The pot that I have to play with to reward them diminishes with every strike,” he said.
If they were genuinely coming into a space where they recognise that’s the range that and we can negotiate in and they’ve got some ideas about productivity – that would be welcome.
Madden also said that the laying off of drivers was “signposted” as one of the issues in the future, and that he would be meeting Transdev’s legal team on Monday to “explore what means” the company had to resolve the dispute.
“However, what we’ll try to do is use all of the conventional methods to find a resolution so we’re not looking at that but the situation changes on a day to day, week to week basis,” he said.
Speaking this morning on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Siptu Divisional Organiser Owen Reidy said that Transdev had cut off negotiations 19 days ago and that it seemed like the company “don’t want to negotiate”.
“Since that time they have spent their time cutting the pay of staff by 10%, threatening to take people off the payroll, forcing people to work through their breaks and not facilitating people with their annual leave,” said Reidy.
Reidy said accepting the WRC proposals was not an option and that accepting any lower offer “was not going to happen”.
“It seems Transdev after 19 days of cutting off the talks, don’t want to negotiate,” he said.
And I don’t know if they want to try to humiliate or force their own employees into submission, but that won’t happen.
So Transdev says it will only agree to talks if there is a reasonable basis to do so, while Siptu says it will only engage if Transdev are willing to move closer to the drivers’ demands.
But as things stand there are further strikes scheduled for later on this month as well more stoppages in June. With no talks scheduled, it’s getting harder and harder to see how this all will end.
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As much as I dislike this guy and his ideas, he’s right about us. We’re one of the most apathetic countries in the world hence why we have horrendous leaders with the opposition even more horrendous!
Before the EU we were dependent on Britain Sent them people and cattle and bought red brick from them EU has allowed us to bypass Britain to transform the economy However now EU is acting like a colonial power led by Germany
Now we send immigrants all over the world thanks to this and the last government, the E.U. brought in austerity, the Troika, Dragi and the ECB took over our budgets, brought in property tax, Irish Water and other taxes, made us pawn assets and debt in order to buy them back in the future at a greater cost for our grandchildren to pay and made banksters, bondholders richer? That is the E.U. now, a con job…
@The Guru, I can see straight through that Pro FG comment.
“EU has allowed us to bypass Britain to transform the economy” , totally incorrect. Britain is our largest and will always remain the largest importer of Irish product and it still isn’t in the Eurozone. All our emerging markets are also outside the Eurozone, so apart from the debt “what has Europe ever done for us” as the monty python sketch goes.
I wonder if the Brits get it wrong will they be sent back to the polls until they get the right answer? Or is that just an Irish thing?
@Daragh. Its not just an Irish thing. The French and Dutch had to vote again until ‘they got it right’ in 2005. Its a euro bully thing
That’s just an Irish thing. Britain still have sovereignty, unlike Ireland.
Britain do not still have sovereignty. They are subject to the exact same Brussels dictates as us.
The French and Dutch did not have second referendums in 2005, Saoirse.
No, Saoirse, they did not have second referenda. The EU needed us to vote the treaties in, over the heads of others who disagreed.
He is right. There are people in the EU making laws for us who have never set foot in this country. We are not a country anyway just a state in the United States of Europe where no president is elected by the people. If the UK leave then best of luck to them.
The taoiseach or President of the day or politicians in general probably has never been in most villages and townlands in Ireland – does that make him/her ineligible to pass laws?
In case you haven’t noticed considering we don’t have an independent currency or laws we are already just a state in larger state the raison d’etre of the whole project is to make a United States of Europe.
Exclusive: I have found the man Enda Kenny was speaking to on the park bench..
http://www.yelp.ie/biz/patrick-kavanagh-statue-dublin-2.
PS. would you look on the face/demeanor of Cameron on the picture above. Don’t tell me his thoughts on our great leader doesn’t comprise of the words Gombeen man or suchlike.
Explanation of Gombeen Man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gombeen_man
Sorry maybe this link will work http://www.johncollsculptures.com/patrick-kavanagh.html
There is trouble brewing in the EU. On the back of the migrant crisis, the lack of border enforcement and the pizz weak, capitulation of European leaders, a number of EU countries are turning to strong nationalistic leaders, orban in Hungary will return to power, Sweden democrats gone from 4% to 18%, Poland just elected right wing gov, geert wilders most popular dutch leader, Croatia just elected anti-immigration party, Slovenia is sealing its borders, Austria is tightening there’s and Germany has reduced Syrian refugee status to a 2 year stay. We head for interesting times.
*Austria is tightening theirs
Swedish banks are starting to charge bank accounts extra charges, Holland is getting rid of cash in shops, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said that what the banks did in Cyprus should be done throughout the E.U. MERKEL BROUGHT IN AUSTERITY AND MADE PRIVATE BUSINESS DEBT PUBLIC DEBT… What troubles in the E.U. lol.
Honestly the switch to paperless shops in the Netherlands is more down to convenience than anything else. The Dutch people hate dealing with cash (and I can see why) while the Dutch Central Bank doesn’t see the reason why they should pay to print money which could be digitalised for a much lower cost.
You are embarrassing yourselves with your dooms day talk!.. Face facts the EU (not the monetary union) has had far more good on the region than bad. The standard of human rights elevated and a level of wealth delivered to this country that we could have never achieved.
@scarr then we have Enda Kenny ffs…
The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility.
Farage, the man who could not pick up a MP’s seat as he was rejected by his own constituents now try’s to lecture us? No thanks Nige we have enough of our own looneys over here without you sticking your nose in chappy!
Lecture us ?
How so ?
But James the E.U. grants are just 90% of what we pay in each year to be part of the E.U. and then being in the Euro created the mess in the banks and the austerity. If we had our own punt we could have devalued it and not have to go into austerity or pawn and sell off debt and assets. There is no good in the E.U. and see my other comments on here…
There is Eurosceptics in Irish media and in Irish politics they just aren’t being printed!
Dobson moved him swiftly along this morning when he said there was no Euro sceptic voice in the Media even though Ireland rejected two Euro treaties.
I bet Dobbo didn’t want him highlighting RTE’s failure in this regard.
Be quiet now how dare you say anything against the masters in Germany who are helping us fat cats rake it in.
Just like TTIP Karen, we haven’t heard any debate in the Dáil or elsewhere. EU totalitarianism in action.
I’d rather we get FG out of power than worry about Europe at the moment.
And SF in !?
Didn’t take long for this to turn into an anti sf rant by the usual aholes. .cop on ..
FF and FG do massive damage but apparently they are better than allowing ANYONE else to prove themselves??
SF have the most euro-sceptic of any of the parties
SF themselves aren’t eurosceptic though? I can’t think of any comment or position that they have that would class them as such
Sinn Fein will flood the country with unskilled/uneducated migrants and we’d end up with the same social problems as Sweden.
look around the country now you moron……the country is full of them to the point irish have to leave
Scarr – SF have voted againist 99% of all EU referenda including actual membership of the EEC.
Which part of the UK are you from yourself ‘scarr’?
@Derek – them?
Economies should be ran counter-cyclical. Governments’ should save in the good times (booms) so they can spend in the bad (recessions). We oppose moves from Europe to constitutionally limit national budgets, as this is a fiscal determinant that should be available to sovereign decision-makers.
SF comment.
‘Old gabby’ – SF vote against pretty much everything, so I wouldn’t put much stock in that making them eurosceptic. If they were to vocalize an opposition to the EU on a regular basis, then that would be different? Where am I from? Why?
Good lad Derek, name call when you came make a coherent argument. And are you saying that the reason Irish people emigrate is because the country is full if immigrants? Can you show is some facts to back that up?
Scarr – i have a hunch you’re from the UK. Not that it matters a jot.
No. I was born in Dublin.
scarse youre the biggest moron of them all ..why dont you stop using multi accounts and make your own argument
@scarr You need to educate yourself about actual racism is.
Can someone tell the nurse on whatever ward Derek is on, that he is on the internet again?
Gabby – I’m not sure what your point is there. How have we gone from sf being a protest party to education about racism?
@scarr farage is a good speaker and has duped many a young person by making ‘reasoned’ arguments – behind his reasonable demeanor have a look at the people who have been expelled from UKIP.. why is it that party attracts such individuals?
What worries me and what is the problem with people of a certain age they have no folk memory of racism and racists and take refuge in ‘nationalist’ parties in order to channel a misplaced view of patriotism and or a sense of belonging. UKIP are looking at the easy answers to hard questions – ‘it’s the foreigners what done it’.
Gabby – I wouldn’t entirely disagree re: members of ukip. I think that ‘racists and loonies’ are attracted to the non-establishment aura of ukip, but I don’t think those fringe elements influence or dictate the party. People are disenfranchised with politics. The main parties represent big business and not the squeezer middle, people also see towns changing quickly, integration issues etc being ignored, and local values and customs suppressed for those of the minority. When that happens, whether real or just perceived, ppl will turn to whoever is sticking up for them (or seeming to) – in this case ukip.
@Old Gabby Johnson
“why is it that party attracts such individuals”
It’s because UKIP has a better chance of running the UK than the BNP. The racists in the UK desperately want a party to take control over the UK’s boarders and UKIP are the best alternative.
Also, why would a so-called racist party expel racists from their party?
Because they said it where the media found out – you think those in the party around them did not know they were racist before being caught on camera or social media?
Just local facts..I live in a small town in the country ..population 4000 ..15 years ago all the young school leavers got jobs here in local business. ..agriculture…bakery…milling…even a coffin factory..now all gone to immigrants on low wage..they even work from their houses they rent from the local business owners hence no jobs for indigenous youth that’s just one small town..ok?
That’s in reply to scarce who always looks for people to provide evidence but refuses to use its real identity on any of its accounts
Don’t agree with Farage much, but he’s spot on. Most of the clips I’ve seen from Eurosceptics have been via social media, they’re rarely given a voice on the issue on mainstream media.
Here’s one of those rare occasions, featuring Luke Ming Flanagan at his brilliant best…..
Everyone laughed at Flanagan when he was here. His proposals to reform the drug laws made him the butt of manys a joke… by idiots. That lad is easily one of the best politicians we’ve ever been lucky enough to have working for us.
You’re an idiot. You prove it everyday… ‘Most of the clips I’ve seen from Eurosceptics have been via social media, they’re rarely given a voice on the issue on mainstream media’ – lol.
Another non-point poorly made, Gabby. Keep up the good work
Thanks Joe.
Guy-who-thinks-he’s-James-Connolly….So you are eurosceptic, just like you party Sinn Fein?
Surprising that you would endorse an ideology which would reinforce the border and further distance ourselves from NI…
Diarmuid, can I ask you something? How do your nearest and dearest cope with your obsession with SF? Do you start arbitrary rants about them at inappropriate times and places or do you manage to keep it all bottled up until next time you’re on this site?
Does it sometimes make you sling faeces?
Nah I call out lots of jokers on this site… xenophobes, pro-Israeli trolls and yes the numerous shinnerbots like FC above.
Essentially and one that disagrees with Diarmuids clappy view of the world is simply wrong.
*Any*
Ireland and the UK should leave together and form a new union of sort we should start using our punts again but float it on the stock markets as sterling……….
Ireland has been bullied in its dealings with the EU, If we had someone leading the Country, that had a pair we wouldn’t.
A new union?? Would we be allowed Home Rule?
Other countries would join an EEC with Ireland and Britain.
Yeah like Greece.
yws lets leave the eu and join the uk, what could possibly go wrong????
oh wait http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/exhibition/dublin/poverty_health.html and thats when the uk was the wealthiest country in the world.
We need a Farange ,we need a UKIP.
Farage rather
If its one thing Ireland needs, it’s far right wing racist party.
Whats a Farange>?
Racist party? How so?
I wouldn’t consider UKIP a racist party.They are the only party coming out and speaking up for the masses on the migrant issue .Its very simplified to label them a racist party. I dont know what a farange is.Sorry
@Fred instead we have him. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=691768187625804&id=100003778889124
Fred – When genocide was perpetrated on this nation our people emigrated across the globe and were welcomed – but for that many more would have died. Irish people can be found across the globe.. Ireland still has never recovered its population from the famine. We have to accept migrants and its a complete myth to say that Ireland has welcomed its fair share – we haven’t done enough.
UKIP are a racist party most people across the water recognise that fact – have a look at their supporters to tell you if they are racist. The irony of ‘republicans’ on this site expressing support for a party they should be despising as they are more loyalist/unionist/english nationalist than the tories… thatcherites all.
@Old Gabby Johnson
“UKIP are a racist party most people across the water recognise that fact – have a look at their supporters to tell you if they are racist”
Going by that logic, if a group of communists vote for Labour UK, then Labour are, by your logic, communist party, which, of course, is just silly-talk.
UKIP have NO racist policies whatsoever in their manifesto and the reason why racists support UKIP is because they know the BNP will never be a major party in the UK.
Furthermore, if the UKIP were a racist party, they why did they expel members who made racist remarks? http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/feb/23/former-ukip-councillor-expelled-over-racism-row-claims-hidden-agenda
A good unromanticized account of Irish in america: http://www.kinsella.org/history/histira.htm
We were welcomed as we were willing to conform to the ways of the country our peoples emigrated to,will thousands of muslims that you propose come here do the same ?Simply no.You may not be aware of the fact that there is currently a housing crisis going on at the minute .So where exactly would you consider housing these migrants ? Will they have any skills to work and contribute to our country and economy ?No again. Your ideals are for fairy-tale books.
We weren’t welcomed, in many places we were seen as nothing more than cheap labour in a time when most critical tasks in an economy were manual. Farms had little machinery, construction had very little safety measures and factories required a lot of dangerous hands-on work. Irish were willing to do this for little money as well as labourers from other poor European countries or lower classes from wealthier nations.
We were brought in, rejected if we couldn’t work and despised even if we contributed. In fairness the Irish criminal families abroad didn’t help our public image much either.
This revisionist view of Irish emigration by pro-illegals is laughable.
@jason – welcomed as in not deported for being immigrants – and if you want to compare the 19th century with the 21st century to make a flawed argument then go right ahead.
Of course the Irish were treated abysmally but does that give an excuse to treat others the same? The irish were also among the largest slave traders from europe to america – so the Irish were not all rosy either as you would have us believe.
And i’m not pro-illegal immigration BTW – i’m absolutely for documented immigration – you will find that most people commenting that support or are in UKIP for example feel there should be no immigration whatsoever. And the people you are talking about in their treatment of immigrants are those very same people who would find a home in UKIP. Their descendants are the ones that put up the ‘no dogs no irish’ signs.
This revisionist view of Irish emigration by idiots is laughable.
@frank – you not think in that link that you shared that Ms Duncans political outlook was not known by her party colleagues prior to her getting the nomination for the party and getting elected. Happens alot in UKIP candidates only get racist once they’re elected.
Its actually hard to believe that the people who support Sinn Féin on these pages would support Farage – Even Gerry Adams would find Farage reprehensible.
You’re full of sh*t Gabby Johnson. UKIP are not a racist party. The establishment media and political parties just paint them that way to discredit them because they are scared of common sense opposition.
They do this because they know there is plenty of morons that will buy into it. People like you Gabby!
Just shout racist rather than listen to what they have to say. Over 4 million Brits voted for them recently. Is that 4 million racists in your opinion?
Britain cannot sustain the current levels of illegal immigration. It’s not racist to say that, it is common sense.
Yeah that’s four million racists… in a population of about 58 million that makes that 6% of the population which is probably about right.
They are a party of racists supported by racists.. does that make it clear for you?
No Gabby, no it doesn’t. Like i said, you’re full of sh*t
It does. Considering that in any population 20% of the people are idiots 6% isn’t bad eh? So to be clear UKIP are racists and if you support them you are giving tacit support to a party that has a regard for racism.
@Jynxeffect do you know that there’s a common theme among racists in Ireland too.. let me give a brief outlay – they are usually anti-feminist, anti-immigration, anti-immigrants in general, anti-anything different, – they are also homophobic (but of course don’t recognise that they are but comments in private to people are homophobic) and probably voted no in the recent referendum. They strangely are very nationalist and anti-british not because they have a proper understanding of either but because they think they should be- it fits the angry narrative – yet oddly they like the sound of UKIP and thing Farage is the greatest thing since Goebbels.
All this drinking, violence and destruction of property, is this that the irish are known for?
@Jynx – oh and it probably means they are fighting repressed issues surrounding their sexuality.
You’re welcome.
gabby youre one seriously fu…d up individual
Racist …. Lol
ESRI talks bull, there was trade before the E.E.C. was set up and there will be trade after the E.U. is gone…
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/download/the-trans-pacific-trade-tpp-agreement-must-be-defeated?inline=file
TPP is the same as the TTIP but why no talk about the TiSA Agreement???
We were dirt poor poor before the EU.
We will be subjesct to TTIP, Tisa and every other world trade agreement if we want to have a trading economy wheter we are in the eu or not
Nigel farage represents a faction of england that remembers its empire and missesit, he wants things to go back to Boer war days and ireland to put up.
How can the ESRI estimate anything without knowing the outcome of the negotiations that will take place over the next few years??? They are making it up as they go, complete biased BS.
No Matty TTIP is compusary with being in the E.U. so we have no say over TTIP.
I hope Indah doesn’t forget to warn them that they’ll have to put the Army around the ATMs, oh, and that the First born in every family will be slaughtered. Good oul’ Indah, ye can’t bate him for unquestioning obedience.
We should form a union with the Brits and leave the EU
How did that work out, the famine, 1916 etc etc
Yeah Michael – good one.
Lets base everything on something that happened 100+ years ago.
If everyone had your attitude, the world would get nowhere ever.
Uup reject,assistant grand wizard in the order David McNarry is Farages main man in the 6 counties.
A dangerous buffoon is McNarry.
Ironic then that the Shinners share UKIP’s euroscepticism isn’t it Francó?
Dangerous yes, bufoon, well, no!
Remember, UKIP cost to he DUP seats last time out.
Diarmuid,with unionist parties increasingly forming pacts to block SF the last thing they need is people like you blindly jumping ship to latch on to ukip.
I find UKIP repulsive Francó…. just pointing out the irony of SF sharing their euroscepticism.
SHAKKA1244, SO YOU RATHER HAVE IRELAND IN THE U.K. but why?
It’s a scare tactic Micheal – “but we’d never survive on our own”. Just like the theory that if the EU were to be abandoned Europe would revert back to medieval warfare.
https://www.rt.com/shows/sophieco/320457-eu-currency-economy-crises/
Professor Sinn says that what the E.U. needs now is a Political Union where the E.U. is like the U.S. with 1 government set up in Germany to rule the whole of the E.U. to fix the Euro crisis, take a look at the video yourself as he works for Merkel.
He’s correct there will be no impact on trade, either between Ireland and UK or between UK and continental Europe. There’s no incentive on either side to start slapping tariffs on goods. The UK will most definitely sign a free trade agreement with the EU if it leaves.
What he’s not telling you is that if the UK wants a free trade agreement, it suddenly finds itself as the submissive, junior partner to the EU. It will have to accept all the rules of the market without having any say in forming those rules. What he also doesnt tell you is that Norway and Switzerland pay billions every year to access the single market. Britain will have to make a similar hefty contribution. So net, net…not much changes, except UK doesn’t have any say or influence over the rules.
I think the point farage might counter that with would be, the EU need the UK more than vice versa (Audi and merc sales to uk etc) The independent trade deals the UK would make would bridge any shortfall and the UK already pay millions (billions) in membership fees as well as subsidiary costs like welfare etc.
Not true, UK needs EU market more. You mention Audi and Merc, what proportion of their worldwide sales go to the UK? I’d be surprised if its more than 5%. UK is barely on the radar of German companies, Russia, China India far more important.
I believe garage mentioned a 50bn trade figure, though I’d have to verify. Telegraph article states anglo- German trade in goods and services was 153 bn for first 9 months of 2012. Not small money.
Germany does trade of over €2 trillion per year, (€1 trillion of exports, €1 trillion of imports), so in that context, yes it is small money.
But how does that play alongside German automotive wanting to sell expensive cars to London? London simply pays more? Its not like they freeze London out. #noaudisforyou
Cal: we have a framework for free trade let’s use that as a template to move forward and dump the rest of the totalitarianism and the bureaucracy that goes with it.
Democracy flown sold out for a Loan
Austerity here in its place
300K gone to find a day’s pay
It’s a total thundering disgrace.
The anti austerity party was democratically elected in greece, they had to succumb to the euro institutions. The antu austerity groupings won the democratic election in portugal, the president refused to allow them to form a gov in other to allow the pro euro institution gov back into gov. Will the same happen in ireland, followed by spain, italy, france? There’s no democracy in europe any more. If the euro needs to break up in order for democracy to rule again, then so be it.
and how are they going to pay for anti austerity?
It was spending money they didnt have that ficked dem in the first place. If you lose your Job do you celebrate with a holiday, new car and dinner or the ritz or do you start shopping in Lidl.
Can’t wait to get out of that money wasting joke.
The Government of this country should be elected representatives from each county/ suburb in Ireland. Trusted local people with a successful experience in dealing with issues regarding their local area. Not ex teachers/spawn of former politicians in suits looking to line their pockets at our expense. There are many local TD’s in the country that do great work for their constituency,imagine what a group of them could do if they were running the country.
They are, and the local communities elect teachers and such.
You get the government and politicians you vote for
It is well known that all teachers are a useless waste of time. They should be banned from running for government. All schools should also be closed. If people started working at 10 years of age we would have increased workforce that would be world beaters. Our leaders would then be people of experience who would not be held back by such distractions as education.
Tap sadly a lot of your fellow unionists believe in your theory,no need for education that their address ,funny handshakes,religious background will be good enough to secure employment.
@An Observer
You do realise that a TD should NOT be looking after their constituency…
Tap, you forget, those who can, do, those who cànt teach, those who can’t teach go into politics, look at our Taoiseach and opposition leaders.
He has no understanding of the trade links or the possible affects on Irish business should the UK leave and why would he know or care. He is also very wrong in saying we pander to Europe, we align with Europe simply because the alternative would mean Ireland being cast aside as we are simply to small a nation to matter in the grander scheme of things.
And chuxk.. your vast experience is what exactly?….
To, too, two.
Merkel says jump and we say how high, is that democratic… NO way is it, it is imperialistic really.
Yes Check, that’s why we are saddled with 42% of Europes banking debt.
Euro lapdogs with Euro lapdog leaders is what we are
Have you a source for that figure.
Everybody wants to blame everybody else, but the fact is we wrecked our own economy, we nationalised angloirish’s debts and then had to be bailed out by Europe? Do you not think its fair they ensure our accounts are in order so they don’t have to bail us out every leap year?
How about a britsceptic voice that isn’t instantly associated with terrorism? Don’t suppose that’d be allowed.
Just a wee thought lads. Do you think if the Germans were successful in WW2, would they hold as much power as they do today on this continent ? granted times are polar opposites but i think not.
No, no, no. Whether or no he’s making any salient points is moot. Of course he’s going to make some points that people may agree with, however, he is the leader of a party with vile views. This is how over the centuries evil leaders pull people in. We don’t need his and his Party’s views here.
His vile views are controlling immigration and giving British people housing before non nationals No politician in Ireland would ever say anything like that Thank God we are protected from such vile views
Jeanette – vile views? Can you elaborate on that? Ukip, want the same system of immigration that Australia, Canada, and america have. Which is an easier system than Japan and China have. So what’s vile about that?
Stick your fingers in your ears, close your eyes, say no a lot and hope the bad man goes away
Have you been bad Nigel lol.
Nope, I don’t stick my fingers in my ears at all. This party is an ultra right wing party. Farage is a very good speaker who is quite capable of hoodwinking via pseudo “reasonableness”. I do not believe we need narrow minded bigots lecturing us.
Jeanette
Can you please point me in the direction of one single statement that Nigel Farage has made that makes you think he’s a bigot?
I’ve followed everything he has said in the last 4 or 5 years and i haven’t heard a thing.
“I’ve followed everything he has said in the last 4 or 5 years …”
Of course you have.
What farage advocates is essentially national socialism. Dress it up all you like, passing laws that treat people based on Ethinicity is exactly that.
@Matty Resse
Please only comment on topics you understand. Socialism is a left wing ideal and UKIP are right wing party. They are almost total opposites
You are very wrong about UKIP policies and I suspect it is because you are listening to the hysterical types on here who live to be offended at anything other the utopian liberal policies for happy-clappy land.
Commodity broker who wish poor people do well? This fake smile and a gangster suit. He is missing a hat.
What’s that bigott Farage doing here again?
Roll on the exit and make it necessary for fools like him to need a visa to come here.
Bore off
The US Federal Reserve and Treasury stood squarely with the ECB’s position towards Ireland. No Irish bank could be allowed to fail, bondholders needed to be repaid. If anyone thinks it’s just the EU and its institutions, it’s not. While it is true that Ireland would have to consider the full consequences of any attempt to default to any degree, no one should be under any illusions as to the realities of how the world’s political, economic systems and institutions work. Besides, Ireland got off pretty lightly compared to the devastation that’s been condoned and often facilitated in economies around the world since the 1970′s. Blaming anyone for any of this when it is only the unwillingness of the world’s peoples themselves to seek out change, to endure what is necessary to bring about that change and most importantly to have the awareness first to look at ourselves and realise what needs to change about ourselves and how to change it. There is no worse fate than to live a life and fail to be a conscious being.
3 absolute pr1cks who cares
Frankly, Farages message in 2011 was most unwelcome, I spoke to several former ‘no’ voters who voted ‘yes’ second time out because of his plummy interventions.
But, the key thing is, listen to the message, not the accent!
There would be difficulties in all Ireland trade if the brits leave, a big if, there would be return of ‘border’ checks, albeit these do exist now for non nationals, so would be simply more formalised.
Trade would suffer, for a short time permitting the extension of CTA to goods as well as nationals.
The key thing for the brits would be, free trade, outside of, and without the strictures imposed of, EU!
It could benefit our Republic of to do similar, EEA is a good compromise for all parties, provided their states resist the Federalist push of Brussels.
yes we could live apart from the rest of the world in splendid isolation. Have you ever left your cave joey? can you name one tangible benefit for the average person leaving the eu would bring?
We still would have to comply with most legeslation. Yes the Eu is not perfect but nothing is, change it from the inside by all means but to leaving just to copyn the little englanders is plain childish. Do you advocate we try and park near another continent and join a trading block there? The British empire is gone, it relys on trade and ease of movement as much as every other european country.
Well, you partly answer your own question, the rest of the world.
1972 we sought equal european trade within an European Economic Community, almost fifty years later the community is the union and its not just about spuds, we live in a nation our parents and grandparents fought to free from the yoke of oppression, the fact is, trade today, and forever after, is not about shipping scallions and spiuds form Dublin to England, rather its about shipping soft and hardware from and to the Americas, the far and middle East and removing barriers to trade so making life easier, soon as you get electricity in your she’d let us know.
On tying to another continent, why not, I’m closer to the Americas than to east Europe, have much more in common and they’re easier to get along with.
GB is Ireland’s largest trading partner-FACT!
Ireland would need to grapple with a UK out with the EU and how would the other 26 member states react to any special arrangements by Ireland?
The previous obsequiousness and compliant behaviour by Ireland over many years will count for little or nothing I suspect as Ireland will be implored to adhere totally to the rules of thinner all market no matter the devastation that will inevitably follow. Kenny is just not up to the job of repressed ting the nation’s interests in the event that the UK elects for a “Brexit”
Ireland should be working closely with those pro-EU parties now and not wait till it’s too late and to hell with the notion it’s “Britain’s business” as its not itsIreland’s business now, during the referendum and beyond !
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