Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
IRISH PEOPLE ARE reporting higher levels of frustration and anger than at any stage since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.
Opinion polling carried out for the Department of Health also shows that an increasing proportion of people believe Ireland is returning to normal too slowly, and that reduced social contact and prolonged restrictions are causing increasing levels of worry.
A survey of 2,200 adults across the country by Amárach Research yesterday reveals that nearly half (44%) of people reported feeling frustrated in recent days, with two in five people (40%) also saying they felt stressed.
Three in ten people (31%) reported feeling sad in recent days – a level not seen since last April – with almost the same amount (28%) saying they felt lonely.
In contrast, the number of people who reported feeling happy (29%) in recent days reached its lowest point since polling began last March.
The polling also showed that the biggest sources of worry continue to be the economy, the health of family and friends, and fears that the health service could be overloaded.
However, worries about the prospect of prolonged restrictions and reduced social contact have climbed in recent weeks, and are now at levels which haven’t been seen since the pandemic began.
Meanwhile, the proportion of the population that believes the government’s response to the pandemic is appropriate (44%) is also lower than at any point since last March.
More people (16%) than ever before now think the government’s response is too extreme, while two in five (40%) also believe the government’s response is insufficient.
And although the highest proportion of people (39%) believe that Ireland is returning to normal at the right pace, a higher proportion than ever before believe the country is moving too slowly, with almost one in three (31%) holding a version of this view.
Around two in five people (21%) surveyed think that Ireland is moving ‘a bit too slowly’, with a further one in ten (10%) believing things are moving ‘much too slowly’.
However, the exact same proportion of people believe that Ireland is re-opening too fast (31%).
One in five say the country is returning to normal ‘a bit too quickly’ (21%), with one in ten believing this is happening ‘much too quickly’ (10%), although combined support for these views has also fallen to its lowest level since last summer.
The results come ahead of a government announcement this evening which will unveil an update to the Living with Covid-19 Plan to map out how the country could re-open in the months ahead.
Earlier, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath told RTÉ radio that current restrictions on socialising and the economy needed to be in place “for the last time” and that government knows that people are growing “weary” of the pandemic.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
So landlords attack tenants for not paying rent, when in fact the reason is they moved banks and the tenant in question is a surgeon who had the presence of mind to put the rent aside.
The gardaí were only interested in asking if rent was owed and completely disregarded the attack with, what we can all agree is a deadly weapon. Yeah, that’ll encourage medical professionals to stay in Ireland alright. Of course no arrests and nobody held accountable. Great little country.
Tenner bets the aul fella changed from Ulster Bank or KBC or whatever, forgot to tell his tenants and then decided it was the tenant’s fault when he couldn’t get the rent!
The Gardai are thinly veiled revenue protection for landlords!
It’s well known that attacking someone with a motorised saw is a civil matter….
In cloud cuckoo land.
It’s not a civil matter when someone tries to physically attack you, irrespective of the payment or not. Solicitors give clients many reasons to do or not do things, in the end the decision to act or not is the person involved. Lastly, racial abuse should not be tolerated whether from the landlord or the Gardai!
It’s mad how much Fine Gael and Fine Fail wanted to cry over a photoshopped painting last week and have no comment on this very terrifying situation. I imagine FF/FG spin doctors are working overtime in HQ tonight trying to frame this on Mary Lou somehow.
@Pat Barry: You must have only skimmed the article. The landlord switched bank accounts and didn’t inform the tenant of the new details, so of course when the tenant tried to pay, his payment bounced back and the landlord didn’t answer the phone. Couldn’t be any more cut and dry that the tenant has done nothing wrong.
Impressive show from our law enforcement agency
The rulebooks in this country need to be updated! Non stop drama with properties. Between prices, supply, tax and mortgage rules.. The lot of it stinks, and must be normalised.
Ballinasloe Circular Saw Massacre.
What a scuumbag landlord. What a useless response by the cops.
That sort of thing happens all the time here in Ireland. The Gardai have no interest. The jails would be full if everytime someone was attacked with a chainsaw they arrested the assailant. I’m somewhat surprised to see this story hitting the headlines. There must be an ulterior motive.
With the judges of this country, Garda has no point existing, they would release a mass murderers after a slap on the wrist.
@Yvon Queguiner: They let a guy in wanted buy interpol for 2 seriously offences, no problem!
@Pat Barry: Id i ot
There are some awful thick people in this country.
@Sylvia Power: Yadda, yadda, yadda.
@Pat Barry: go on away back to bed with yourself…
have your say