Topic: The Irish Politics Thread.

[Crosby Nick]

In a nutshell, yes.

Coupled with governments not investing in public housing, the massive number of construction businesses that collapsed from and since the GFC, plus the huge jump in building costs for raw materials.

There’s so much land to build on in Australia and NZ though? Or is the problem that everyone wants the ocean view? Or is it just the exterminate property prices in those places skewing the averages? Couldn’t believe how built up some of the western suburbs of Sydney have got when I was back there in December. But very tour guide we had was bemoaning the property prices, with a bit of blame thrown in for overseas investors.

[Jiminy Cricket]

There’s so much land to build on in Australia and NZ though? Or is the problem that everyone wants the ocean view? Or is it just the exterminate property prices in those places skewing the averages? Couldn’t believe how built up some of the western suburbs of Sydney have got when I was back there in December. But very tour guide we had was bemoaning the property prices, with a bit of blame thrown in for overseas investors.

Although huge, the whole interior of Australia is pretty unbearable. The population density for most of Australia is tiny, but for mostly very practical/understandable reasons. And, it is only going to get worse.

But I expect Government policy makes the situation worse. After all, it does have an enormous coastline too. I'd be interested to hear from the Australians here.

[thejbs]

Loads of factors at play in both Australia and in Ireland, and in both cases the government are failing. Even factors like the number of people per house. An ageing population of empty nesters means that old couples (like my parents) are living in buildings that can comfortably house 6. They wanted to switch to a small bungalow a decade ago but at that point couldn’t find anything suitable.

[Crosby Nick]

Although huge, the whole interior of Australia is pretty unbearable. The population density for most of Australia is tiny, but for mostly very practical/understandable reasons. And, it is only going to get worse.

But I expect Government policy makes the situation worse. After all, it does have an enormous coastline too. I'd be interested to hear from the Australians here.

That’s true, should have said about vast parts being inhabitable. But I remember you used to see plenty of building work going on on the outskirts of towns.

[BarryCrocker]

Although huge, the whole interior of Australia is pretty unbearable. The population density for most of Australia is tiny, but for mostly very practical/understandable reasons. And, it is only going to get worse.

But I expect Government policy makes the situation worse. After all, it does have an enormous coastline too. I'd be interested to hear from the Australians here.

Australia suffers from the tyranny of distance. About 50% of the population lives in 3 cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) which are spread out over 1,800kms (1,100mi).

[Statto Red]

Australia suffers from the tyranny of distance. About 50% of the population lives in 3 cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) which are spread out over 1,800kms (1,100mi).

Australia is about the size of the US isn't it, maybe bigger, Perth to Sydney is something like 2000 miles, Perth is closer to capital cities of other countries than it is to Canberra, but most of the interior is outback/desert & pretty much uninhabitable, temperatures can get 40C to 50C in summer too.

[Indomitable_Carp]

Building out is still a problem in Australia though, for the simple fact that the wider you spread out, the more infrastructure you need. The average Australian house is something like 2.5 times the size of the average British house, let alone European-style apartments.

Melbourne, a city of about 5.5 million people, is spread over 80kms from East-to-West and North-to-South. That's a huge area, and most of it taken up by wide roads, pavements (which people don't use because every drives by necessity) and single-story surburban housing. To compare, it's about 60kms from M25 East to M25 West around London, an area of about 10 million people.

I was trying to commute across Melbourne by public transport to get to building sites. It's okay if you wantr to go from suburb to the centre, but suburb to suburb is absolutely hopeless, sometimes with 2+ hours commutes either way. My girlfriend lived in basically the next suburb along, and it was either two buses (or a train and bus) that took nearly an hour if you missed the connection, or else a 1 hour and 20 minute walk. I got a car as soon as I could.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Building out is still a problem in Australia though, for the simple fact that the wider you spread out, the more infrastructure you need. The average Australian house is something like 2.5 times the size of the average British house, let alone European-style apartments.

Melbourne, a city of about 5.5 million people, is spread over 80kms from East-to-West and North-to-South. That's a huge area, and most of it taken up by wide roads, pavements (which people don't use because every drives by necessity) and single-story surburban housing. To compare, it's about 60kms from M25 East to M25 West around London, an area of about 10 million people.

I was trying to commute across Melbourne by public transport to get to building sites. It's okay if you wantr to go from suburb to the centre, but suburb to suburb is absolutely hopeless, sometimes with 2+ hours commutes either way. My girlfriend lived in basically the next suburb along, and it was either two buses (or a train and bus) that took nearly an hour if you missed the connection, or else a 1 hour and 20 minute walk. I got a car as soon as I could.

You could have just got a closer girlfriend.

[Indomitable_Carp]

You could have just got a closer girlfriend.

 

She's actually my wife now so it was worth it.

[afc tukrish]

She's actually my wife now so it was worth it.

So you got a closer spouse?

[Jiminy Cricket]

She's actually my wife now so it was worth it.

Does your wife monitor your social media activity?

My wife is perfection personified.

[Crosby Nick]

Does your wife monitor your social media activity?

My wife is perfection personified.

No she doesn’t and yes, your’s is.

[Jiminy Cricket]

No she doesn’t and yes, your’s is.

Hey. You can't be too careful!   

[GreatEx]

Australia needs to invest in regional towns and cities to help them become major population and economic centres; places like Newcastle, which is 200km north of Sydney and has a charming coastal CBD, has much of the infrastructure already in place yet remains a ghost town in many parts, even Main Street. Every time I go there I ask myself why this isn't a thriving city of 1 million, not a battling town of 300,000. I expect this tale is played out in many other places (Launceston has a similar vibe, never been to Townsville or Rockhampton). There's a lack of imagination in our urban planning, everyone flocks to Sydney and Melbourne and commutes 2-3 hours a day. You'd think the WFH revolution would change things; at the very least you'd hope it would push more economic activity to the suburbs and give us more of that "nation of villages " feel that Paris and London have.

Anyway, Ireland.

[Sarge]

The Irish government can afford to build apartments and houses without venture capitalists being involved. As it is, they actually subsidise them.

Correct and SF put a Motion to the Dail and it was voted down by Government, Elections here are going to be vicious.

[fowlermagic]

The Irish government can afford to build apartments and houses without venture capitalists being involved. As it is, they actually subsidise them.

Would we really want the government building our houses as based on how the children's hospital costs have spiraled, the average build cost for a 3 bed house would be 300% more than budgeted for, still unfinished and miss their deadline by a decade.

I really don't understand why builders don't build semi-detached houses instead of detached. Same site pretty much, two homes n their profits surely would be greater while the cost to buy a semi-detached surely would be less for people desperate to get out of a flat / parents home. I see a wee development in the village with four detached homes costing 450k each, could probably accommodate six or even eight semi-detached homes costing 375k each.

Eventually i can see mostly poorly built apartment getting thrown up as that's what happening elsewhere n a 2 bed flat will cost nearly as much as a detached home. Problem "solved" with huge mortgages wrapped around our neck for a third of the living space.

[GreatEx]

We call them duplexes down under, and they're all the rage. Developer buys a humble and dated red brick bungalow with a pretty garden and lovely tall trees on a 530sqm block for 1.5 million AUD, bulldozes the lot of it into the sea, builds a giant, austere concrete cube with black timber slats on the facade for style, taking up the entire block, adds two driveways and two doors, and sells each residence for 2M AUD. Everybody wins.

[DangerScouse]

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/husband-wife-co-down-charged-28907532

In unrelated news, 61 year old Jeffrey Donaldson has deleted all of his social media accounts.

[Barneylfc∗]

https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/husband-wife-co-down-charged-28907532

In unrelated news, 61 year old Jeffrey Donaldson has deleted all of his social media accounts.

61 year old Jeffrey Donaldson from County Down.

[thejbs]

Could all be a coincidence, but doesn’t look good, does it 😳

[Barneylfc∗]

Confirmed to be Jeffrey Donaldson now. He has resigned as leader of the DUP and been suspended.

[damomad]

Our politics are wild at the best of times but this is something else.

[TSC]

Confirmed to be Jeffrey Donaldson now. He has resigned as leader of the DUP and been suspended.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-68686691

[thejbs]

Jesus. The ‘aiding and abetting’ charge for his wife would usually suggest it was the accused’s own child or other family member.

Also, the DUP statement using the line “ been charged with allegations of an historical nature” suggests where they stand on this.

[Ray K]

Started his career as an election agent of that paedo Enoch Powell. Another mentor of his was James Molyneaux, another paedophile.

https://villagemagazine.ie/the-mentor-of-sir-jeffrey-donaldson-the-new-leader-of-the-dup-was-a-racist-and-a-paedophile-with-deranged-views-about-the-intelligence-of-women/

[Barneylfc∗]

Jesus. The ‘aiding and abetting’ charge for his wife would usually suggest it was the accused’s own child or other family member.

Also, the DUP statement using the line “ been charged with allegations of an historical nature” suggests where they stand on this.

There are rumours doing the rounds there are 2 complainants that fit both descriptions.

[stockdam]

Started his career as an election agent of that paedo Enoch Powell. Another mentor of his was James Molyneaux, another paedophile.

https://villagemagazine.ie/the-mentor-of-sir-jeffrey-donaldson-the-new-leader-of-the-dup-was-a-racist-and-a-paedophile-with-deranged-views-about-the-intelligence-of-women/

It’s becoming like Twitter in here. We do not know what the charges are other than “non-recent sexual charges” yet you bring in other people who were, as far as I remember, never charged or convicted with child abuse…..have you any evidence that either of them were paedophiles.

If I am incorrect then I apologise but otherwise I will report the post as you cannot make accusations about people with no evidence. Everyone has a right to be innocent until proven otherwise. I have no intention of defending anyone who is found guilty but let’s please drop the accusations as if they are facts.

[Crosby Nick]

Finally, someone sticks up for Enoch Powell on here.

[stockdam]

There are rumours doing the rounds there are 2 complainants that fit both descriptions.

Again I’m not defending anyone but let’s leave the courts to do their jobs. I’m sure there are lots of rumours flying around but let’s think about the victims before adding our own rumours.

[stockdam]

Finally, someone sticks up for Enoch Powell on here.

What! I didn’t stick up for him so please don’t twist my words.

[Wabaloolah]

Confirmed to be Jeffrey Donaldson now. He has resigned as leader of the DUP and been suspended.

dirty bastard

[TSC]

Twitter comments inc. that his daughter married the son of an ex UUP politician (Danny Kennedy) and she told her hubby about the abuse, who then reported it to police.  Usual caveats re Twitter of course.

[Crosby Nick]

What! I didn’t stick up for him so please don’t twist my words.

Just being flippant. Didn’t know that (alleged?) fact about him.

[Ray K]

It’s becoming like Twitter in here. We do not know what the charges are other than “non-recent sexual charges” yet you bring in other people who were, as far as I remember, never charged or convicted with child abuse…..have you any evidence that either of them were paedophiles.

If I am incorrect then I apologise but otherwise I will report the post as you cannot make accusations about people with no evidence. Everyone has a right to be innocent until proven otherwise. I have no intention of defending anyone who is found guilty but let’s please drop the accusations as if they are facts.

Dead paedos can't sue.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Started his career as an election agent of that paedo Enoch Powell. Another mentor of his was James Molyneaux, another paedophile.

https://villagemagazine.ie/the-mentor-of-sir-jeffrey-donaldson-the-new-leader-of-the-dup-was-a-racist-and-a-paedophile-with-deranged-views-about-the-intelligence-of-women/

Is this true? The evidence seems thin.

In March 2015, The Independent reported that Powell was one of the MPs whose activities had been investigated as part of Operation Fernbridge. His name had been passed to police by Paul Butler, the Bishop of Durham, after allegations of Powell's involvement in historic child abuse had been made by one individual in the 1980s to the then Bishop of Monmouth, Dominic Walker.[272] Simon Heffer, who has published a biography of Powell, has described the allegation as a "monstrous lie" and criticised the Church of England's actions in "putting this smear into the public domain", while the church stated that it had simply responded to an inquiry from the press and confirmed that allegations about Powell, which related to an alleged satanic cult rather than any criminal activity, had been passed to the police.[273] David Aaronovitch of The Times wrote in April 2015 that the 1980s claims about Powell originated from fabricated claims invented by a conman, Derry Mainwaring Knight, whose false assertions had become known to the clergy, but had been unwittingly conveyed to the police in good faith.[274]

The Aaronovitch article: https://archive.is/nuaYE

https://swallowingthecamel.me/2011/07/24/the-prodigal-witch-x-derry-mainwaring-knight/

Of course, there is plenty to criticise about Powell. But your assertion appears baseless.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Finally, someone sticks up for Enoch Powell on here.

[Jiminy Cricket]

What! I didn’t stick up for him so please don’t twist my words.

I took it as a joke.

[Jiminy Cricket]

Dead paedos can't sue.

So, is your misinformation actually disinformation? ie, deliberate?

[stockdam]

Just being flippant. Didn’t know that (alleged?) fact about him.

Sorry. However my point is that we should not add rumours etc as there is now going to be a court case. Rumours and allegations can all affect the fairness of the trial (for both sides) so adding stuff that is neither relevant nor factual is not advisable. Let the courts decide on the evidence that is presented.

[Daniel Cabbaggio]

The Easter surprising?

Have fun in Maghaberry jeffery