I take it then that you also spoke without basis when you said that “I cannot imagine a time where a government was so openly arrogant and unaccountable to its people.”?

“Why should I tolerate and not make more demands of public officials with this corruption exposed and moves to improve political ethics.”

By all means demand more of our elected public officials. However our public officials are little more than a mirror image of the people who gave them the job, us, so whilst your at it demand more of the Irish people too.

The Irish public are an arrogant, lazy bunch who accept no accountability for anything, so why should our elected officials be any different?

We sit back and moan without ever bothering to take a little responsibility on ourselves. We pass the buck, we ring Joe Duffy, we complain.

We have it easier now than we ever have had it. And are we happier? Of course not, we’re miserable. Each of us is caught up in a “Me Fein” mentality where everything is about me and my lot and to hell with the bigger picture (see the hoo haw over the closer of local hospitals to make way for centres of excellence). As your post aptly demonstrates, we think the country is falling down around our ears and its all our (3 times in a row now) elected Governments fault.

There has never been a better time to live in this country…ever.

Your post was hastily written and clearly your own gut feeling was mistaken for fact (something of an epidemic in Ireland today.) It was an exercise in High-Horsedom.

Simon, I wrote without basis that tourism figures are being diminished, though I do contend the increasing cost of living in Ireland and regional imbalance in development and decisions not to intervene in Shannon does not bode well for safeguarding tourism in areas in the West where it is vital.

As for the property issue, my point was there is poor planning, the insatiable construction is not coupled with proper infrastructure, and housing is expensive, 1/6 of private dwellings are empty and only today the Irish Times reported there are 10, 000 empty apartments in Dublin.

Bertie Ahern gave a version of events in an interview with Brian Dobson that were clearly contradicted in his Tribunal testimony, one which was not heard until the election and his popularity has dropped since. I feel the one man promotion machine he was for his party would not be as successful now.

As you point out, as recently as 2002, aptly demonstrated by the Molloy case, our political landscape was a model of dignity, integrity and accountability.And what’s the difference between then and now?

That’s right, the Greens have moved from opposition and into power and in doing so sparked a typhoon of mismanagement, arrogance and unaccountability.

And as for our venerable leader! Bertie Ahern is the most dishonest, corrupt and arrogant leader this country has had this century.

I thank God that my parents raised their family in the 80’s and escaped all the arrogance and general hardship we put up with today.

So where are people going to live. We are still in the time when Ireland’s baby boomers are settling down. Where are they going to live? We have the highest population since the mid-19 hundreds so there is not a supply of housing waiting to be inherited and we have 410 units of housing per 1000 which is below the EU average of 465 per 1000. Where do you think people should live two families to a room? We need more houses simple as.

capitalise on open goals such as our Taoiseachs lecherous behaviour
They went for it and even Pat Rabbitte said it backfired on them the reason being people did not think the same way as you do that the behaviour was bad. They voted Bertie back in. That is what a democracy is. In the words of Mick Jagger, You can’t always get what you want.

diminshing tourism,
Where you getting that one from. Tourist numbers increased by about 4% last year.

the reserves of an ageing populace
We have the youngest population in Europe and the only country in Europe approaching the birthrate that stabilities population growth. So if you think we are bad you must think the rest of Europe are all zombies

capitalise on open goals such as our Taoiseachs lecherous behaviour
They went for it and even Pat Rabbitte said it backfired on them the reason being people did not think the same way as you do that the behaviour was bad. They voted Bertie back in. That is what a democracy is. In the words of Mick Jagger, You can’t always get what you want.