Sharing the pain - Unequally

[Spectabilis]

Today's publication of the Quarterly National Household Survey shows how people are cutting back - or not - on expenditure.


 In all, 79% of households cut back their spending on at least one of the listed
items as a result of the economic climate in the two years before the survey.
 More than half of households cut back their spending on groceries and more
than half cut back spending on going out.
 Almost two thirds of households cut back their spending on clothing and
footwear.
 Spending on health insurance was reduced by 15% of households and 11%
of households cut back spending on pension contributions.
 One fifth of households delayed or missed paying their bills in order to meet
their outgoings on basic goods and services. One in ten delayed or missed
loan repayments and a further one in ten delayed or missed paying their
credit card bill.
 In the two years prior to the survey 45% of households spent some or all of
their savings and 62% reduced the amount being saved.
 One in ten households borrowed money from family or friends to pay for
basic goods and services in the two years prior to the survey.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0214/csohousehold.pdf

[ang]

We need to fight for equality

[Tuogid]

We need to fight for equality

when?

[Griska]

when?

Not you.
You're still struggling with capital letters.

[Richardbouvet]

Last night's debate on RTE Radio 1 "Late debate", dominated by a right-wing panel, was instructive. An FG senator advised people to shop more in Aldi and Lidl. Right-wing pundit Gerard Howlin thought that we could share the pain more equally by cutting public service pay again.

I despair.

[fluffybiscuits]

Today's publication of the Quarterly National Household Survey shows how people are cutting back - or not - on expenditure.


 In all, 79% of households cut back their spending on at least one of the listed
items as a result of the economic climate in the two years before the survey.
 More than half of households cut back their spending on groceries and more
than half cut back spending on going out.
 Almost two thirds of households cut back their spending on clothing and
footwear.
 Spending on health insurance was reduced by 15% of households and 11%
of households cut back spending on pension contributions.
 One fifth of households delayed or missed paying their bills in order to meet
their outgoings on basic goods and services. One in ten delayed or missed
loan repayments and a further one in ten delayed or missed paying their
credit card bill.
 In the two years prior to the survey 45% of households spent some or all of
their savings and 62% reduced the amount being saved.
 One in ten households borrowed money from family or friends to pay for
basic goods and services in the two years prior to the survey.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/0214/csohousehold.pdf

Report makes for very dismal reading. The credit card companies and other businesses should perhaps come together and create a forum to enable them to design some sort of payment set up that is acceptable. A lot of people are even living without the basics which is a sheer disgrace. If anyone can save in this day and age on the average industrial wage, fair play to them...

[morticia]

Report on RTE tonight suggesting that the Irish still have the fourth highest per capita income in the EU, up there with Austria, Luxembourg, etc.

Such a pity that in our case, most of that income goes on servicing debt. Would be nice to know what the comparable figures for disposable income are.

[fluffybiscuits]

Report on RTE tonight suggesting that the Irish still have the fourth highest per capita income in the EU, up there with Austria, Luxembourg, etc.

Such a pity that in our case, most of that income goes on servicing debt. Would be nice to know what the comparable figures for disposable income are.

http://followthefoodlink.wordpress.c...ber-16th-2011/

Look at the statistics from the report above. We spend less on food than we did in the 70's yet our spending on alcohol and fags has gone up, are we getting our priorities wrong? The blog appears to blame the spending on low quality food than good quality food invariably leading to higher rates of obesity. Good quality food can cost a lot of money and time which a lot of people do not have these days. I dont know what to make of the figures myself....

[Spectabilis]

Figures published by Eurostat show that gross domestic output in Germany last year was 20 % above the average for the EU. That won’t surprise us. What will surprise some is that Ireland ‘s GDP was 27% above the average. Italy and spain were around the average for the 27 countries wiith Greece lower.

The SBP comments :http://www.businesspost.ie/#!story/Home/News/Ireland's+per+head+GDP+27%25+over+EU+average/id/19410615-5218-4fe1-9a3b-8a7a47885575

‘However economists generally caution that GDP numbers overstate Ireland's wealth because of the impact on the data of so many multinational companies based here.’
Not grasping GDP properly, I found this unclear. Wikipedia explained it as follows:

‘GDP is product produced within a country's borders; GNP is product produced by enterprises owned by a country's citizens. The two would be the same if all of the productive enterprises in a country were owned by its own citizens, and those citizens did not own productive enterprises in any other countries. In practice, however, foreign ownership makes GDP and GNP non-identical. Production within a country's borders, but by an enterprise owned by somebody outside the country, counts as part of its GDP but not its GNP; on the other hand, production by an enterprise located outside the country, but owned by one of its citizens, counts as part of its GNP but not its GDP. ‘

Alles klar?

[jmcc]

Somehow I think that politicians, banksters and assorted hangers-on might not like what I think should be cut in an effort to reduce costs. It would be an economically efficient solution and it would have a recycling element.

Regards...jmcc