Thank you for your messages of support, which continue to arrive in their hundreds. Here is a brief sample of them…
I’m glad to see a site where the average person can express their concern. I think the country needs to focus on the service sector big time. Renewable energy is the future, yet Ireland does nowhere near as much recycling as we should. Everything has a life cycle including fuels, we need to look at ways around this.
- Declan
‘Tis always better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. This campaign is exactly what we need. If our leaders won’t lead, we’ll lead them. Anything I can do to help - just ask.
- Conal
Great job guys, finally something positive. My little message is to just support each other in our own country for a while. We need to buy local and support all our local businesses, they are the lifeblood of this economy and won’t disappear when it gets bad.
- Gareth
Every best wish with the campaign, sorely needed.
- Peter
Thanks for the encouragement you are giving to me and thousands of people with your initiative. My sense of what you are doing highlights how this country and the world has changed, but that the structures we have for organising ourselves have not kept pace with that change.
There is a strong sense in which the grassroots are several steps ahead of the politicians and establishment in terms of combating the current downturn. You’ve tapped into that.
It is possible that what we are seeing in the world today is the failure of the traditional systems of organisation or ‘conventional wisdom’ in the face of new circumstances rather than just an economic blip. When systems fail, new grassroots movements arise.
My parents’ values were formed by two catastrophes - the Great Depression and the Second World War. The idea of universal education and healthcare as human rights arose from the grassroots movements of that period of history.
They both had a strong sense that personal sacrifice with fair treatment were important in society - these values seem to be on the rise again. In the current situation, I think we need to recognise that things can never go back to the way that they where and that these circumstances will force us to look again at how we live and organise ourselves.
This is a huge opportunity to decide on new ways of living and organising. My personal aspiration is that we don’t return to ‘business as usual’ but that we build a more equal, peaceful, honest and economically sustainable society. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
- Dermot
I think JFK really epitomises what you are about: “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” I think this is a fantastic idea, congrats for having the balls to set up and hopefully wake up the politicians… they need to learn people before party… I will be happy to give any help I can.
- Brendan
Maith sibh! The citizens of this country need to take ownership and get involved in driving us out of this mess and, in doing so, build a fairer, more inclusive society. This is a positive, proactive first step. We’re all in this together. Beir bua!
- Patrick
We applaud this positive initiative and look forward to providing input. Our members report that despite the economic gloom, the new wave of entrepreneur is out there and is anxious to get going.
These first “green shoots” should be nurtured and supported as they can make a positive contribution to the turnaround plan. Government support for this micro industry must be encouraged as these are the most likely creators of new employment in the next two years.
- Suzanne
This is a great idea we need to stimulate, by offering incentives to companies because currently all we are doing is cutting costs for our clients. This has then a downward spiral which is affecting jobs etc.
Our print division are on a three-day week and everybody else took a 15% reduction in salaries, but now we have more tax on the way. This is not the way forward. We have to remain positive and keep trying to spend, that is what is needed. Best of luck with the effort we are all behind you.
- Kieran
Damn good idea. We’re all sitting like hedgehogs paralysed by the lights of the approaching truck. The flow of money is intimately related to the flow of goods and services, but it is not the same thing.
Devalue, leave the euro, borrow, tax, halve in the cost of the public service, form a national government with a maximum life span of five years, co-opt people who have proven than they can beat the odds - like the Ryanair Boss and/or the Aer Lingus boss and people like Charlie Haughey, God rest him.
Incidentally I’m 61 and in business for 37 years with 25 employees, a brother and two sons, but I have several quite separate ideas for manufacturing products and services, both categories of which would be almost entirely for export. But getting one’s hands on the working capital to develop them looms like a cliff face without a top. How do I proceed?
- Brian
The Irish people are bright and creative enough to drive this country forward and to create the type of society and economy that we want. Let us all individually be the change we want to see in Ireland - we can do it!
- Derek
Like the idea, excuse the pun.
- Cormac
Congratulations, many of us talk about getting up and doing something, but credit to those of you who are doing so. Actions speak louder than words.
- Cornelius
It was great to hear something positive at last on Prime Time and what I heard inspired me to log on to this website and circulate its address to work colleagues and friends. I checked the RTE website to hear Aileen’s interview on Morning Ireland.
I sincerely hope that we can generate some positive realistic ideas that can be implemented to lift the country out of this recession. Best wishes,
- Mary
What a great concept, harnessing the power of the Internet and connecting people who, like myself, feel completely overwhelmed by statistics, doom, gloom and negativity. For my part I believe that people should be supporting Irish jobs in choosing to Buy Irish in local supermarkets. Good luck with it and congratulations!
- Erik
‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.’ Albert Einstein 1879-1955, physicist. Your imagination is raising the spirits of our nation.
- Tom
My optimism in this country has been rewarded, I have long felt so lucky to be born here. I’m dyslexic, with a lateral mind and am now beginning to realise how this is a gift and not a burden, but I am lucky to have had a third-level education.
The most enjoyable part of my work is teaching and through that I come across people who are unable to shove a good idea forward for many reasons. Hopefully now with this site we will listen harder and support people who have creative ideas but may not have the full knowledge how to implement them.
- Geraldine
Congratulations and well done - just seen the website and will get together with our team and see if we can come up with some ideas.
- Fiona
Fantastic idea. Economies cannot survive without confidence and collective self esteem - IdeasCampaign can do this and more as it may also help to create some work and collaboration as we move into a new era in business/economies.
More power to your elbow (now there’s an idea…. get FAS and ANCO to train teams of wind turbine engineers to design, manufacture, create, install and maintain wind turbines and other renewable technologies - make Ireland an epicentre of renewable ideas and executions).
- Paul
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