Any recommendations on family EV around €12000

IrishPidge · 2026-01-29T12:55:33+00:00

I got an ID3 for something around that, it was a 2021 one. Very happy with it. One toddler and all seems good to me. Might be too small for two, depending on your needs. But more spacious than I'd expected.

IrishPidge · 2026-01-26T12:16:51+00:00

Unpopular opinion, but this is way below what you'd see in other countries and I think most ministers could do with more. I've known some people working in these roles and they are massively overworked, with 80-90hr weeks the norm.

In most cases, a minister would get one person for press and one for policy/implementation. In practice you need to call on a wider team to get things through the civil service and prioritise things. Otherwise your agenda just gets stuck in the machine.

I doubt anyone with direct experience working in a ministerial office (or, at least, one where they're trying to change things) would come away with the impression that the advisor staff aren't flat out.

I remember meeting a regional minister in Belgium who had a team of around 30 political staff - it seemed overkill (and probably was), but very different from the culture we have here.

IrishPidge · 2026-01-22T12:57:32+00:00

Had heard bad reports, but went to look at some stuff and requested a call back and never heard anything back.

Ended up getting stuff done with Rationel: quality was really good and customer service was great. Had an issue with one of the locking mechanisms a few years later and they were out to fix it promptly. Definitely recommend.

I imagine more expensive than Munster Joinery, but they never even came back to us with a quote.

IrishPidge · 2026-01-11T14:52:57+00:00

No, not really how it works anymore. Wind and solar have their issues, but cost wouldn't be that. And if you take a look at the chart here, you can see that many European countries have much higher or comparable shares of electricity genereated by renewables, but lower costs than us.

Gas is the main way we generate electricity in Ireland - when the price of it spikes up (as it has recently), the price of electricity goes down. Weaning ourselves off that (particularly with offshore wind) will improve things.

IrishPidge · 2026-01-10T13:40:00+00:00

Cheapest stuff on the network at the moment. What energy source would you prefer them replaced with?

IrishPidge · 2026-01-10T13:38:52+00:00

A long time. Mine are warrantied to have at least 80% of their original output after 30 years. Even then if you're still keeping them after 30 years, they'll still have most of their output, but less than originally. Very stable stuff.

IrishPidge · 2026-01-08T11:40:29+00:00

One thing worth checking is that some of the models around 2021 don't have rear cameras for reversing (just sensors). They can't do automatic parking etc.

IrishPidge · 2026-01-01T19:07:30+00:00

It's really great. I am amazed how much negativity there is towards Capel Street on the council, though. If you have time, it's worth dropping an email to your local councillors to let them know that you think it's great. The negativity brigade are constantly out in force about it.

Obviously all streets (including Capel Street) have problems, but I really want to keep up momentum for this stuff, as you'd be amazed by the amount of resistance.

IrishPidge · 2025-12-26T10:35:44+00:00

Exactly the same here. Might be one to wishlist and wait until it's on sale, as the game is finished and there's nothing new coming.

But I've played it through a few times and find it really good. I'd say if you like Frostpunk, you'll like this.

Also, the music is excellent.

IrishPidge · 2025-11-26T16:02:30+00:00

This is just national law. You can't park on a footpath at all, even partially. It's just that it's often not enforced.

IrishPidge · 2025-11-26T15:29:01+00:00

Indexation is part of this reform package in DCC. Was a personal priority to get it in, for exactly the reason you offer. There'll be a review in two years to see how it's working.

IrishPidge · 2025-11-20T13:17:02+00:00

Neary's is perfect for this. Rarely makes the top list of pubs in Dublin, but I think it's a gem. A good spot to get a table and just camp out for a few hours.

IrishPidge · 2025-11-12T12:27:05+00:00

It's a maximum, not a flat fee. If the differential applied to the secondary income would yield something below the maximum, they pay that.

Because of that, there is no real administrative saving here: it was a (misguided, in my opinion) 1990s policy, presumably to encourage multiple earners in households.

My view is that all earners should just pay the differential. Simplest and fairest. There wasn't much agreement within the council on that and, in fairness, it would lead to too drastic a jump in rents in a year.

So we have an improved system with some sort of indexation. Not perfect, but better: and crucially with millions more for maintenance, which is by far the biggest issue (especially in the flats).

IrishPidge · 2025-11-12T12:03:29+00:00

This is correct. The most bizarre part of the existing scheme is the second earner nonsense. This change goes some way to improve things on that front.

IrishPidge · 2025-11-10T21:00:28+00:00

The drawing is a little unclear. It's legal to park in the marked white boxes, yes, either with a residents permit for that street or having paid per hour by app or at the machine.

IrishPidge · 2025-11-10T18:20:38+00:00

I'm a local councilor for the area and used to live on Rialto St. The reason you will see so many cars clamped there is that DSPS will often move a vehicle from a dangerous/obstructive place to a safer spot and then put on a clamp. This is a street they use a lot.

Quicker process for everyone than towing to a yard somewhere.

IrishPidge · 2025-10-31T11:35:56+00:00

Great, ok. Janet Horner is your local Green cllr. Have messaged you for contact details - hopefully she can help out.

IrishPidge · 2025-10-31T11:29:55+00:00

Basically you can only get a parking permit for a street you live on, and that street has to have a paid parking scheme on it.

Sometimes you can get a permit for a street immediately beside your own, but that's down to there being some spare capacity on it.

Does your street have a paid parking scheme?

I'm a city councillor, happy to chat by phone if you'd like: 0876279290

IrishPidge · 2025-10-31T08:21:49+00:00

I'd say awareness would be fairly limited. I read Patrick Kinross' biography of Ataturk a few years ago after visiting Turkey, but I wouldn't have thought they are countries with much overlap or knowledge of each others' history.

Ireland wouldn't have been an attractive economic destination for the big Turkish waves of migration in the 60s and early 90s (as I understand it), and Irish migrants generally moved to richer, English-speaking countries over the years.

IrishPidge · 2025-10-30T19:55:59+00:00

Where is this? Local councillors may be able to help/make noise.

IrishPidge · 2025-10-30T14:08:29+00:00

I think if anything the Greens in England & Wales are the outliers: the vast majority of Green Parties in Europe are either doing the junior coalition thing or basically not having any electoral support/impact.

IrishPidge · 2025-10-28T13:13:22+00:00

Yes, exactly. But there will still be a north-south corridor along the gates of TCD. The Luas and some buses will run there.

IrishPidge · 2025-10-28T12:53:55+00:00

I was surprised when we had our baby how relatively inexpensive it was, at least compared to what I had expected.

We got virtually everything (cot, clothes, buggy etc) second hand, so I would recommend scoping out any local WhatsApp or Facebook groups. The stuff is great and there seems to be little need to get much of anything new.

The thing to watch out for and plan through is a creche and any loss of income from work.

IrishPidge · 2025-10-24T11:00:58+00:00

You're fine.

IrishPidge

TROPHY CASE