Let's talk to the builders

gavinsblog · **Joined:** May 20, 2008 **Posts:** 279

Quote:

Which brings us back to fraternising with builders. Disclosure first: I take a drink with builders the odd time. I don't think it compromises me in carrying out my duty as a journalist. In fact, I have rarely walked away from meeting a builder without knowing considerably more about what's going on in the real world than I did before I met them.

You see, builders don't live in a world where a bit of shaving of costs saves the day. To be a good developer, or a good entrepreneur in general, you need to understand economics, a bit of sociology, some psychology, a bit of statistics and much more. Like all entrepreneurs, builders need to watch everything about how people are living their lives. They need to be able to spot little funny details, things the rest of us mightn't, about how people live, and they need to spot them before everyone else, and understand their larger implications.

And as much as you can argue that some builders mightn't have seen this current chaos coming, I'd say they knew a damn sight more about what was coming than the Government did. Builders, like all businessmen, are out there engaging in the real world all the time, and their ability to do this, and to read the real world correctly, has enormous consequences for them.

They are the direct opposite of civil servants like Brian Cowen and that frightened rabbit Brian Lenihan Junior, who can mess around with accountancy exercises in fairlyland, safe in the knowledge that their failure to engage with reality has no immediate consequences for them, or their jobs, or their income.

Mr Cowen and Mr Lenihan need to hang around with builders a bit more. In fact, I think that Fianna Fail should take an immediate decision to reinstate the Fianna Fail tent at the Galway Races. And they should all go down there and get pissed together. If Mr Cowen is a bit shy or aloof about talking to builders, they should ask Bertie to come down and break the ice for him. And Mr Cowen should listen to the builders.

Brendan O'Connor in today's Sindo. Nothing to add really, it speaks for itself. Link

Thing Fish · **Posted:** Sun Jul 13, 2008 2:49 pm

That's why BO'C gases is a journalist

fishfoodie · **Posted:** Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:10 pm

It typical of this gobshite that he uses words like nerd & boffin as terms of contempt. Yeah cause thinking about what to do next is worst possible thing to do :-(

Arsehole....

ray · **Posted:** Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:19 pm

Quote:

And as much as you can argue that some builders mightn't have seen this current chaos coming, I'd say they knew a damn sight more about what was coming than the Government did. Builders, like all businessmen, are out there engaging in the real world all the time, and their ability to do this, and to read the real world correctly, has enormous consequences for them.

Yes, they seen the chaos ahead, they realised that houses were seriously over valued. That is why, to pretty much a man, they continued to hand over astronomical sums of money for sites, whether in back end of beyond or Ballsbridge.

You sir are an idiot.

The Unwelcome Guest · **Posted:** Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:23 pm

Who the fuck reads this shite... Who is this man's audience??? :shock:

Calina · **Joined:** Nov 28, 2006 **Posts:** 3462

Dear Brendan,

if you take a drink with builders from time to time, and they understand what's going on, and which way the wind is blowing, can you explain to me why, 12 months ago, they didn't warn you about the writing on the wall in the property market? After all, you said then - when people were getting cold feet about hellhole shoebox apartments costing 10 times the median salary - that all the smart ballsy guys were buying property then.

And if developers and builders understood before any of us which way the wind was blowing, why have so many of them buried themselves deep in debt? Do you KNOW how much Sean Dunne paid for half of Ballsbridge? Had you any clue why the banks sold off their property?

I'm thinking no, you had no idea, so your builder friends couldn't have told you over the odd drink you have with them.

The economy needs to be stimulated. The property market, however, does not. We need to start creating stuff we can sell to people outside the country because that is what will get the economy going again. At this stage, I don't care whether it's the much vaunted knowledge economy, dirt cheap wind power, computer chips, cheese or whatever. We have to export it.

You don't appear to understand this. If you're going to yammer on about builders and property, then you clearly have no clue what is wrong with the economy and it ill behoves you to insult anyone else's intelligence.

The writing was on the wall 4 years ago Brendan. The developers operated on a pyramid basis; hoping they would be out before the crash.

It doesn't work that way Brendan.

regards,

Calina.

ray · **Posted:** Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:36 pm

The Unwelcome Guest wrote:

Who the fuck reads this shite... Who is this man's audience??? :shock:

I wonder! Who reads that article and agrees that the prescribed course of action by boc is the way to go.

markf909 · **Joined:** Dec 3, 2007 **Posts:** 1247

I reckon he's just trolling.

There's no way even he can believe the stuff he comes out with.

Green Bear · **Posted:** Sun Jul 13, 2008 3:41 pm

Quote:

And Mr Cowen should listen to the builders.

BOCs writing today is a subtle attempt at trying to influence public opinion and get Joe public to put pressure on the ministers to give Country Tom and his mates the dig out they are begging for.
By the way Brendan, you never disclosed who bought the drinks.

xman · **Joined:** Sep 18, 2007 **Posts:** 4785

The Unwelcome Guest wrote:

Who the fuck reads this shite... Who is this man's audience??? :shock:

I read that BOC gasses is paid to write deliberately controversial shite just to stir people up and get a bit of rise out of them.

It's the only plausible explanation to me.

There are some entertaining defamatory comments about him in the edit history of his Wikipedia article if anyone's interested.

A Random Walk · **Joined:** Mar 14, 2007 **Posts:** 2183

BO'C doesn't care what the response will be as long as he gets a response. Best thing to do is to ignore him.

jost · **Joined:** Oct 11, 2007 **Posts:** 1557

xman wrote:

There are some entertaining defamatory comments about him in the edit history of his Wikipedia article if anyone's interested.

Wikipedia's edit history proves to be an endless source of entertainment. I notice somebody keeps pasting in the ballsy article from last year.

Quote:

'''Brendan O'Connor''' is a [[journalist]], [[Celebrity|television personality]] and property mogul.

Devilsbit · **Joined:** Jan 31, 2008 **Posts:** 130

I've seen him a couple of times in Renards and I've always thought that he has a striking resemblence to John Leslie :lol:

Sorry John

Longtermrenter · **Joined:** Nov 8, 2006 **Posts:** 747

I didn't realise "The Sun" readership had replaced the delectable delights of the page three ladies for the Indo ?

done&dusted · **Joined:** Jun 16, 2007 **Posts:** 534

He's nothing more than a down-market version of Kevin Myers (who isn't all that up-market to begin with).

Let's talk to the builders

Who is online