While I understand that cabin crew is often a difficult and thankless job it is still a job.i can't comment on ei long haul because i haven't flown it in five years.out of heathrow to dub and snn they are fine.
ryanair have changed the nature of the role of cc and it is now part of the service industry meaning a high turnover of staff and fairly low wages.as others have said there will be no government bailout for ei if they fail to manage their costs during this downturn.