a Chara,
The housing crisis in the South is a constant worry in the minds of many. This week it was back in the headlines.
The government of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael brought forward proposals that have been assessed by independent analysts as leading to increased rents and evictions.
This week in Dáil the other parties worked together on a motion opposing the government’s plans. Outside the gates of the Dáil civic bodies, labor unions protested the government proposals under the banner of “Raise the Roof”.
The government refused to take on the views of other parties, housing groups, and workers.
Fine Gael has been in Government since 2011 and has been supported by Fianna Fáil since 2016. When Fine Gael first came to power the average monthly rent was €765 it has now increased to over €2000.
From 2013 to 2024 House prices have increased by 151%. This is way beyond inflation and wage rates. House prices have moved from being 3 times the average wage to over 5 times the average and are now classed as “severely unaffordable”.
All of these changes have led to record adult and child homelessness. Some are not waiting around to add to that statistic. We are losing a generation of young people to Canada, Britain, Australia, and elsewhere. They cannot afford rent and do not see a pathway to home ownership. Tenants are living in fear of rent increases and possible eviction.
There is a growing crisis in public services as teachers, nurses, doctors, and the police can no longer afford rent. This is also playing out in the private sector where rent increases outstrip wages leading to recruitment and retention problems.
Through all of this Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have stood dogmatically to a position that the market will fix the problem. Their major intervention is to subsidy rents in the private sector for tenants that should be in the public sector.
The market is working for landlords and developers who control supply. It is not working for the people, economy, or public services.
Housing has a particular resonance in Irish History. A Gorta Mor was accompanied by the eviction of starving Irish Tenants from their homesteads. The Land League of Michael Davitt and Charles Steward Parnell fought for the rights of tenant farmers to fair rents, security of tenure, and the right to buy their land. Those who fought in 1916 came from the slum tenements of Dublin. Afterward, generations were raised in public housing in vibrant communities.
The Southern state is a wealthy state, yet this government refuses to acknowledge its failure to manage housing and change course. This appears to be one part dogma and two parts supporting their developer and landlord friends.
Another reason why we need a change of government.
Have a great weekend.
Is mise,
Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America
