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SPANIARDS battling a deep recession are voting today in two snap regional elections that could deal a blow to Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
Rajoy’s right-leaning Popular Party has imposed tough austerity measures on the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy and now faces votes in the premier’s home region of Galicia and in the Basque Country.
The elections are full of risks for the Spanish leader as he agonises over whether and when to snatch a eurozone rescue line to help finance the nation’s soaring public debt.
Many investors believe the prime minister is waiting to get the two votes out of the way before requesting a rescue, keeping world financial markets on edge.
In Galicia, which has 2.7 million eligible voters including 400,000 abroad, the Popular Party was defending a tight, absolute majority. Opinion polls gave it hopes of keeping power.
But Rajoy risks a humiliating upset if his prescription of deep spending cuts and higher taxes causes voters in Galicia, where the unemployment rate is 21 per cent, to punish his party.
Economic pain and cuts in education and health are fuelling discontent across the country’s 17 powerful regions.
In the rain-swept Basque Country, a pro-independence coalition is expected to enjoy a surge in support in the first regional vote since armed separatists ETA renounced the use of bombs and guns.
One voter, 43-year-old engineer Inaki Arteaga, said both the economy and the new climate in the Basque Country weighed on his mind.
“These elections have two keys: the economy and the fact that this time anyone who wants to can vote,” he said.
A 60-year-old unemployed electrician, Elvira Saotua, said young people were desperate for jobs. “It is very bad for the young people around here. Most of them don’t have work,” she said.
Rajoy, who is already struggling to contain pro-independence demands in northeastern Catalonia, which goes to the polls on November 25, has urged Spaniards to stay united.
To vote for his Popular Party “is to bet on the values that unite all Spaniards — values that are the same for us in Galicia, in the Basque Country, Catalonia and all of Spain,” he said before the elections.
“There is a choice between stability, moderation and common sense, or confusion, uncertainty and constant stress,” he warned.
The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), a conservative nationalist party, was ahead in opinion polls before the Basque vote, in which nearly 1.8 million people are eligible to cast ballots.
But a new coalition of left-wing Basque separatists, Euskal Herria Bildu, is likely to come second. The alliance has filled the space left by the ETA-linked Batasuna party, which was outlawed in 2003.
The big question is whether the Basque National Party will seek an alliance with Bildu or another party.
“If it is with Bildu, the question of (Basque) identity, of ties with Spain, will play a central role in its coalition,” said Anton Losada, political science professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela.
ETA is blamed for 829 deaths during its four-decade armed campaign for an independent Basque homeland in parts of southern France and in the northern Spanish region.
Though the Basque unemployment rate is well below the national average of 25 percent it remains high even at 14.5 percent, and central government demands for spending cuts have fed resentment against Madrid.
On October 20, 2011, ETA announced a “definitive end” to its armed activities, but has not formally disarmed or disbanded as the Spanish government demands.
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FFG must be proud…
@Willy Mc Bride: wait… He’s comparing 80 rough sleepers with 10k? The number of tough sleepers is still only between 100 and 150, whole the population has doubled. When they started, people were in tenement slums in Dublin, and now almost all of those 10k are in some form of private accommodation. Complain about the govt, but the situation for those who cannot afford to pay their way is infinitely better today.
@Brin: Ah the expert evaluates the figures and gives us the real story. Thank god for that. Are you trying to say the population of Ireland has doubles since the 1969 ?
@Brin: 150 rough sleepers? Are you for real? There’s that many in Cork alone, Dublin is way worse.
@Brin: In December last year when 200+beds(sleeping bags,etc) provided re winter initiative there were still 156 homeless people on streets which was an increase of 46 people from year before!
Those in temporary public funded emergency accommodation which Government count as homeless don’t include woman and children in domestic violence refuges,those ‘doubled up’ temporally staying with friends or family after losing their private rented accommodation,etc,etc.
By the way social housing stock was escalated in 1960′s, after 3 tenement buildings collapsed in 1963 killing residents,through the National Building Agency!
This isn’t the 1960′s,its the 21st century and Ireland is a wealthy country,(despite having the 3rd highest National debt per capita in the world!)so no excuses for the lack of urgency to build adequate social housing and affordable housing stock!
“10,000 people, or 0.2% of the population, are currently in temporary government accommodation whilst they await permanent government accommodation”
There are many countries and citizens of the world that would read the above statement with envy.
@Greg Daniel: hahaha joke comment of the year
@Michael Nolan: which bit is incorrect?
@Greg Daniel: the 10,000 that are in temporary government accommodation.
@Ich bin brendan: ok thanks, can you update me with the the correct details then?
@Greg Daniel: hopefully you will be one of the 0.2% someday
Then see how envious it is…….
@Greg Daniel: your ignorance appalls me
@Paul O’Sullivan: likewise
@Greg Daniel: there are many countries would also read that statement with disgust.
@Philip Siggins: what 0.2% of the population are in temporary government accommodation whilst waiting for their permanent accommodation is disgusting? Really?
Have a look at the leftist utopia’s in the US of San Fran or LA.
LA has 36,000 homeless and homeless mean homeless – in tents on the street – not in temporary accommodation like here in Ireland
@Greg Daniel: “10,000 people, or 0.2% of the population, are currently in temporary government accommodation whilst they await permanent government accommodation” Are you ignoring the countless people that are not in government accommodation, tents, friends/family couches, vans, cars etc. If you include all them can you give me a true figure?
@Greg Daniel: “Have a look at the leftist utopia’s in the US of San Fran or LA.” Not sure why you’re bringing the US into this or calling San Fran a leftist utopia, the money that comes with the success of the tech industry has driving rents up there.
We should look closer to home with Germanys protection of the rental market, The city of Vienna in Austria, how they treat social housing. Why always look at a worst case scenario and believe we’re better off, its pathetic
@Greg Daniel: Yeah, I’m sure tourists from Norway are looking at all the homeless people on the streets wishing they could have that back home.
The true figure is almost certainly way higher, it’s lower in many Eastern European countries where the GDP is far lower. What sort of monster would be proud of how many homeless people we have?
@Greg Daniel: Ireland,unlike many other EU countries,only uses 3 Categories of ETHOS typology re homelessness&that why ‘official’ figures are not the full figures for homelessness in Ireland!!Outside of Europe too,eg Chicago counts those ‘doubled up’ temporally staying with family or friends in overcrowded homes!
By the way just using ‘official figures’ from Census ’11,CSO&Government’s last figures from 2011-2019 :family homelessness(families with children) has increased by 605%&children in homeless families increased by 677.7%!!These are shocking increases and what’s very worrying also is that Government figures exclude 10 Categories of ETHOS typology!
So stop trying to downplay homelessness in Ireland in particular homeless families with children……the statistics clearly show that there wasn’t such a huge scale in family homelessness in modern times until from 2011-2019&worsening year after year.
@Greg Daniel: I think we should strive to be better then LA for a start it’s not called lala land for nouth
@Caro Fionnagán: most non-Irish accept whatever accomodation is provided for them wherever it is, i.e. not in Dublin’s top areas. Irish do not. These are people priced out. Plenty of lower rents in other parts of the country.
@RobPup: Rent has gone insane everywhere in the country now, in my town the most expensive rent from 10 years ago for a 3 bedroom house is now the cheapest rent for a one bedroom apartment.
@RobPup: There’s not plenty ofhouses to rent in many places in rural Ireland. Here in one small area of the West Coast there are only two rental properties on Daft. There are however over twenty holiday homes, curtains drawn for eleven months of the year. Local workers living at home, when these houses could be used for young families. Stick a quadruple tax on these unused houses and free up some stock.
@RobPup: FYI there are schoolteachers, garda, nurses who are couch surfing because of the price of rents in Dublin… so are you suggesting they all pack up their careers because of companies like Google / Facebook particularly and big banking companies bringing in IT workers from every corner of the world with inflated wages that push rents up by greedy landlords…. they are the hidden homeless in this country…. the real figure is about 50,000 no exaggeration…. I know a house in Crumlin where 19 Brazilians live in a 3 bedroom semi detached , that all are employed in the hospitality sector in what I consider exploitation… FG mah think multi culturalism is great but we have taken in too much,, I hate saying this but it will take a tragedy like a house fire were lives will be lost before people will realise what’s going on…. this country needs to build social housing…. full stop
@TheHeathen: this house are unsuitable most are not insulated and don’t meet dry high standard set by building regulations
@Paul O’Sullivan: absolute nonsense comment, bit of she with social housing. 200k 50/50 apartment units (direct rent + state housing) 20km outside of Dublin with new, direct rail links.
@Brin: capitalist claptrap…..
@Gerard Heery: Nothing wrong with doing up these houses. Many of us have renovated houses, some while we lived in them, others while living at home. All the better for the locality to get these houses used twelve months of the year, instead of more one off housing being built. If people want a holiday home for two weeks of the year, get a bloody mobile home. So many young families in this locality living with parents, right beside a house with curtains pulled and gates closed. An awful lot of these houses are viable, if not then at least use the site.
We seriously NOW need to look at ourselves & get this sorted NOW
@Fergal Pigat: Fergal you will never sort Greed
Some difference in the homeless figures between now and then. It’s frightening. The gap between the rich and poor is widening each year. Something needs to change before it all comes crashing down again, or maybe it needs to again, which is crazy considering we were bankrupt as a nation in the last 12 years or so. But, we’ll suck it up and keep our mouths shut and hope for the best. Boxer the horse from Animal farm springs to mind
@Barney Gumble: Now there is the rich ,the poor and the destitute and I am beginning to think that a container city should be formed some where but not near me for to house these unfortunate people .The not near me is the real problem though isn’t it but something like this needs to be done
@Barney Gumble: we’re still bankrupt
@Barney Gumble: We still owe billions.
@Damian Mac An Bháird: technically, we were never bankrupt, just bad at financial management. The country has always been incredibly wealthy – we just remortgaged to load up debt instead of sorting out our spending.
@Brin: Shut up
@Barney Gumble: The gap you’re talking about is happening everywhere in the world, unfortunately. The point in Ireland, IMHO, is the complete lack of welfare, considering the amount of taxes we’re paying
@Brin: we were never bankrupt…technically ..I heard some stupid things on here
But wow I’m gonna remember that 1…I salute you for your lack of spacial awareness …as for the rest of your comment. ….no comment
FFG dont care. 8 years in power and yet the situation is worse in nearly every aspect of their control. Its a sad reflection of the average IQ of the Irish electorate these crooks are allowed to get back in time and again.
@John: since fg have been in power, the key change has been: the illegal EU debt had been legalised (thanks noonan, were haven’t forgot), public employees have had a pay rise (thanks unions, call it parity/restoration etc but it meant all increases in income went too this one sink fund). Some extra roads as well. I cannot see any party left or right that were willing to put public pay rises in hold to build houses. I’m disappointed voting apart from anyone who builds cycle paths, at least if my taxes are going to be thrown away, I can stay healthy and keep my commute down.
@John: Neither do the various flavours of commie, who keep insisting that an endless flood of people coming into the country is a good thing.
50 years ago, when the country was poor, we built social housing. Now we would rather others suffered rather than giving them a so called FREE home. A home should be a home and not an investment. Well planned social housing will benefit everyone.
@Mango mango: only one political party in this country has ever built social housing and that is Fianna fail .
@Mango mango: 50 years after building social housing which we have inevitably ended up knocking down or redeveloping or renewing due to extremely high crime and social problems. Homelessness is an extremely complex situation and the current methods we use to address and solve the situation are laughable. We need as a country to develop a comprehensive support structure from housing list to housing to addressing social and medical problems to ongoing support till the person/ family can support themselves and break from the chronic cycle they are in
@Mango mango: Actually if Government concentrated more on building adequate social housing stock then they would be creating valuable State assets!But concentrating on private rented accommodation doesn’t make sense when its adequate social housing and affordable housing needed.RTE George Lee stated that by 2021/2022 the amount the State pays re HAP,etc could be €2B a year!
Dunno why people seem shocked ff fg do what they say on the tin ..make money for the upper class and have done for years they be all piss and wind about helping the poor and down trodden .the only way to get them to change this is everybody must vote… when u say what’s the point come voting time u are really voting for them and there ilk
@Michael Nolan: Exactly.
Although, I wonder how many of these shocked people commenting here would be willing to pay extra in taxes to sort things out.
@Mark V: or better use of taxes, FFG throw it around like confetti
@Ich bin brendan: I agree that this government has many flaws and like many before them, wasted money. Also has many priorities wrong and is looking out for the few, rather then the many.
However, the fault lays with not only with the politicians, but also with the electorate, who consistently vote for the same party, same policies and priorities since the creation of this state.
@Mark V: there is no doubt about it you can’t argue with stupid roll on the election
I wonder would it be possible to make use of the excess housing in places like Longford etc temporarily. It was take families out of hotels etc and for a time give a stable environment. Then as housing stock becomes available in Dublin families could move back.
@Paul: by even making that comment your telling them it’s cool keep doing what ur doing
@Paul: This extra housing stock outside Dublin is a total myth. I live in Sligo and there’s no houses to rent or buy here either. Rents in the West are going up, homeless rates are going up also but there’s plenty of Air Bnb’s. There’s only one solution to this which FG are ideologically opposed to, build social housing!!
@Kevin Dalton: was there not a programme on RTÉ last year about the large number of ghost estates in Longford area? Certainly the current market doesn’t have capacity but refurbishment of these estates would be a viable option.
@Paul: ghost estates? I travel through Longford regularly. The vast majority of those ghost estates have sat empty for so long that the joints between the block work is falling apart, ceilings falling in, windows broken. It would be cheaper to knock them down completely and rebuild rather than making them habitable. But, they are certainly not a viable option for people to move into.
@David Shaw; you are spot on David. If the Government really cared, they would build social housing as a top priority. They do spend a fortune of immigrant centers, if the same amount was spent on shelter, we would be the talk of Europe. The problem David is, no one cares enough for them.
Perhaps it’s about time to understand that the front-back-yard-house is not affordable anymore in busy cities like Dublin, Cork, etc. Perhaps it’s time to understand -if you want a real economic growing- that you need to increase density, by building 5/6/7 floor apartments blocks… that difficult? Have a look in big cities and capitals in continental Europe….
Also, perhaps, the government should help spreading the people across the country…. seriously, who wants to live in rural areas with no infrastructures at all?
Big companies come in Ireland 20+ years ago, they brought money, business…. not just for the “inflated” IT & Financial salaries, but for all the business-network underneath it (coffees, supermarkets, pubs, etc…). Clearly those big business would setup in cities, how would you expect a client visiting, landing the airport and facing 3h drive to go in the middle of nowhere?
:-(
@Brin: it’s a fair point Brin; but if you have cancer in the brain, you tend to ignore sore toes.
Perhaps if the Government started REALLY taxing their friends, the property owners and developers, who purchase land with Protected Structures on it, and deliberately allow these structures to become derelict, that might help increase the housing supply. If a Protected Structure is burnt to the ground, or becomes so derelict it is demolished, hey presto! – a far more lucrative, greenfield site for development! This practice is widespread, has been ongoing for decades, and is often repeated time and time again by property developers. Time for the Government to properly penalise dereliction of perfectly viable, historical properties, or force owners to sell it if they claim no funds to begin repairing it within 6 months of purchase.
“pay your way” .. what an insulting slogan, one I hear repeatedly in the comments from the Fine Gael bots on journal articles about inequality, poverty and homelessness. “Free Houses”… another slogan I hear from the same snobby, right wing quasi-fascist ideologues…. “entitlement”… another one – that I see uttered all the time about people just looking for their basic right to live with dignity. Well.. I’ll tell ya what “pay your way” means for the Fine Gael/Fianna Fail bots, most of them inherited some kind of middle class means which enabled them to pay, when you’re poor, and you’re born into it- you can’t pay for much at all. “Free Houses” are not what the poor and the vulnerable receive, there are no free houses for those on social housing lists, there never were. There are however ‘Free Houses’ for people like Simon Coveney and other Fine Gael royalty- inherited wealth, inherited land, and inherited titles and political dynasties. There are free houses for most people in middle class Ireland. Free houses” for Fine Gael bots. “Entitlement” … entitlement for the rich yes, entitled to warm houses, entitlement for the middle class- oh yes! .. entitled to higher education, entitled to money, entitled to a life. The irony of these slogans pitted out to demean vulnerable people is staggering… Ireland is a kip, full of snobs…
There are liveable houses for sale in the west of Ireland for as low as €25,000
See it’s fun!
This is interesting place for free speech. One of my comments, that received 90 approvals, has disappeared? Which makes me think the adjudicator has ignored the approval comments and deleted mine! But that’s OK. I could spend all day reporting every comment on every story and become an active participator.
have your say