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LAST UPDATE | 28 Nov 2024
THE GENERAL ELECTION is coming up tomorrow, and despite all the media attention surrounding Sinn Féin’s internal troubles, Simon Harris’ tetchy interaction with a care worker, and Fine Gael supporters laughing at teachers, housing is the most pressing issue for me and many others.
I am a 29-year-old renter living and working in Dublin. This makes me a millennial, and also an unwilling participant in what is dubbed “Generation Rent” in the most expensive city in Europe for renters.
In many ways, I am a stereotypical Irish person in their late 20s – I have lived in a total of 16 share houses since I left home for college in Galway at the age of 18, I did a two-year stint in Australia and later, I moved to Dublin for work. My first ever share house was in Galway city centre, the rent was €400 a month (that was considered pricey at the time) and it was a flat attached to a nice family’s home which I shared with a Spanish Erasmus student.
We didn’t have a washing machine (I washed my clothes in the bath), but 19-year-old me didn’t care; I was studying something I was passionate about and felt that I was finally experiencing independence and a sense of adulthood that secondary school does not facilitate.
If you had asked 19-year-old me what I was most worried about for the future, I would have said getting a job. But now, a decade later and despite our best attempts to tread the same path of financial security as our parents, myself and my working peers are at the mercy of a generation-defining housing emergency.
Back in 2014, the housing crisis was burgeoning. The main groups drawing attention to it were homeless charities and student’s unions, the people they represent being particularly vulnerable to a disaster that has become all-consuming over the last decade, affecting almost every person in Ireland either directly or indirectly. Even the government and then Taoiseach Enda Kenny began to acknowledge it, promising that the Government would deal with it. Déjà vu? Yeah, me too.
As my generation levelled up through college, Master’s degrees, further education, graduate programmes and work experience, so too did the housing crisis. Every year, rooms were scarcer, the competition grew more intense and prices ballooned; and every year, Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil promised us that the tide was turning, that progress was being made and that we were almost out of the woods.
But as we approach the end of 2024 and the upcoming election, the government’s promises to turn the ship around haven’t materialised, and my generation faces a housing crisis that becomes more dystopian by the day.
A mouldy, cramped one-bed apartment in Ireland’s cities now costs roughly €2,000 per month to rent, and it is quite common to see prices of €2,500 or more. Increasingly ludicrous property advertisements on websites taunt young adults looking to get an honest shot, and these often go viral on social media.
Every young person in Ireland has seen rental adverts from hell: a shed in a back garden in Dublin that was €3,500 a month, that time a landlord put a single bed on their landing and set the price at €1,800, and a landlord who was charging €1,900 for a single room that the tenant could only occupy Monday-Thursday, and wasn’t allowed to use the kitchen in.
With traditional avenues of finding accommodation like estate agencies and Daft.ie adverts overwhelmed by tenancy applications, and finding success there akin to winning the lottery, 30-somethings and under rely on their personal social media accounts for help. (“Hi guys, looking for a room in Dublin, I’m desperate”) or sharing their friend’s posts, (“Please share to help my lovely friend find a room”). And all the while, the dank rental rooms of Ireland surge well beyond €800 per month, young people are left wondering: “What the hell am I doing here?”
I fear that my generation spends far, far more time thinking, talking and worrying about housing than our government does. It is a topic that pervades pretty much all of our lives – our friends emigrate in droves, move back to the childhood bedroom, or, more rarely, escape the rat race because of the generosity of the bank of Mam and Dad.
Friend groups are unable to socialise, relationships are put on hold or break down, mental health suffers, housing protests are ignored, more subsidies are given to landlords, investment funds buy more housing stock, and the government blames anyone but themselves.
As a bit of research for this piece, I did a rough Instagram poll of my (not many, but all real) followers to get a sense of what my peers are feeling about this government in regard to housing. The answers were anticipated and yet somehow more bleak than I expected. Over 55% of people who emigrated said they did so because of housing, and over 80% responded that they were reluctant to come back because of it.
As for my friends living here, 93% of them said they seriously intend to vote, and a massive 92% said housing was their number one voting issue for this election. Their responses were varied and also touched on a range of other issues like climate collapse and environmental policy, a decrease in hospitality VAT, nightlife, cost of living, mental health funding, transportation of weaponry through Irish airspace and Gardaí that are better equipped to deal with anti-social behaviour.
One respondent said:
This government has no interest in tackling any of the major issues affecting the majority of people – housing, social issues, climate breakdown and biodiversity crisis, foreign affairs etc. They seem exclusively interested in doing things which on paper appear to make the economy look strong and line the pockets of the wealthy – which includes them. They do not want to know, or care about the issues affecting working-class people, who they seem to blame for any of the situations or conditions they are facing.
Another respondent, who recently emigrated, noted:
Housing I would put second [after the climate crisis in terms of voting] and is somehow at the root of nearly every problem in Ireland, but I would not give my first preference to a party who says they will build the most houses as soon as possible but don’t have an emphasis on environmental and infrastructure issues too.
Another friend in Galway is having to house hunt for the first time in three years:
Everything is around €700-€800. I saw an advert for a single bedroom in Salthill – €900 a month. Things have gotten 10 times as crazy [as they were three years ago].
As the housing crisis gets more and more acute, gathering international attention from outlets like The Guardian, France24 and Euronews, the government hasn’t treated this crisis with the urgency it deserves. Valid criticism by opposition parties on unmet housing targets, vulture funds buying up entire estates and the ending of the no-fault eviction ban has often been met with disdain and bluster from the government.
Government parties will point to metrics like full employment and high tax receipts as proof of a booming economy, but that is little consolation to the 522,486 adults aged 18 years and over who are living with their parents, the ones who emigrated, or to renters, like me, whose entire adult lives have been shaped by a housing crisis that has no limits.
Those with their hands on the levers of power in this country, all well paid, are insulated from the real-world consequences of their actions, or lack thereof. Who among them knows someone who is homeless, trapped in a vicious rental cycle, or living in a box room?
So, I write a message to the government before the election this week. Any TD, minister or campaigning politician who insists that the situation is getting better is welcome to do a house swap with me for a while to see how we young adults really live.
You can move into my single room and we can swap salaries as well! It would be a bit of a step down from what you’re used to, but I’m sure you’ll manage. It’ll be an experiment we can call youth voter engagement. After all, you guys will have this housing crisis sorted soon – right?
Sylvia Power is a 29-year-old editor who lives and works in Dublin.
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This Country is being turned into a rich mans playground. They are importing immigrants to drive down wages and cause a divide in society. We, the Irish, come last and will eventually be phased out because our hard-earned living standards are unacceptable to them. Vote wisely tomorrow folks, likely the last chance to send a message.
@Marvin Dollery: How will ‘we’ be ‘phased out’, exactly? You are spouting complete drivel.
@Brendan O’Brien: Birth rate and sheer number of people entering the Country. Common sense. Nobody to preserve our culture as they’ve no interest in it/prefer their own. You know this Brendan, but you want what is worst for Ireland. Anyone reading your comments can pick up on it.
@Marvin Dollery: When immigrants to Ireland have children, those children are Irish, speak with Irish accents, are immersed in Irish culture. You do know this?
@Brendan O’Brien: Those who assimilate. The giant elephant in the room is one particular cohort who detest our way of life. They are coming in/being brought in in huge numbers, and have zero interest in dropping their culture. Basic stuff Brendan. One need only look at The UK, Sweden and Belgium to see where this is headed for Ireland.
@Marvin Dollery: The idea that Muslims ‘detest our way of life’ is paranoid nonsense. You should read what some actual Muslims (ordinary people who happen to be Muslim) have to say.
@Brendan O’Brien: I’d rather not read best-case-scenario, hand-picked reviews from a left-leaning news platform. It is quite literally in their book if you cared to research it. You know this, and the fact you’re first to defend it speaks volumes as to your motive.
@Marvin Dollery: Have you seen what’s in ‘our’ book (the Bible)? A lot of pretty grim stuff.
The vast majority of Muslims are ordinary people doing their best for themselves and their families, the same as the vast majority of ‘us’. In fact I feel much more part of an ‘us’ with them that with haters like you.
My motive is to counter bigoted and extremist views on this platform. Bigoted and extremist views will not lead us to anywhere good.
@Brendan O’Brien: I was only waiting for your cringeworthy and ineffective textbook labels. Since when is calling it how it is “bigoted” or “extreme? Is the truth “extreme” now? You’re only pandering to your own fantasies about a borderless world before you croke it. You are an embarrassment.
@Brendan O’Brien: “When immigrants to Ireland have children, those children to Ireland are Irish”. Incorrect Brendan. Irish laws were changed in 2004. A child born in Ireland to 2 non nationals is no longer automatically granted Irish nationality at birth.
@Marvin Dollery: You are not calling it how it is. You are expressing fear and prejudice, presumably through insecurity of some kind, and writing off entire groups of people for no good reason. More than likely you are projecting parts of yourself that you don’t like onto easily stigmatised groups. That is the opposite of ‘the truth’.
People should be judged on their character, not on their ethnicity, skin colour or whatever.
@Ger Whelan: They are de facto if not de jure Irish: that is what I mean, and that’s what matters.
@Brendan O’Brien: What a load of desperate waffle talk. I expected nothing less when I set out to tell some hard truths. People aren’t stupid Brendan, and they certainly aren’t wilful traitors to their people.
@Ger Whelan: In other words, they are culturally Irish, which is what was under discussion.
@Marvin Dollery: Far-right landslide tomorrow, then.
@Brendan O’Brien: But they’re not. We changed the law in 2004. Children born to two non national parents in Ireland are not automatically Irish. No matter how you try to claim they are you are in fact incorrect as legally they are not Irish citizens at birth.
@Brendan O’Brien: Apology acceptedm in future, choose your opponents more carefully. Not all of us will let your nonsense slide.
@Ger Whelan: Ger, they are culturally Irish, as I said. I was responding to Marvin’s ‘Nobody to preserve our culture’ nonsense. The 2004 law is immaterial to my point.
@Marvin Dollery: Don’t get too drunk while you’re celebrating that far-right landslide.
@Brendan O’Brien: I haven’t drank Alcohol in 8 years Brendan. Thanks for reminding me of my achievement actually. Also, nowhere did I say there’d be a “far-right” landslide. I merely encouraged people to vote wisely, as a Country ran by like-minded headcases such as yourself is doomed. If you’ve ran out of retorts, I suggest you stop digging a hole.
@Brendan O’Brien: No it’s not immaterial at all, currently Irish does not mean you are Irish. Facts are you were incorrect as they are legally not Irish citizens at birth. So they cannot persevere the Irish culture as Irish culture and they won’t be Irish. It’ll become a merge of different cultures and nationalities. But you’ll be happy enough as you on more than occasion on here have shown your dislike for the Irish people.
@Ger Whelan: And FF and FG have absolutely no Immigration Policy on their website. Sums up their No Response to immigration over the last five years. Imagine how bad it will get if they get another five years after tomorrow? “Immigration is a good thing” said both FF and FG and the ten-way leaders debate.
@Marvin Dollery: you will be derived by people because those who will paint you as far right are not affected by those arriving to get free state funded accommodation with no bills. My neighbor is a house cleaner and has been under cut for jobs because others are doing it cheaper as they have no overheads. The children of alysum seekers forced into living in hotels and disused paint factories will grow up with a chip on their shoulder. People will spout about allowing everyone in, but we had a housing shortage before this blew up, we had a health service on its knees. These large unsuitable centres housing newly arrived people under the guise that we are providing protection to them is bs.
@Brendan O’Brien: You quote the bible how it has nasty stuff in it after someone pointed how how the quaran has nasty stuff in it that Muslims believe. Do you not see the irony, that you brought up how, and you said (we), believe in this… so how do you think these 2 groups are compatible in a society? Look to the UK, they hate each other, because their VALUES are completely conflicting with each other. Forget culture, forget language, forget heritage. Values is the most important one in a society. How do they value women? How do they value gays?
@Brendan O’Brien: Islam is FAR worse than Christianity and is has no place in this country. It is a disgusting ideology.
@Maximilian Kolbe: ‘Look to the UK, they hate each other, because their VALUES are completely conflicting with each other.’
That is nonsense. Mostly ‘they’ get on perfectly fine because of the shared communal values of treating people with respect and trying to do one’s best and live a good life (notwithstanding intolerant minorities on both ‘sides’).
Your vision of two monolithic, mutually antagonistic groups is completely at variance with reality, probably because of all the mis/disinformation you imbibe.
@Ger Whelan: If you don’t realise that culture is not determined by some law, I really can’t help you.
@Ger Whelan: And I certainly have no ‘dislike for the Irish people’. I dislike bigotry, intolerance and the stigmatising of vulnerable groups (all of which the Irish have suffered, and really should not be doling out). I make no apologies for that.
@Brendan O’Brien: I don’t want you to help me. I simply want you to accept that children born in Ireland to non Irish parents are not automatically Irish citizens like you claimed in your second comment. Not hard for you to accept Irish law is it?
@Marvin Dollery: Good commentary, well done. It’s unforgiveable what is happening. Unforgiveable because if you read news from outside your own parish once in a while you will see what has happened in Europe over the last 10 years is what will happen here too. You could also argue that it will be worse such is our governments ineptness and unwillingness to admit when they are wrong and make amends. The Gardai who have aligned themselves with their paymasters in gov will soon be wondering why they didn’t align themselves with the citizens, (their actual paymasters), when they later get the responsibility for cleaning up the mess that gov has made. And it won’t be quick cleanup job that they are used to it, it will be decades
@Marvin Dollery: As for you: I want no part of your ‘culture’ of fear and loathing, which is not distinctly Irish: we see it in certain quarters all over the world, sadly. I’ll stick with the traditional Irish values of openness, friendliness and hospitality.
@Ger Whelan: I did NOT say that they are automatically Irish citizens
@Brendan O’Brien: If you say so, it must be right! Still parroting lies and nonsense hoping for more than 5 “likes” to massage your delicate little ego. The vast minority agree with your toxic sentiments.
@Marvin Dollery: We’ll see how popular *your* toxic sentiments are when the votes are counted. How many seats are you predicting for the National Party, Irish Freedom Party and similar?
@Brendan O’Brien: ” when immigrants to Ireland have children those children are Irish”. You said “ARE IRISH”. you didn’t mention culture until your last sentence immersed in Irish culture. So yes you did claim they are Irish. They are in fact not Irish isn’t that correct?
@Brendan O’Brien: Hi little Wodawik, who said anything about those parties? Look at the absolute hammering you’re after getting in front of your handful of warped peers following you around. The hilarious part is it was super easy to show you up for the little treasonous hack that you are. Thanks for playing my game little man.
@Brendan O’Brien: They believe in the quaran exactly how it is, and look up to their prophet Muhammed. Now what age was Aisha in the Quaran, Muhammeds wife? She was 6 years old. What do you think of this? Do you think looking up to this man is a good value to have? What do you think of the UN women foundation fondling out 2 weeks ago that there are 19 million child brides in Pakistan? Do you agree with this culture and values they have of these young girls?
@Ger Whelan: It was all the one sentence! ‘When immigrants to Ireland have children, those children are Irish, speak with Irish accents, are immersed in Irish culture.’
If they’re not Irish, what are they? They’re hardly Polish if they have never set foot in Poland.
@Maximilian Kolbe: He won’t answer your questions, instead he will twist them hoping the gullible don’t pay attention. This is a sick individual we are showing up here.
@Marvin Dollery: I think you’re mistaking this comments section for the real world. We’ll see the real world when the votes are counted, those who babble about ‘treason’ etc. don’t do very well, as usual, and the mainstream non-haters form a government, as they always do.
You are in a small minority. You just don’t realise it.
@Brendan O’Brien: They are the same nationality of their parents. So if both parents are polish they would polish and if the parents wanted to bring the baby to Poland to visit their parents and let them meet their grandchild, the baby will have a polish passport not an Irish one, that’s been Irish law since 2004. You can argue all you want but the fact remains, children born in Ireland to non national parents are not automatically Irish at birth. Your ignorance or refusal to accept this is quite funny and telling of the person you are. Seems you only accept laws are laws when it suits you.
@Brendan O’Brien: Hate to have to remind you of anything, but go back up along the thread and see who is agreeing with what. Being this close to the election, I’d go as far as to say that it is a complete reflection of the mood in Ireland at present. Maybe if you stepped out of your toxic echo chamber you’d think differently. Literally nobody (of any importance) agrees with your future vision of Ireland. You are a loser.
@Ger Whelan: You’re still not grasping the difference between ‘de facto’ and ‘de jure’ nationality. So be it: I’ve done what I can.
@Brendan O’Brien: I don’t care about the difference between something you think matters. Legally they are not born Irish citizens. legally is all that matters. So deal with it
@Marvin Dollery: Merv, if your comments above are reflective of the Irish people as you claim, then the far right will romp home. Dáil Éireann is made up of moderate parties who do not share your views on Muslims, and immigration in general – I’m sure the odd independent does, but that’s it
@Ger Whelan: No, ‘legally’ is not all that matters. People who were born in Ireland and have lived all their lives in Ireland are capable of passing on Irish culture: that was my whole point, which you chose to miss by a mile. Marvin’s fears of some kind of ‘Great Replacement’ are misplaced.
@Brendan O’Brien: I didn’t miss anything. They are not born Irish. Nothing you say here will change that absolute fact. As for spreading culture. They are not just spreading Irish culture they are spreading a mix of their parents culture and Irish culture no it does not fully preserve Irish culture. It becomes its own mixture of nationality and culture. I have nothing against that but I’m not going to lie and say it saves Irish culture when it doesn’t.
@Ger Whelan: Wrong when they are EEA, EU national or on stamp 4 they are Irish.
@Brendan O’Brien: Is that really the best you can conjure up? The only thing you’ve achieved here is showing how much hatred and contempt you have for Irish people and Irish Culture. I’m willing to bet you spent your life as an outcast. Quite obvious, as you’re unbearable even in a comments section. By the way, will the 10s of 1000′s of unvetted illegal male economic immigrants be adopting our culture? How’s that working out around Europe? You seem to only care about the offspring of Irish-based immigrants, who by law won’t receive an Irish Passport, only citizenship status.
@Alex: Wrong. They are not. They are not born with automatic Irish citizenship.. Fact
@Alex: Do you call someone born and reared in Poland, Germany or France an Irish person? Didn’t think so. They are EU citizens, not Irish citizens. Dear Lord you are dense.
@Alex: “Children born in the island of Ireland to foreign national parents on or after 1 January 2005 are not automatically entitled to Irish citizenship” copied and pasted directly from the department of foreign affairs site.
@Brendan O’Brien: Not chance of many of them ever assimilating, especially the ones behind he mosques that are springing up around the country. And I hope you’re not suggesting that they are a worthy replacement for our own lost generation that are bled dry with high tax and high rents in order to fund our leaders socialist vision.
@Ger Whelan: I wonder why you didn’t paste the full paragraph, Ger? The salient word is ‘automatically’.
‘Children born in the island of Ireland to foreign national parents on or after 1 January 2005 are not automatically entitled to Irish citizenship. These parents must prove that they have a genuine link to Ireland so their children can claim Irish citizenship. This link is shown by those parents having three out of the previous four years’ reckonable residence (see below) in the island of Ireland immediately before the birth of the child, with neither parent being entitled to diplomatic immunity in the Republic of Ireland.’
@Ger Whelan: So, obviously, many of the children of immigrants are Irish citizens. Which is a mere technicality in any case: they embody at the very least a large dollop of Irish culture on account of surroundings, schooling, friends, media, etc.
And *their* children, as perhaps even you would admit, will be Irish.
I wonder how you would react if some English person said that someone couldn’t be properly or culturally British because of their Irish ancestry?
@Marvin Dollery: You’re a far-right clown, Marvin, as shown by your labelling of someone (me, as it happens), as a ‘subhuman degenerate’. We are all human. I hope you will overcome your fears and your inadequacies and grow up at some point.
@Marvin Dollery: rubbish
@Brendan O’Brien: I’m not far anything. That’s a term ye clowns use to sow mouths shut, but it doesn’t work anymore. Europe is waking up at a record pace. The same way America has. I have sound liberal views and opinions, just not anywhere near the extremist lefty versions of yourself and Kerr. I base my views on common sense and practicality. You are an irrational oikophobe. Plain and simple.
@Marvin Dollery: ‘Oikophobe’ is a good word. Yes, I dislike oiks.
@Brendan O’Brien: You are one Brendan. Quite obvious.
@Marvin Dollery: ah throwing out the T word. Nothing you’ve written has any basis in reality Marvin, it’s just paranoid nonsense. I suggest staying off social media as the algorithms will only feed your fragile state of mind and make things worse for you. You seem like a deeply unhappy individual
@Brendan O’Brien: Not by genes or blood nor culture, wake up.
@Marvin Dollery: talking complete sh##e again
@Marvin Dollery: do you actually know any Muslims??
Or do you spend your time peaking out the curtains.
THERE IS NO GREAT REPLACEMENT.
you have been conned.
Go get a job FFS ,get out of the house and stay of YouTube
@M To The B: I live a very happy and fulfilling life little man. I work hard and pay taxes just like the next punished worker. Look at how deluded you are in thinking you know anything about me or my situation. I’m willing to bet you’re only in the Country a wet week and already have the audacity to think your opinion matters in Irish affairs. If anyone is unhappy it’s the toxic little self-hating Oikophobes that celebrate the demise of our heritage and culture. The hypocrisy is truly astounding – maybe it is you who needs to consider the “algorithm” seeing as your a gullible little intolerant lefty.
@Brendan O’Brien: no he is not
They have stolen their dreams, a generation of abject poverty. Shame on the government.
@Basildon Joe: Your ‘Tired Jim’ profile seems to disagree with this one.
@Basildon Joe: As does your ‘Dave G Doe’ one.
@Brendan O’Brien: do you ever offer a solution, what you think would work? You are just a smarm posting NGO hack.
@Oh Mammy: try ignoring the lonely troll
@Basildon Joe: i perfer to call him out on his for hire spew
@Oh Mammy: he is a nasty one
@Basildon Joe: as they say in Texas, nastier than a rattlesnake. I say f..k rattlesnakes.
@Basildon Joe: rubbish
Here’s my issue, 40% vote FF FG, lab and the greens are also responsible, so about 50% all in, now how many of these have sons and daughters stuck in this rent trap or are living abroad voting for those that caused the problem, there’s no point in winging about the government if you continue to vote them into power, it’s absolute madness
We really are great at pulling up the ladder after us, aren’t we? Older generations are so completely blinded to the help and support that they got to get ahead in life that they think they did it all them with no assistance.
Those that realise the support that they got don’t want others to benefit of it means more development in their area, lower price growth or higher taxes.
@Ronan Mc: that older generation have children stuck in this mess, they are betraying their own children by voting FF FG L G
@Ronan Mc: so obviously you dont remember 15% unemployment, 17percent interest rate, inflation above 13 % yes it was great, you clown, go work for a house
@Peter Byrne: mortgage 15% in 70s got no help
This people is getting it from the horses mouth, as the saying go.Well written and to the crocks of the problem. Just think about it before you response to my comments,567 thousand young people living at home because they can’t afford a place to rent. Now add to that the 69 thousand people that have emigrated , add to that the 15 thousand homeless. That’s is a sad indictment of the FF/FG government that have governed our country for the last 14 years. Governing our country is not all about economic, people matter and young people are the leader of tomorrow.
Get off the chair and get out to vote for change. If the same people get in, nothing will change. SF at least have a decent housing policy that ambitious and will address the crisis over the term of next government. Harris and Martin will just give us and our young people more of the same: hopelessness. Vote tomorrow and vote for SF housing policy. Vote SF!!
@Paul Whitehead: out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Great point James. I can’t afford housing so I’ll go without. Just off to the grand canal with my tent.
Commend these younger folks for even staying here as long as they have done to this point. Country with total budget surplus of €25 billion… Dont tell us those in govt. aren’t in-ept, co-rrupt and inc0mpetent. Dangerous combination. No lessons learnt from 2008.
@wwvCLOuF: Vótáil Sinn Féin to change this chaotic government
@F1rYnpWc: nah
@F1rYnpWc: out of the frying pan, into the fire.
Allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment. We live in a culture of victimhood in which everybody is a victim of something or other. People behave as if they are helpless, and the causes of their victimhood are always somebody else’s fault!! Even political parties inflame victimhood to score political points against other parties. It’s the Joe Duffy syndrome! People of my generation took personal responsibility for their own lives. If they couldn’t afford something, they did without it. Nowadays, people want la dolce vita, and preferably for someone else or taxpayer’s money to finance it!
@James Hanley: That about sums up the situation. Entitlement is the bane of so many.
@James Hanley: When I was young and working full time, I got a mortgage no bother on an apartment…my children could not do the same thing today….
People vote for a free market, with minimal regulation. This is what you get. If you disagree with the free market, you get called far left. There will never be any change in this kind of world. All you will get is endless tinkering around the edges. There will be ups and downs. The ups keep people happy for a while but the general direction is down. Look at the USA. All restrictions lifted. A small, powerful group of billionaires take over. Ordinary people are left to forage and discuss the quality of the grass.
@Alan: Anyone who works hard in the USA will make a living for themselves. They mightn’t be able to live in Palm Beach, Tribeca or Beverly Hills, but they will be able to afford a house somewhere in the country. If you go onto Zillow (US version of Daft .ie), you can buy a 4 bed in Pennsylvania for $210,000. Now if you’re single, you wouldn’t be buying a 4 bed so we will assume you have a spouse… Over 30 years that mortgage will be €620 a month after interest rate of 7%. That’s €310 a month each. About €77 a week. That is absolutely nothing.
@Alan: You’re just telling lies Alan and showing that you are economically illiterate. It is left-wing policies that precisely got us into this mess and it is precisely the free-market that we need to get us out of it. Rental costs are so high because of radical rent control policies brought in by Fine Gael in 2016 which have only been expanded massively since then. Rent control policies means that the profit incentive for construction companies to build is now gone. They have no reason to build more properties in a country that actively tries to hurt them. It’s basic supply and demand. If you have less supply which does keep up with the demand, the prices will go up. 98% of economists agree that rent control is a failed policy that doesn’t work. Competition lowers rental prices.
@Alan: Yes, left policies hurt any housing market it touches along with so much taxes for small landlords. The access to property in the USA is very easy when there is no crazy regulation like SF, Seattle or NYC.
@Frank O’Hara: Surprised IBEC have seen fit to comment on the Journal. Away off with you and your ilk
@Alan: government intervention to constrict supply is not a free market
@Alan: Cry more buddy. The policies that you champion have caused this rental crisis. Funny how you have no coherent rebuttal to the points that I made. Is that because you know I’m right?
Yet another comments section completely commandeered with brennys juvenile ramblings….. just a quick perusal of the comments & brenny accounts for 42% of them—- it’s high time the journal.ie clamped down on these paid government shills & multi account trolls
What a bunch of silly kids. They complain about the housing situation and the cost of living but then say that they want the very wacky left-wing policies that caused these problems in the first place in the same sentence! Don’t they know that environmental regulations (zoning + land use restrictions, stricter building codes, permitting costs, green infrastructure/building material costs) mean that housing building costs are sharply increased as well of their fuel costs and heating costs due the punitive carbon tax? This article is a prime example of why I support raising the voting age to at least 25. Young people are just not educated enough to realise that they want to solve a problem that they themselves are causing with their voting intentions.
@Frank O’Hara: A bunch of silly kids, the author of these article is in her late twenty’s. Typically FF/FG supporters blame everybody else, the extra half million young voter’s are the one that will make the difference, not the dinosaur’s like you.
@Jimmy Kiely: They won’t vote as usual.
@Alex: maybe not, but we live in hope, if they do come out and vote, it will change the political landscape for ever. 500 thousand registered voter’s can make the difference.
@Jimmy Kiely: Funny how you resort to insults and have no coherent rebuttal to the points that I raised. Is that because you know I’m right? By the way, I despite Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil too, but for different reasons. I think that it’s their left-wing economics of subsides and rent control that have caused this rental crisis. Their policies are Socialist-lite and I certainly won’t be voting for them in this election.
I am enjoying watching Brennie getting rinsed on here…….again :)
The younger generation can make a much better life for themselves abroad. Very sad to see the country go down the plughole!
Is this article an anti Government political broadcast in disguise.
@Nodon: Not a hard thing to do given the current governments woeful record in every area.
Hi Sylvia, your generation are probably the best educated & qualified so far. U were worried about getting a job once but u managed it easily. Housing was not a problem when u were in college, we saw the housing crash with ghost estates in most big towns after 2008, 09 etc. all that has changed now. The government are at fault they can remedy this if they choose. Example: they got 50 – 65 modular homes erected in Ballinasloe, beautifully finish & completely landscaped, housing Ukraine etc families. Many brought cars over as they are parked outside. No planning permission required was but a factory was trying to set up on the same spot becide another factory earlier but planning kept getting knocked back.
Things do change.
have your say