The Irish Independent's View: Politicians' actions will speak louder than words when it comes to housing crisis
The Raise the Roof protests today will target Government failings and highlight the human toll taken through being unable to rent or buy at affordable rates.
The campaign, which also has the backing of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, wants to see an increase in public housing investment and more punitive taxes imposed on vacancy and dereliction. It has also fought for a re-introduction of the ban on 'no fault' evictions.
Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, PBP-Solidarity, several Independent TDs and the Green Party have tabled a motion calling for the implementation of all of the above.
By now, the Coalition should not require a mass demonstration to recognise the risks it is running by not getting on top of the single issue on which the whole country desperately demands more progress. We have reached a moment where only big gestures and bold thinking can restore confidence in its ability to deliver on housing.
Ten years into the housing crisis, it remains the greatest political failure of our time
As targets are continually missed and rents keep rising, a consensus is forming around a view that inaction speaks louder than words.
As Ethel Buckley, deputy general secretary of Siptu, said recently: 'Ten years into the housing crisis, and that crisis remains the greatest political failure of our time. Workers are being priced out of homes or can only rent or purchase with considerable financial burden.'
It is critical that due attention is paid when people say our broken property market must be fixed.
Expecting it to happen immediately is unrealistic, but a show of intent and evidence of total commitment to identifying and implementing vital solutions is not.
Protests matter, though not as much as agreeing on ways to rapidly expand our housing supply. The Government needs to bring the opposition on board so that a national drive to ramp up the construction of affordable homes can be achieved.
As things stand, young people are profoundly disillusioned about their prospects. They are frustrated by repeated speeches from Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris about 'challenges'.
Mr Martin said he wants 'courage and ambition' to be matched with careful planning and management on the issue. He must lead by example.
He speaks of taking 'brave and difficult decisions' on housing and in other areas. True, it is a time for initiative and innovation, but for them to be taken and not simply talked about.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Canada to recognise Palestine at UN general assembly, joining France and UK in push for new state
The Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, has announced his country plans to formally recognise Palestine during the UN general assembly in September, after France and 14 other countries co-signed a declaration that pointed towards a wave of future recognitions of an independent Palestinian state. Canada's plans follow similar announcements by France and the UK to formally recognise Palestine, while New Zealand and Australia were also signatories to a declaration that indicates they could follow suit in the coming months. The New York Call, published by the French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, on Wednesday, said signatories 'have already recognised, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognise the State of Palestine'. The signatories include Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal and San Marino, each of which has not yet recognised an independent Palestinian state. They also include Iceland, Ireland, Malta, Norway, Slovenia and Spain, which have. Emmanuel Macron last week said that France would recognise Palestinian statehood in the near future. Palestinians inspect the site struck by an Israeli bombardment in Muwasi, Khan Younis, Gaza. Picture: AP Photo/Mariam Dagga The statement, which was published before the conclusion of a three-day UN conference set on reviving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said the states would 'reiterate our unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders'. It stressed the 'importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority'. On Wednesday evening, Carney said Canada would recognise the state of Palestine at the UN general assembly in September if certain conditions were met. He held a virtual cabinet meeting on the Middle East earlier on Wednesday. Carney said Canada would recognise Palestine if the Palestinian Authority, the body that governs the occupied West Bank, held an election in 2026 in which Palestinian militant group Hamas could play no part, and agreed to other democratic reforms. He called on Hamas to release all hostages it is holding, disarm, and play no role in the future governance of Palestine. In response, Iddo Moed, Israel's ambassador to Canada, said Israel 'will not bow to the distorted campaign of international pressure against it'. 'We will not sacrifice our very existence by permitting the imposition of a jihadist state on our ancestral homeland that seeks our annihilation,' he said in a statement referring to Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007. Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social that it would be difficult to make a trade deal with Canada after Carney's announcement. Canada and the US are working on negotiating a trade deal by 1 August, the date Trump is threatening to impose a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by a prior trade agreement. Palestinian walk carrying sacks of flour near Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip. Picture: Bashar Taleb/AFP via Getty Carney's remarks come amid growing pressure on Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza, which began in October 2023 in response to a Hamas raid that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, mainly Israelis, and the taking of more than 250 prisoners. More than 60,000 people have died in Gaza in the ensuing conflict, according to the Hamas-led health ministry in Gaza. Keir Starmer on Tuesday said that the UK would recognise the state of in September 'unless the Israeli government takes substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza, agree to a ceasefire and commit to a long-term, sustainable peace, reviving the prospect of a two-state solution'. Donald Trump had initially said he didn't 'mind [Starmer] taking a position. I'm looking for getting people fed right now.' President Donald Trump speaks with reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving Aberdeen, Scotland on Tuesday. Picture: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin But later he condemned the decision to recognise a Palestinian state, saying onboard Air Force One that 'you could make the case that you're rewarding Hamas if you do that. I don't think they should be rewarded. So I'm not in that camp, to be honest … because if you do that you are really rewarding Hamas. And I'm not about to do that.' The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said this week he wanted to time a recognition of Palestinian statehood to help achieve a breakthrough in negotiations. 'What we're looking at is the circumstances where recognition will advance the objective of the creation of two states,' Albanese said on Wednesday. - The Guardian
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Trump says Canada's Palestine stance may hurt trade deal
US President Donald Trump has said it will be difficult to make a trade deal with Canada, after the country announced it is backing Palestinian statehood. Canadian Prime Minster Mark Carney announced yesterday that Canada is planning to recognise the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September. Canada's announcement follows France and Britain in recognising a Palestinian state. Ireland formally recognised the State of Palestine last year in what then taoiseach Simon Harris called "an act of powerful, political and symbolic value". Israel and its closest ally, the US, both rejected Mr Carney's statements. Canada and the US are working on negotiating a trade deal by 1 August, the date Mr Trump is threatening to impose a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. Mr Carney said yesterday that tariff negotiations with President Trump's administration have been constructive, but the talks may not conclude by the deadline. Asked by reporters if there was a scenario where Canada could change its position before the UN meeting, Mr Carney said: "There's a scenario (but) possibly one that I can't imagine." Canada's intention "is predicated on the Palestinian Authority's commitment to much-needed reforms," Mr Carney said, referring to the government body led by President Mahmud Abbas, which has civil authority in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Mr Carney also said it was also predicated on Mr Abbas's pledge to "hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarise the Palestinian state". Israel rejects move With yesterday's announcement, Mr Carney positioned Canada alongside France, after President Emmanuel Macron said his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state during the UN meeting, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move. The Israeli embassy in Ottawa said "recognising a Palestinian state in the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, rewards and legitimises the monstrous barbarity of Hamas on 7 October 2023". Mr Abbas welcomed the announcement as a "historic" decision, while France said the countries would work together "to revive the prospect of peace in the region". Canada's plan goes a step further than this week's announcement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Mr Starmer said the UK will formally recognise the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various "substantive steps," including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza. Two-state solution Mr Carney stressed that Canada has been an unwavering member of the group of nations that hoped a two-state solution "would be achieved as part of a peace process built around a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority". "Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable," he said. The peace process has also been eroded by the expansion of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, Mr Carney said. The prime minister said a two-state solution was growing increasingly remote, with a vote in Israel's parliament "calling for the annexation of the West Bank," as well as Israel's "ongoing failure" to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Arab nations call on Hamas to disband after Keir Starmer's ultimatum to Israel
Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Egypt called for the terrorist group to 'disarm' and disband. It the first time these countries have condemned the group and demanded it to play no part in the future of Palestine. The landmark shift comes after British prime minister Keir Starmer issued Israel with an ultimatum, pledging to recognise Palestine if Benjamin Netanyahu's administration fails to take steps to end the war in Gaza by September. The three countries joined 14 other countries, including Britain and France, in calling for the disbandment of Hamas. The declaration, produced after a UN conference in New York, read: 'In the context of ending the war in Gaza, Hamas must end its rule in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority, with international engagement and support, in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.' French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot described the declaration as 'both historic and unprecedented'. 'For the first time, Arab countries and those in the Middle East condemn Hamas, condemn October 7, call for the disarmament of Hamas, call for its exclusion from Palestinian governance, and clearly express their intention to normalise relations with Israel in the future,' he said. A jihadist state on Israel's border today will threaten Britain tomorrow On Tuesday, Mr Starmer recalled his Cabinet from their summer holidays to discuss steps to end what he called the 'appalling situation in Gaza', where a UN assessment has warned the population is facing a mounting humanitarian crisis. Starmer said the UK would only refrain from recognising Palestine if Israel allows more aid into Gaza, stops annexing land in the West Bank, agrees to a ceasefire and signs up to a long-term peace process over the next two months. Hamas must immediately release all remaining Israeli hostages, sign up to a ceasefire, disarm and 'accept that they will play no part in the government of Gaza', he also said. But the pledge sparked international backlash, with Emily Damari – a British-Israeli woman who was held hostage by Hamas for more than a year – warning that Mr Starmer is 'not standing on the right side of history'. She accused Mr Starmer of a 'moral failure', warning that the ultimatum 'risks rewarding terror'. 'It sends a dangerous message: that violence earns legitimacy,' she added. Meanwhile, the Israeli prime minister issued a furious response, saying the decision 'rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims'. Mr Netanyahu added: 'A jihadist state on Israel's border today will threaten Britain tomorrow. 'Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.'
