The bible story of Christmas tells of the parents of Jesus searching for accommodation and finding that there is no room at the inn. What an appropriate parable for modern day Ireland in the dying days of 2014.
Tens of thousands of people are worried where they will be living in 2015. But as long as poverty and suffering remain invisible, the political elite lay content in their beds. As soon as it bursts into dramatic view, they scurry around with PR tricks to show concern.
Such has been the case of the tragic death of Jonathan Corrie within a few hundred feet of Dail Eireann. Immediately after the news broke, the PR machine sprung into action. Kenny made a quiet unannounced visit to those sleeping rough and then made sure that the country heard about the same visit. Short term measures were put in place to find a few more hostel beds and, then satisfied with their own result, the media hype died down.
However the housing crisis remains but it remains largely invisible for a sensationalist media. This Christmas there are thousands of people living in fear that they will be thrown out of their accommodation next year when their landlords seek higher rents. More people are languishing on the housing waiting lists because the government has refused to invest in a proper social, housing programme.
Six years after Ireland experience a massive housing crash because there appeared to be too many houses built, we are now facing a very different housing crisis – people are facing the prospect of homelessness because of government policy designed to re-stimulate the property market.
Here is how it works.
First, there is a refusal to build social housing. The recent announcement from Alan Kelly is a classic case in point. It suggests that the housing list will be cleared by 2020 but the vast majority of places will be provided by state subsidies to private landlords. The government’s primary objective is to see property prices to rise. When there is little social housing, the market prices of private houses rise.
Second the government is welcoming in vulture capitalists from America who are buying up vast swathes of Irish property. This will also help push up property prices and allow NAMA to make some money. But one side effect is to push up rents, particularly in the Dublin area.
Third, to make matters even worse, the government is giving tax breaks to the private funds set up by vulture capitalists – known as REITS. These are exempt from Irish corporation tax on their income, provided they meet certain conditions.
We have to reverse this dreadful situation in 2015. We need a crash social housing programme; rent controls to stop rising rents and an end to all eviction where there is genuine economic distress. If you agree and would like to get involved with People Before Profit text JOIN to 087 2839964.
People Before Profit