People are emigrating to get a future - for most young people that means a home, a job and a meaningful relationship.
We, as a country, have a number of problems including too many unoccupied houses and not enough jobs.
If we don't try to address emigration the property oversupply problem will get worse.
On housing, I believe, we are faced with three options:
We can do nothing except look after the banks—letting unoccupied houses slowly rot—the downward spiral could last another fifty years.
We can, as I am sure some are striving for, let the NAMA assets be sold off at knock down prices, then engineer another mini boom by demolishing as much as possible. Then a new golden circle can quietly walk away with all the profit. It's a tried and tested method that has worked before in Ireland.
Or we can use some NAMA property to provide affordable housing for our young, as one step in a plan to reverse the downward spiral.