Brendan Burgess
Founder
- Messages
- 52,137
I also have my doubts on whether these are appropriate objectives.The state should be neutral between private, social and cooperative ownership.
The state should be neutral between renting and ownership – that is not for the state to decide
This is a quote from Fr Peter McVerry from a interview with Nwstalk today. It illustrates the urgent need for the State to become more involved in the accomodation crisis issue. The market will not naturally find its own level in the time required to resolve this crisis and matters will deteriorate further before they start to improve. Urgent action is now needed and State neutrality is not an option!The majority of people who are becoming homeless today are becoming homeless because they’re being thrown out of private rented accommodation because the rents have gone through the roof. Focus Ireland tells us there 45 families last month, they usually deal with 8 families a month, this year they’ve dealt with an average of 40 families per month, and last month it was 45. And out of those 45 families, I understand 41 of them have been evicted from their rented accommodation. Not for anti-social behaviour, not because they were drinking, not because they didn’t pay the rent but because they couldn’t pay the rent. So the people who are becoming homeless today have never been homeless before, they never for one moment in their lives ever thought that they would be homeless and they just find the situation absolutely intolerable. It’s a whole…they’ve never been in this situation before and they’re absolutely horrified to find themselves in this situation, particularly if they have children.”
Housing is much too important to be left to the (market).
Like roads /electricity /water/health/education Government must plan and interfere in housing.
............The State cannot get any of these right. In each and every one, the State's actions have caused costs to balloon, and individuals and families pay the price.
..............We can change governments Gerry but we can rarely, if ever, change the State. The ruinous State-engineered bubble and bailout attest to that.
Anyway this is totally off topic.
The bubble was engineered by the Gods of the Market,particularly our Bankers who turned greed into poison.
Our custodians of the State were duped , but in fairness all we can accuse them of is ineptitude.
The Bailout was the Gods of the Market duping Government for the 2nd time.
Not atall convinced that the State should be Neutral on Housing.
1. If State builds/supplies well located housing it creates a virtuous circle.
A. Puts a cap on the excesses of bubbles in housing market.
B. Saves on the ongoing issue of Rent Supplement type costs.
C. Once built , like all good infrastructure ,the upkeep/ongoing costs are known and small.Eg a house built 20 years ago is now a benefit to us.
D. The (Market )has to compete with a then adequate housing supply, thereby they have to up their game to make profit.Also only those who can really afford will go for higher mortgages, it will be perspiration not silly aspiration.
E. If (market) house prices/rents remain volatile or keep increasing we end up pricing out employers ,since wages must compensate for high rents.ie high rents kill jobs.
Housing is much too important to be left to the (market).
Like roads /electricity /water/health/education Government must plan and interfere in housing.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?