2 days Ago
It is welcome news that the Government has appointed Brendan McDonagh as the new housing tsar. While wishing him every success in this role, and at the risk of over-simplifying a highly complex problem, some observations are hard to avoid. First, Ireland has very low levels of long-term renting stability compared with mainland Europe, where renting is secure and regulated.
Without security of tenure and index-linked maximum rental increases, it will be very difficult to build communities in areas that include a significant proportion of long-term renters. Second, Ireland is exceptionally low-density, heavily car-dependent and sprawling, even in Dublin. Dublin has a metropolitan density of around 4,800 people per square kilometre, whereas Paris, has around 21,000 and Lyon around 10,000.
Other European cities, such as Milan and Brussels, have 7,500 people per square kilometre. Third, Ireland is one of the most house-dominated countries in Europe – completely atypical for urban areas. Only about 10pc to 12pc of people in Ireland live in apartments compared with an EU average of about 50pc.
In cities such as Berlin, Vienna and Barcelona, apartment living reaches 70pc to 80pc. The conclusion of these three observations is that Irish people want to own their own home, which is invariably in a low-density area and is usually a house. The solution would appear rather simple: create more apartments to bring Ireland (and the cities, in particular) more into line with European density norms, and provide proper security of tenure so long-term renting can become a viable and normal way of living.
However, a big challenge is the status or attachment that is associated with owning one’s own house in Ireland, and where renting or apartment-living can tend to be viewed as being for the more transient or for those who can’t afford to buy their own house. By contrast, in Paris, for example, living in a house is so out-of-the- ordinary that it is a complete outlier. Conor Mooney, Rue Raffaelli, Paris Government should stop building empires and start building homes instead Micheál Martin’s “understanding” of the concerns raised about the costs involved for the proposed new housing tsar to head the wonderfully sounding “Strategic Housing Activation Office” sounds a tad dismissive.
It is particularly so when, having got past the incomprehensible jargon, one notes that the government department supposed to be responsible for housing matters currently has a minister, three ministers of state, a general secretary, two directors and nine assistant secretaries. We would all be better serviced if the Government stopped building empires and built a few more houses instead. Jim O’Sullivan, Rathedmond, Co Sligo Canada’s new PM will end the woke era and stand up to the White House bully The stunning success of Mark Carney and the Liberals in Canada’s general election is yet further proof that the so-called “woke” era – as defined by aggressive identity politics and unwinnable culture wars – is definitively over.
You would be forgiven for thinking the opposite. The Liberals are, after all, a party whose ideology is predicated on the promulgation of progressive political values and the rejection of traditional social mores. Former prime minister Justin Trudeau embodied these principles.
Trudeau was turfed out some months ago, and on to the stage walked Carney, an accomplished 58-year-old technocrat with no previous political experience. Carney was savvy enough to know that he needed to pivot away from the very cultural issues Trudeau had for years sought to advance, and focus instead on the things that really mattered to Canadians – housing, the cost of living and, of course, the spectre of Donald Trump. Ultimately, Canadian voters trusted his economic credentials and obviously admired his willingness to stand up and confront the US president.
Carney is still a progressive, he still espouses the values most Liberals hold dear (tolerance and inclusivity, for example), but he doesn’t over-egg them. He knows where the line is, and that part is crucial. Thomas Conway, Ballina, Co Tipperary Mark Carney is refreshing contrast to Trump, who will derail conservatism The election in Canada of Mark Carney and his Liberal Party on an anti-Trump agenda is a boon to all those who were worried about the demise of liberalism.
His party was trailing the Conservatives by as much as 20pc in polling when Donald Trump was elected last November. Ronald Reagan’s conservatism may have been complicated, but it was also caring. He appointed the first woman – a moderate, Sandra Day O’Connor – as Supreme Court Justice in September 1981 to the initial chagrin of his party colleagues.
By contrast, conservatives across the world have now hitched their wagon to a narcissistic pugilist in Trump, which will set America and conservative ideals back decides. They only have themselves to blame. Tom McElligott, Listowel, Co Kerry Heartening to see the Presbyterian celebration of forgotten Irish links As an Irish speaker, I was greatly heartened to read (on the BBC News website) about “Preispitéirigh agus an Ghaeilge”, an event organised recently by the Reverend Paul Thomson of the Antrim Free Presbyterian Church to celebrate the deep (and often forgotten) links between Presbyterianism and the Irish language.
In a broader linguistic and spiritual context, I was greatly moved by what the reverend Kyle Paisley (son of the late first minister Ian Paisley), who was one of the speakers at the event, had to say about language being “a gift from God to communicate and make connections with people”. I couldn’t agree more. There’s enough hatred without using language to fan its flames.
Chris Fitzpatrick, Terenure Road East, Dublin 6 Let’s warmly welcome the gorgeous weather and hope it may stick around It has been called the “glorious lamp of heaven”. It has also been a stranger around these parts during the past few weeks. Whatever you call it, I’d like to give a warm welcome to our old pal the sun, and hope it might stay around.
M O’Brien, Dalkey, Co Dublin.
