Shifty Simon Tries To Blame Councils For FF/FG Housing Disaster

Tánaiste Simon Harris has launched a “blistering” attack on local councils in order to distract from FF/FG’s role in the housing disaster unfolding in Ireland. 

“They haven't [done enough]. They're letting young people down. If housing is an emergency, it is an emergency. We've given them extra staff, we've given them extra funding, and they haven't done enough on dereliction. [...] The local authorities have failed in their job to administer the derelict sites levy. They've badly failed, with a few notable exceptions, by the way, “ he said in a widely-circulated video on social media. 

The comments were met with immediate backlash.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has described them as “gaslighting the public in a desperate attempt to blame others for housing failures”, while Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flyn has stated that “councils are limited by government legislation and government finance. This crisis comes from the top”.

Others also remarked that “Now you know why they have so many levels. It’s so no one can be blamed or be held accountable, “ with one response pointing out that “your government 'reformed' rent laws to make it easier for investment funds to charge higher rents”. 

Activists with the Anne Devlin Community Center have stated recently that the State has acted "criminally" by allowing homelessness to rise exponentially in society in the last decade. Homelessness and precarious living situations have become commonplace in Ireland. Recently, the Health Research Board reported that 124 people died while sleeping rough in 2022. The FF/FG government does not represent the will of Ireland - they have sold off the country to foreign capitalist interests, the EU, Brussels and America. 

With peoples’ anger rising over FF/FG’s austerity politics, and their endless attempts at blaming everyone but themselves for the many crises in Irish society, how much longer can the coalition hold?