Bríd Smith Demands Housing Emergency, Blames Decade of Failure
Bríd Smith called on the government to declare a housing emergency and to use all available emergency powers. She blamed ten years of consecutive government failure for creating alienation and despair and warned that far-right groups are exploiting the situation.
March and demand
She highlighted a Raise the Roof march planned for this Saturday at 1 o'clock in Parnell Square, saying tens of thousands will gather under the Raise the Roof banner to demand action on the housing emergency.
Call for emergency powers
She urged the government to take responsibility, declare an emergency and "use all the emergency powers available" to address what she described as "an absolute atrocity" being committed on people in the country and those seeking refuge.
Responsibility and tenure
She argued that ten years of consecutive government failure have produced "bitter fruits" and created the alienation and despair now being witnessed, criticizing the government's refusal to label the situation a housing emergency.
Refugee crisis vs housing crisis
She insisted that Ireland faces a housing crisis, not a refugee crisis, and warned that fascists and the far-right were grouping and exploiting the refugee situation amid the housing emergency.
Legislation and expectation
She reminded the Deputy Taoiseach that she had previously called the situation a "social emergency" and said she expects the government to support forthcoming legislation when it is brought forward in the next week or two.
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This Saturday, 1 o'clock Parnell Square, tens of thousands of people will gather to march under the Raise the Roof banner to demand action on a housing emergency. Now you consistently refuse to call what we're living through a housing emergency, but I want to say to you that 10 years of consecutive government failure on this issue has created the alienation and despair that we are now witnessing breaking out into filling a vacuum that was left in this country. Ten years have created bitter fruits that have allowed fascists and far-right to group and to exploit the refugee crisis. We have a housing crisis, not a refugee crisis, and this government and consecutive governments are responsible for it. Will you take responsibility for that crisis, declare an emergency and use all the emergency powers available to deal with what is an absolute atrocity that's being committed on the people of this country and those who are seeking refuge from us as well? Thank you, Deputy Taoiseach. As I said repeatedly in the House now, a year ago I used the phrase the social emergency that is our housing crisis. Sorry, you're getting into semantics again. I'll put it to you now, when we bring legislation forward, in the next week or two, I expect you to support it.
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