Paul Murphy: Blames landlords and developers for housing catastrophe
Paul Murphy warned that the country faces a housing catastrophe, blaming developers, landlords and government policy for soaring rents, mass vacancy and rising homelessness. He rejected claims that refugees are responsible and urged people to unite across backgrounds, calling for a protest this Saturday at one o'clock at Parnell Square.
Housing figures
Murphy cited recent data showing rents rose by 14 percent in the last 12 months and said average rent is 120 percent higher than in 2011. He said almost 11,000 people are homeless, including over 3,000 children, and pointed to 166,000 vacant properties, some 50,000 vacant for at least six years.
Responsibility and causes
He argued the crisis is driven by developers sitting on vacant land, landlords hiking rents to maximise profits and a government system that encourages those actions. Murphy said the situation is a catastrophe for ordinary people while others profit from the crisis.
Refugees and scapegoating
Murphy explicitly rejected the notion that people fleeing war and persecution are to blame for the housing emergency. He said blaming refugees is a deliberate divide-and-rule tactic that distracts from the actions of landlords and developers.
Protest and demands
He called for unity among ordinary people regardless of origin to fight for homes for all, to bring rents down, to use vacant properties and to build public homes. He urged people to join a street protest this Saturday at one o'clock at Parnell Square.
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No housing emergency, the government says. What world are you living in? In this world, in this country, we have the figures from today that rents have risen by 14 per cent in the last 12 months, the largest ever on record by daft.ie. We know that the average rent is 120 per cent higher than in 2011. We have 11,000 people homeless almost, over 3,000 of whom are children. We have 166,000 properties sitting vacant, 50,000 of which have been vacant for at least six years. The crisis is an absolute catastrophe for ordinary people in this country, except for those for whom it is an opportunity, not ordinary people, the developers, the landlords, those sitting on vacant properties who are making massive profits. I want to say that responsibility for this housing crisis. I want to say that responsibility for this housing crisis, this housing emergency, this housing catastrophe does not lie at all with people who are fleeing from war and persecution. It lies with the developers who are sitting on vacant land in many cases. It lies with the landlords who are hiking rents as much as they can, the big corporate landlords. All of those who are acting to maximise their profits. It lies with the government that presides over a system which encourages all of that. I am sure some of those big landlords and some of those big developers are delighted to see some protests targeting refugees and saying the refugees are responsible for the crisis. Because it takes attention away from themselves. It is divide and rule. It is the oldest tactic in the book. Instead, we need to unite ordinary people, regardless of their colour, regardless of where they are coming from, to come together and to fight for homes for all. To bring rents down, to use the vacant properties and to build public homes. That is why we should be on the streets this Saturday at one o'clock at Parnell Square.
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