Poor performance on housing could soon spark protests in Ireland

Sir, – As housing is being extensively commodified and placed outside the reach of the average person, the mass protests in Spain and in Portugal must surely give some cause for hope. In Ireland, I saw, consigned to page 13 of your newspaper (“Deloitte’s housing hand grenade”, Business, November 11th) the Crane Survey advice that Government is expected to miss its target of delivering 300,000 new homes by 2030 by more than 120,00 units. That is a 40 per cent shortfall.

With the two largest Government parties marching in lockstep, there is little prospect of achieving any meaningful change at political level.

The plain fact is that Government is too comfortable. But how long will it be before we see mass protest on our own streets and, in the context of the current housing crisis, would it be such a bad thing? – Yours, etc,

JOHN DEATON,

Dundrum,

Dublin 14.