in Ireland, the housing crisis at the heart of the European campaign

As the elections approach, Ireland is obsessed with one subject: housing. Rare and too expensive, it is causing a real crisis. A theme that fuels a rising far right, in an Ireland unaccustomed to this kind of speech.

Ireland is a prosperous country but has a severe shortage of housing. Rents have soared, credits are inaccessible. “Ireland is an Eldorado. If you arrive here, you will never be deported. Under these conditions, obviously foreigners come to Ireland”: this is what the far right is saying, without complexes in a country where housing has become impossible. This theme occupies the European election campaign and is shaking up the entire country.

The real estate crisis is such that it is causing young people to flee abroad. JJ Tuite, a student at Trinity College in the center of Dublin, is a good example. He lives with his parents in the west of the capital. He travels at least three quarters of an hour to get to class, yet he never imagined renting an apartment. In this sector, a studio would cost him at least 2,200 euros per month. He knows that buying is impossible. Even if he quickly finds a job after his studies, a place to live for himself, it’s unimaginable. So, he goes into exile: “Like most young people here, especially with the housing crisis and skyrocketing prices, I have no hope of getting a mortgage in the next 10 or 15 coming years.”

“A lot of people my age are going to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States. That’s what I’m going to do, I’m probably going to leave Ireland.”

JJ Tuite, student in Dublin

at franceinfo

Two thirds of those under 34 still live with their parents. The Prime Minister, appointed less than two months ago, knows well the importance of this problem. Moreover, from his first speech, Simon Harris seized on it: “To the young people, I say : your future is here, in Ireland. We must resolve the housing issue once and for all. We need more homes and more owners. We will build 250 000 housing over the next five years.”

But this situation does not only affect young people, the whole country is suffering. In Dublin, rents have almost doubled in ten years. Officially, 13,500 people are on the streets today in Ireland. A figure below reality, say specialists who in fact speak of double.

However, Ireland is a prosperous country with full employment and record investments. To explain this housing crisis, we have to go back to the early 2000s. The country is in the midst of an economic boom. Individuals buy homes as an investment. They want to rent them and make money. Already, low-income households are no longer able to become owners.

During the financial crisis in 2008, the market collapsed and unpaid real estate loans were taken over by investment funds. Construction is interrupted due to lack of resources. And as the country restarts, these funds, guided solely by profit, are causing the price of real estate to soar, both for rental and purchase. Ireland, which already lacks housing, is seeing the situation worsen.

Successive governments have chosen to attract tech giants like Amazon, Google, Meta. For these companies, Ireland is a tax haven. The result is that the number of employees of these multinationals is estimated at more than 120,000, mainly in Dublin. Well-paid people, many of whom come from abroad, contribute to the scarcity of offers and the increase in prices. Today in Ireland, you find 14 times more short-term offers on AirBnb than classic long-term rentals. Added to this is legislation which allows owners to get rid of their tenants very easily. As the market is extremely tight, if they want to increase rents and you can’t keep up, you’ll be shown the exit. Another will take the place at a higher price.

This whole situation has visible political consequences: the emergence of an extreme right which was until now very discreet. A moment struck the whole country: on November 23, 2023, in the center of Dublin, a riot caused significant damage. Buses, police cars and even a tram were set on fire. A few hundred determined men confronted the police with shouts of “Enough is enough” Or “Ireland for the Irish”.

This gathering, organized quickly via encrypted messaging, followed the knife attack on three children and a childminder. The attacker, who has lived in Ireland for more than 20 years and is naturalized, is of Algerian origin. The attack served as a spark for these rioters, whose anger was initially rooted in the housing crisis. A crisis that they blame solely on foreigners, too numerous according to them. Since then, several migrant reception centers have been attacked, sometimes set on fire.

Politically, this rejection is found in the speech of the Irish Freedom Party, a far-right movement chaired by Hermann Kelly. Candidate for the European elections, this former press secretary to Nigel Farage, one of the spearheads of Brexit in the United Kingdom, is campaigning against immigration and against Europe: “Before, when we were an independent sovereign state with border controls, we knew who was coming into the country. The government’s job is to say to those who come illegally: you will be expelled. That’s what every country does. requires.”

“The European Union is part of the problem, absolutely : open borders, freedom of movement.”

Hermann Kelly, far-right candidate in the European elections

during an interview

In recent weeks, dozens of tents have appeared in central Dublin. These are refugees who also have no housing.