When previous generations were growing up there was an unwritten social contract which broadly guaranteed that the public would be looked after materially if they played their part in society and were good citizens.
Certainly times were hard but most workers somehow managed to buy a home of their own while the State went to great lengths to provide one for those who couldn’t afford one. Even when the country was financially on its knees local authorities somehow managed to build houses by the tens of thousands. These so-called council houses in the suburbs around Drogheda and other cities and towns are now worth hundreds of thousands of euro putting them out of reach for many young people.
As a crane driver working for the now abolished Drogheda Harbour Board I managed to buy my first home aged 25. These days someone with a job like that can scarcely afford to rent. It’s not that the social contract has now been broken, it has been ripped asunder and thrown into the faces of Irish citizens, especially the young. Whether you liked their politics or not you have to admit that governments back in the day led by the likes of Éamon de Valera and Seán Lemass oversaw the construction of these huge housing projects.
Now when the country is supposedly awash with money the current and previous governments haven’t the wherewithal to build a few tens of thousands of homes annually. I grew up in one of these so-called council estates, Yellowbatter, as did hundreds of thousands of others and while no one had very much at the time the one thing most families had was a roof over their heads.
There was a way out of the family home for most young people back then because that invisible social contract ensured that if you worked hard and saved you could get on the property ladder. Sure enough you had to start off small but most couples could find themselves a home to start a family and get on with their lives and hopefully trade up when their prospects improved.
Not any more when the stats from Census 2022 show that over 440,000 adults aged 18 and 34, or 41% of that age group, are living with their parents at home. Those figures are probably well out of date as more recent data from the Central Statistics Office reveal that almost 70% of 25-year-olds are living at home. These young people are going into their 20s…or even 30s facing the indignity of looking at the same walls that were once plastered with their childhood posters in the room where their parents read them bedtime stories.
Once the bedsit offered a cheap and cheerful means of escape and a route to independence, that is until they were banned in 2013 – a move which a former housing minister admitted led to increased homelessness. Now, according to daft.ie, the average monthly rent for a one bedroom apartment in Drogheda is €1,500 which is not just unaffordable, it makes it almost impossible to save a deposit to obtain a mortgage.
Then in recent days instead of coming up with positive solutions to help young people the Department of Housing shared a self-help video from youth organisation SpunOut offering advice, yes, you’ve guessed it, on how to move back to the family home. Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty described the video as “patronising” and a “two-fingered salute” to an entire generation. He’s dead right.
The video has been described as patronising and an insult to an entire generation.
After criticism the department deleted the video from its social media channels but the fact that the government body supposedly overseeing the provision of housing saw fit to repost it smacks of desperation and a lack of vision. It’s a clear sign that the department believes young people staying in the family home with their parents is one solution to Ireland’s never-ending housing crisis.
Dev and Lemass must be turning in their respective graves.
The Mornington Moonscape
They’re calling this the Mornington Moonscape as some of the potholes on the lane down to Maiden’s Tower could pass for craters on the lunar surface. I intended to take a walk on the beach for a change, Baltray being my normal route, but rather than wreck my old Mondeo I decided to give it a miss which is a shame because it’s a lovely area which is now inaccessible.
Actually the moonbuggy used by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin would find it difficult to navigate these craters but apparently the road can’t be fixed until an Office of Public Works report is final. They’d better hurry up because if the craters get any bigger it might be a job for NASA and not Meath County Council.
Winter Squeeze
There’s a serious strain of flu doing the rounds and the Lourdes and most of the country’s other hospitals are under severe pressure.
At one stage last weekend a dozen ambulances were parked outside the Lourdes’ emergency department unable to bring in their patients because of overcrowding.
As they say timing is everything and the flu outbreak is due to peak around Christmas Day so the worst may be yet to come.
I had my jab in Hickey’s in West Street last week and I’d advise everyone to do so because the flu in my opinion can be a lot worse than covid and have had both.
Port Dreams
There’s the prospect of cruise ships docking in Drogheda some time in the future, Louth county councillors were told at their December meeting.
It’s a great idea but as things stand in the city I think there’s more chance of the Tholsel docking with the International Space Station than an influx of tourists coming here by sea any time soon.
Drogheda has a rich maritime heritage which is underutilised but it is also a working port without facilities to accommodate passengers.
But, on the other hand, there was once a regular passenger service several times a week to Liverpool so it could be done again.
