David McWilliams: A fall in house prices should be our goal
Home ownership was supposed to give people a stake in society. Today nothing is locking out and alienating our citizens more

A renovated house in Dublin. Since 2012 house and apartment prices in Dublin have risen by 90 per cent and 80 per cent respectively, while wages have only increased by 18%. Photograph: Alan Betson
The Housing Fix is an Irish Times series exploring solutions to Ireland’s housing crisis – arguably the biggest social and economic issue facing the country and its next government – in the run-up to the general election.
Housing should be the defining issue of the upcoming election, but for Fine Gael the most recent developments on housing policy might be too little, too late.