A chara,-There has been a tendency to equate, more or less, those who voted "No" in the recent Amsterdam Treaty referendum with voters who expressed ignorance of what the Treaty was about. While the Treaty has undoubtedly noble objectives, surely many voted "No" for what they considered good and considered reasons. Among them were those who are reacting to the direction that our EU-backed economy is taking, leading to an ever-widening gap between haves and have-nots, and we discern not just a departure from the left and middle ground, but even from conservative norms (for conservatives believe in conserving what is good in society), as we head into widespread asset accumulation, as exemplified in the current surge in house prices.
If we concentrate on this one issue, we might put it into some perspective: during the Penal Laws and the times of landlord dominance in the 18th and 19th centuries people could always find a place on which to build their houses, however humble. This was true even in the pre-Famine years when the population of Ireland was twice its present figure. Those were times previous to planning authorities, but even under these authorities we have seen their density requirements (rural) go from a quarter acre to half an acre per dwelling since our accession to the EU - a step which halved the amount of land available for building. This not only effects rural dwellers, as many city commuters have to accommodate themselves in rural areas, while low urban density aggravates the problem further.
For a more direct connection between our housing problem and Europe, we have seen how the Central Bank was unable, due to EU commitments, to intervene with higher interest rates as the housing market was overheating. It is too soon yet to say what effect our government's response to the Baker Report will have, but if the response is inadequate is there the stomach for more radical measures? (Witness the fate of the Kenny Report on building land in the 1970s). We like to admire radical responses from a safe distance, as in our commemoration of the radical men of 1798, while asset accumulation divides our present society more and more.- Mise le meas,
M O hAodha,
Baile Atha Cliath, 14.