Election to be called Fri - predict outcome

Of course you can have that opinion of Murphy but it's hardly objective given your own politics. You'd also need to provide evidence of this spoofing not just cast aspersions. If the people who vote for him don't think he has any regard for them one wonders why they vote for him?

Brid Smith has been an activist in her community for decades, again you may not like her or her politics but to dismiss her as a 'mouthpiece' is unfair in my view.

Ginormous has done important work in his community but also he's been brave in pushing difficult and challenging issues like medical cannabis and 'assisted dying' that many in other parties wouldn't touch..

I still have family from Tallaght Central and i'm from Tallaght Central originally, now i know from first hand experience the only visible TD seen around knocking about and who seem to generally give a **** are Lahart & Brophy, I always voted Charlie O'Connor back in the day and you'd regularly bump in to him for a chat and he'd ask how things were and anything he could do to help, although the chap is a gent.

But ye, Paul Murphy, that "working class hero" from the streets of Tallaght…oh wait, where is he from, Goatstown?, ah but he had a tough time in school……..oh wait, that fee paying private school.

Don't make me laugh, that fcuker is only in the game to suit himself. Jumped all over the water protest, the peoples champion. Big stupid happy head on him when Burton was about to be lynched.

But ye, you'll regularly see him around Cloonmore and Kilatlown helping the kids getting their runners down from those lines that accidently flew up there…………….. 😉

That and other schemes that give money to buyers do nothing in the current squeezed market except to push up prices for everyone. As any economist would (and do) tell the government if you a apply a demand side solution to a supply side problem you will get price inflation.

They have done it so many times now that it's hard to not be cynical about it and come to the conclusion that it's simply government policy to keeping pushing up house prices - in order to keep the home owner voter happy.

In a lot of cases the scheme is bridging the deposit for the buyer. Without the scheme, the beneficiary couldnt get on the ladder in the first place, which means more upward pressure on rents.

We need more supply, I think everyone agrees with that.

Supply is increasing and a scheme that enables young couples to get on the ladder helps them stay and settle in Ireland. If it pushes up prices by 20k or 30k, it's still a home they can now afford.

If the house is 30k cheaper but the buyers dont have the full desposit, they can't afford it and it likely gets purchased by an AHB, local council, investor or a landlord.

There wouldnt be any significant drop in prices anyway, were the scheme to be removed. It only applies to new homes and it doesnt even cover the average Dublin priced property.

Barely any new schemes are built for sale, so it isnt directly accessing many schemes, especially in the Dublin area.

The govt plan to increase the cap above 500k, to help the scheme reach average priced homes in Dublin.

Whatever small chance SF had of holding onto Brian Stanley's seat is now over

I wonder how many of the huge numbers he got to vote for him last time around are party aligned? I wouldn't have said a huge number considering it has never been a SF heartland

We don't even need to build in those numbers.

We have the housing equivalent of bed blockers - people, including a TD, earning over €100k and still paying a pittance for council housing.

The second issue is that people don't pay rent, so Councils no longer have the finance to build more houses, which is the model that worked for decades.

The numbers in emergency accommodation is tiny compared to the rest of the population. No where near 30%.

Most people can afford to buy a property.

That doesn't happen here and is one of the biggest blockages to the use of the existing stock of social housing.

numbers would indicated that mortgage drawdowns from first time buyer are at the highest level since 2007

As usual, FG candidates don't seem to think the rules apply to them.

The utter cringe of politicians trying to say anything to get a vote. We've another 5 weeks of it to go.