Housing an issue for Europe, says MEP hopeful

Dr Rory Hearne is a social policy lecturer at NUI Maynooth who has written a number of books on the housing crisis in Ireland, writes Robert Kindregan. He decided to run for the Social Democrats as an MEP candidate in Midlands North West as he believes in the party’s “vision for Ireland”.

“A focus of mine, if elected, would be on the issue of housing, but also inequality, climate change and where we are going as a country,” said Dr Hearn. “In terms of housing for ‘generation locked-out’ – I’ve described it as a breaking of the social contract.

“There is an entire generation who don’t see a prospect of being able to buy a home in Ireland and that’s not right.”

Dr Hearne said housing is an issue best solved at European level. “I’m arguing there needs to be an EU guarantee for housing, that they would play a role in supporting that everyone in the EU should have decent and affordable homes,” he said.

“It’s crazy we have this level of dereliction in towns like Mullingar. The EU wants to see towns like Mullingar lived in and that requires huge investment.

“I would also use my role if I’m elected to pressure the Irish Government on solutions – it’s a platform.”

Dr Hearne said immigration to Ireland is not the cause of the housing crisis. “They are actually part of the solution in terms of building homes,” he said.

“The whole issue around immigration is being used by the far right. They are trying to blame immigrants and asylum seekers for the housing crisis, but the reason we have a housing crisis is our government haven’t built social and affordable housing.”

Dr Hearne would be the first Social Democrats MEP if he is elected by the public on June 7.