Matt Treacylast night, Dublin City Council voted by 36 to 23 to approve the building of 853 housing units at Oscar Traynor Road on the north side of Dublin.

23-November-2021

The Glenveagh development will be in the ratio of 40:40:20 – social housing: affordable housing: and cost rental – long term tenancy with a rent that covers build cost.

On the face of it that would seem to be preferable to most of the sort of housing projects current underway in the city and county which are disproportionately build-to-rent high rise apartments.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, most Labour, and Green Councillors voted to approve the plan, while those from Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, People Before Profit and most independents opposed it.

The left parties had proposed that the city council be directly responsible for the entire development including the contracting of construction with a balance of 80:20 social: affordable. This was rejected by the Department of Housing on the grounds that Dublin City Council would not be capable of managing such a project within a reasonable time frame.

Glenveagh will now sell the 40% of the units to DCC to be added to its housing list and has undertaken to begin construction in 2022 with a completion date before 2026.

Sinn Féin’s complete opportunism on all of this was once again highlighted by yesterday’s vote. However, just for the record – and as we have pointed out previously – when Sinn Féin were the majority party on Dublin City Council they were perfectly happy to approve the sort of deals that involved private developers Glenveagh and Bartra – including the provision for private sales.

Indeed, when People Before Profit and others proposed in November 2018 that the Oscar Traynor and other sites be developed on the lines which Sinn Féin seems to support now – all of their councillors except one voted with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael against the proposal that the City Council be in charge of all such developments.

So, why did Sinn Féin reject that argument three years ago, but support it now? Another mystical “journey” perhaps like the one that led them on the Yellow Brick Road to accepting Partition, EU federalism, abortion, the Special Criminal Court, lowering corporation tax? And so on and so forth….

Not a bit of it. The only thing that changed was that their incompetence on Dublin City Council saw them lose 8 of their 16 seats in the 2019 local elections. So, when the party was finished with the online abuse of voters who had had the temerity to reject them, they did as all opportunists do – they changed tack.

But hey, don’t take my word for it. Listen to what future Housing Czar Eoin Ó Broin had to say back in April 2017 when like his comrades in the north he was still perfectly happy to go along with the awfulness of public/private housing development:

Housing department’s plan to for 50,000 homes slammed by homeless charity due to privatisation (thesun.ie)

It’s evident that Sinn Féin will say whatever they think is currently popular but will do the exact opposite if that suits them. The same pattern will continue when they do get into government.

Matt Treacy has published a number of books including histories of 
the Republican Movement and of the Communist Party of Ireland. 

Sinn Féin Oppose Another Housing Plan They Once Supported

Matt Treacylast night, Dublin City Council voted by 36 to 23 to approve the building of 853 housing units at Oscar Traynor Road on the north side of Dublin.

23-November-2021

The Glenveagh development will be in the ratio of 40:40:20 – social housing: affordable housing: and cost rental – long term tenancy with a rent that covers build cost.

On the face of it that would seem to be preferable to most of the sort of housing projects current underway in the city and county which are disproportionately build-to-rent high rise apartments.

Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, most Labour, and Green Councillors voted to approve the plan, while those from Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, People Before Profit and most independents opposed it.

The left parties had proposed that the city council be directly responsible for the entire development including the contracting of construction with a balance of 80:20 social: affordable. This was rejected by the Department of Housing on the grounds that Dublin City Council would not be capable of managing such a project within a reasonable time frame.

Glenveagh will now sell the 40% of the units to DCC to be added to its housing list and has undertaken to begin construction in 2022 with a completion date before 2026.

Sinn Féin’s complete opportunism on all of this was once again highlighted by yesterday’s vote. However, just for the record – and as we have pointed out previously – when Sinn Féin were the majority party on Dublin City Council they were perfectly happy to approve the sort of deals that involved private developers Glenveagh and Bartra – including the provision for private sales.

Indeed, when People Before Profit and others proposed in November 2018 that the Oscar Traynor and other sites be developed on the lines which Sinn Féin seems to support now – all of their councillors except one voted with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael against the proposal that the City Council be in charge of all such developments.

So, why did Sinn Féin reject that argument three years ago, but support it now? Another mystical “journey” perhaps like the one that led them on the Yellow Brick Road to accepting Partition, EU federalism, abortion, the Special Criminal Court, lowering corporation tax? And so on and so forth….

Not a bit of it. The only thing that changed was that their incompetence on Dublin City Council saw them lose 8 of their 16 seats in the 2019 local elections. So, when the party was finished with the online abuse of voters who had had the temerity to reject them, they did as all opportunists do – they changed tack.

But hey, don’t take my word for it. Listen to what future Housing Czar Eoin Ó Broin had to say back in April 2017 when like his comrades in the north he was still perfectly happy to go along with the awfulness of public/private housing development:

Housing department’s plan to for 50,000 homes slammed by homeless charity due to privatisation (thesun.ie)

It’s evident that Sinn Féin will say whatever they think is currently popular but will do the exact opposite if that suits them. The same pattern will continue when they do get into government.

Matt Treacy has published a number of books including histories of 
the Republican Movement and of the Communist Party of Ireland. 

2 comments:

  1. "It’s evident that Sinn Féin will say whatever they think is currently popular but will do the exact opposite if that suits them. The same pattern will continue when they do get into government."

    It's almost as if Matt is calling them a bunch of careerists, who will scrape off the baggage of uncomfortable truths to gain power.

    In that regard perhaps they truly are emerging into a political party of the same ilk as all others!

    How long before they sit in The Commons?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Steve - they are just the same as the others they criticised for so long - they do the same things, spoof the same: everything they stood against they now embrace.

      Delete