How Many Houses Have Politicians Objected to In Recent Years?

It's an awful lot!

It’s effortless to be against things. Smoking, drugs, booze, weird sex, the old reliables, some folks will go to war over car parks and cycle lanes. For me, it’s non-alcoholic beer. In the middle of the greatest housing crisis in the state's history, you’d think people could not be against something so vital as housing. You’ve partly guessed where this is going?

People are against housing for lots of reasons. A new development might destroy the “Victorian ambience” of an area. Or a planned development might be “out of character” for the area, they usually are says you. Some developments might have a “serious negative impact” on the value of nearby properties. These are all valid reasons to be against housing. Well, those are some of the reasons our politicians have given as reasons for objecting to proposed developments. At the behest of their constituents, they will prostitute themselves on the altar of hypocrisy for an auld scratch at the ballot box.

This post will be updated regularly so we can point the finger and shout “shame” on social media at our elected hypocrites from both houses of the Oireachtas and cast a beady eye on some of our local Councillors. For example, the Lucan Loon, former Green Party TD, Paul Gogarty, stalled plans to build 8,500 houses in south Dublin. Gogarty appealed with An Bord Pleanála because there was a lack of public transport for the area, which in fairness, is a valid concern. The developer could be heard screaming Fuck you, Deputy Gogarty, Fuck you.

In the last 5 years, Sinn Féin politicians have objected to 12,424 homes across Dublin's 4 local authority areas. Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin even opposed a social housing development in his constituency. Existing housing is distributed by ability to pay so poor people are the last to get housing or none at all. Imagine objecting to housing for poor people. Just because you dress like a North Korean Marxist it doesn’t make you one.

In August 2021, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald objected to a plan to build 1,614 apartments in her constituency. McDonald stated that she opposed the development on the basis that it was a “build-to-rent” scheme. This is weird because Sinn Féin in Northern Ireland actively supports “build-to-rent” schemes. So the question needs to be asked, does Mary Lou not know how to use Google? She could look up her party’s housing policies in Northern Ireland.

Not be outdone on the left, Labour TD for Dublin Bay North, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has been labelled a serial objector, he added his name appealing a decision by Fingal County Council to grant planning permission for 200 residential units made up of 145 apartments in five blocks ranging from one to six storeys and 51 three-bed and four-bed homes. It also included four homes for the Traveller community and six commercial units. Objecting to homes for the Traveller community is not very left-wing behaviour, is it?

In a classic case of speaking out of both sides of your mouth, Aodhán also objected to homes on lands he helped rezone as land for homes. He objected to 650 homes at the St Annes Park development. Not only has Aodhán ó Ríordáin objected to the St Annes development, he also objected to a 164-apartment development in Howth and a 377-apartment complex with 8 houses on Griffith Avenue. Including St Annes, that’s over 1000 homes Ó Ríordáin has objected to. Ó Ríordáin who has been on the airwaves professing how much he loves Dublin since the riots, has decided to run in the upcoming European elections, he loves Dublin so much he wants to move to Brussels, sure you can’t be objecting to housing from another country.

Labour leader Ivana Bacik has also lodged complaints about 894 homes and Labour Senator Marie Sherlock had some issues with plans for 2,995 homes. Hypocrites.

If it looks like the left likes to object to a lot of housing. It’s because they do. Social Democrat TDs and Cllrs have objected to 3,000 potential new homes.

Famously, Shouty McShout face, Richard Boyd Barrett TD, and Councillor Melissa Halpin raised concerns about a 491 apartment development in their constituency. They argued that the sheer scale of the modern construction would dampen the "Victorian ambience" of the Monkstown area. It’s beyond satire that a self-proclaimed socialist would hark back to an era of the British monarchy. Boyd Barrett has objected to over 2,000 homes in his constituency in the last 5 years. More like objections give me erections than People Before Profit.

People Before Profit meeting in Monkstown.

Government deputies do be whoring themselves to NIMBYS also, Dublin South West TDs John Lahart of Fianna Fáil and the Greens’ Francis Noel Duffy objected to a 329-unit development of 140 houses and 189 apartments at Woodtown in Dublin 16. Fine Gael Dublin South West TD, Colm Brophy issued a letter to his constituents telling them he was "fully opposed”, to a proposal to build 590 apartments on land owned by former Taoiseach, Liam Cosgrave. Sean Haughey objected to a six-storey 131-apartment scheme in Clontarf. Independent Cllrs across Dublins 4 local authorities have objected to another 2,000 homes. The objecting never ends. It’s like a vocation with some of these people.

Sometimes government parties and opposition parties do work together. But the only time they do is when they are objecting to housing. Five Cork City councillors from all parties came together and lodged appeals to An Bord Pleanála in 2018 against 324 much-needed student apartments. Again another group of Cllrs in Cork from across the political spectrum came together to oppose the building of 44 social houses. In 2020, 26 Cork City again, councillors came together and voted against plans to build 30 apartments in the suburb of Blackrock. Even the most tribal of creatures can come together sometimes.

Have you been keeping tabs on the numbers? That’s almost 35,000 homes politicians have objected to in Cork and Dublin in the last 5 years or so. There are 24 other counties in the Republic where the same levels of speaking out of both sides of your mouth are being engaged in.

Some advice to aspiring politicians in the upcoming local elections on how to get elected and keep your seat.

Step 1 - Complain about the lack of housing and the ills of society by not building enough houses.

Step 2 - object to housing.

You’ll go far.