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Almost 200 people have lost their homes to bankruptcy in just over a year

Prior to January 2014, only 10 family homes or Principal Private Residences were surrendered.

NEW FIGURES ISSUED by the Department of Justice have shown that almost 200 people lost their homes because of bankruptcy in a fourteen month period.

Between January 2014 and March 2015, 177 people surrendered their family homes or Principal Private Residences to the banks.

In this period a further 23 family homes or Principal Private Residences were repossessed by a secured creditor.

Out of the 177 properties surrendered, 34 were “surrendered and accepted by bank prior to bankruptcy”, 67 were “abandoned by debtor – not surrendered to creditor”, 31 were “surrendered post bankruptcy or receiver in place” and 45 were “appointed/ surrender being finalised by the Official Assignee/ other”.

This showed a big surge on the number of repossessions from the previous two years. Between 2011 and 2013 a total of 10 family homes or Principal Private Residences were surrendered.

An annual breakdown for this period was not available.

New information

This new data comes from a parliamentary question asked to the Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald by Fianna Fáil TD Michael McGrath.

In a further question, McGrath asked the Minister for the number of bankruptcies that had been annulled or set aside each year since 2011.

Since then, there have been 12 annulments.

In her response, the Justice Minister explains that it is the High Court which is responsible for annulments and that “very few” happen each year.

The three ways that a person can appeal a bankruptcy are to ‘show cause’, where a person appeals against the validity of the injunction within 3 days; when there has been en error in declaring a person bankrupt and; when an order of the High Court is appealed to the Supreme Court.

Read: In mortgage arrears? Here’s how the government plans to help

Also: Brian O’Donnell says his legal battle stopped a man about to take his own life

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48 Comments
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    Mute James Reardon
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    Jul 6th 2021, 4:50 PM

    “sending a message to government won’t build home”, neither will the government.

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    Mute Sohoma Roanie
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:02 PM

    @James Reardon: Comment of the day James!

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    Mute Angela McCarthy
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:08 PM

    @James Reardon: that headline smacks of desperation. Electing FG or FF?GRN will send a message thats alls ok, and keep on failing on housing!

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    Mute alphasully
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:25 PM

    @Angela McCarthy: and everything else

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    Mute Frank Cauldhame
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:45 PM

    @James Reardon: But renting is so European and therefore de rigour. Fine Gael and their influencers have being flogging this idea for decades. Funny thing is, they love being the landlord and hate being the tenant. I wonder why?

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    Mute Jack Cass
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    Jul 6th 2021, 6:00 PM

    Am I missing something? Her party is part of Government.

    58
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    Mute Darren Carroll
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    Jul 6th 2021, 4:54 PM

    Neither will voting for them again, might as well try change

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    Mute Honeybee
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    Jul 6th 2021, 9:17 PM

    @Darren Carroll: Exactly Darren, FFG are only good at allowing vulture funds buy up all available property to rent back to us at exorbitant rents, why spoil a good thing, better to leave those who are struggling to buy a home . Use your vote wisely and SEND a message to government, enough is enough.

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    Mute Arch Angel
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    Jul 6th 2021, 4:53 PM

    I guessing quite a lot of people may disagree with that remark at the next election.

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    Mute Alan Wright
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:08 PM

    Neither will FF or FG. They’ve had ample opportunity and refused to build homes.

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    Mute Rochelle
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:09 PM

    Sending a message to green TDs on what their political future will look like if they continue supporting FF/FG in this government may lead to a general election and a new government that actually cares about building affordable housing.

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    Mute whitewater
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:57 PM

    All Claire Byrne’s party delivers is higher taxes.

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    Mute Peazel
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:00 PM

    Yeah because “sending a message to government” means she won’t be elected as her party is in government.

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    Mute Bernard A Kavanagh
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:54 PM

    The message at the last General election was for change. What happened the FG FF hijacked the results for themselves to keep out the people’s vote and the Greens went along with it.

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    Mute The Risen
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:01 PM

    What’s a ‘green party’?

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    Mute Sean Walsh
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:03 PM

    @The Risen: Green for

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    Mute Sean Walsh
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:03 PM

    @The Risen: Green for

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    Mute Sean Walsh
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:03 PM

    @The Risen: Green for cash!

    41
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    Mute Damo
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:14 PM

    @The Risen: a party in government and their defining feature is the introduction of stealth taxes, just a rough guess???

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    Mute Mill Miller
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:18 PM

    @The Risen: it’s the greed party

    51
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    Mute David Bourke
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:32 PM

    @The Risen:

    Green as in greenlight for a coalition deal.

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    Mute Col de Gal
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:49 PM

    @The Risen: One that’s just a little bit gullible?

    20
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    Mute Adrian O'Donnell
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    Jul 6th 2021, 6:40 PM

    @The Risen: it’s a bit like a red party but it hasn’t ripened yet

    13
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    Mute Michael Byrne
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:07 PM

    Delivering what exactly? Misery maybe

    83
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    Mute Stasia Morley
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:18 PM

    Greens are they for real

    72
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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:19 PM

    Claire … get the Referendum on Housing done fast before the next looming crash!!

    Housing Crisis … crises … root cause is due to a very defective Constitution which suits many vested interests. A Referendum is urgently required to put the control of this most essential requirement of housing in the hands of the citizens. The German Constitution is a good benchmark and it does not adversely impact on general property rights.

    1974 Kenny Report called for a Referendum on Housing
    2014 Constitutional Convention called for a Referendum on Housing

    If a Referendum was held and passed we could not have had the 2008 crash.
    Another crash is imminent as current house prices are artificially inflated way beyond their true value (base inputs) and the Central Bank is happily approving inflated mortgages to pay for these over valued homes.

    Deliver the Referendum .. for the sake of all future kids!
    https://www.change.org/p/irish-referendum-on-family-home-special-status
    - viewed by 35,000.

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    Mute Francis
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    Jul 6th 2021, 6:57 PM

    @Neuville-Kepler62F: ‘Farmstead only homes in rural areas.’ Is part of your petition, so you want to force people to live in built up areas adding to the competition for houses. A lot of people could build on family land reducing their cost of the house by getting rid of their need to pay for a site.

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    Mute Barrycelona
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    Jul 6th 2021, 7:00 PM

    @Neuville-Kepler62F: I am just curious as to how you word the question in a Housing Referendum. In your view, what constitutes suitable housing for say a family of three or six. Would we all be entitled to a house at the expense of the state? What size would these houses be? Where would they be? Could a family from say Louth be housed in Kerry. What would be done to protect the price of housing for those who already bought their homes or the market place. What qualifies / criteria do people need to fulfil to get a house. Just curious!

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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Jul 6th 2021, 7:36 PM

    @Francis: The Referendum would provide for purchase of building land adjacent to urban areas (city, town, village) at agricultural rate +25%.
    No purchase of 2 cars and cost of running them for the rest of your lives from ribbon and rural houses. No ribbon infrastructural costs of electricity, broadband, water, waste, school transport, street lighting … etc.

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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Jul 6th 2021, 7:43 PM

    @Barrycelona:
    Would we all be entitled to a house at the expense of the state? Absolutely NOT. Homes would just be affordable.

    how you word the question in a Housing Referendum? German Constitution has solved it as have many other developed countries.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jul 7th 2021, 10:16 AM

    @Neuville-Kepler62F: Germany has one of the lowest rates of home ownership in Euroe.
    Better off push the Vienna method of housing. Which works and is cost neutral very quicky

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    Mute Neuville-Kepler62F
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    Jul 7th 2021, 10:38 AM

    @Gary Kearney: As you say the Vienna Housing model is good and ALL income groups have access to rent the homes and can purchase them at affordable prices.

    But it cannot work in Ireland because the Irish Constitution prevents acquisition of affordable land for housing, at urban peripheries (city, town, village) at agricultural prices + 25%.

    A small matter of General Property rights taking precedence over the housing needs of citizens for the common good. A Referendum is needed to fix this. Then you can have any of a number of German or Vienna solutions to deliver affordable homes.

    A Referendum would also prevent future Financial/Housing Crashes … Central Bank please note!

    https://www.change.org/p/irish-referendum-on-family-home-special-status

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    Mute Brian O'Toole
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:44 PM

    But they’re not building any homes anyway.

    59
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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:38 PM

    I can’t cope with greens and captain planets. It just ends up costing us more money that we haven’t got. Electric cars? Nonsense. What about a global blackout? Geothermal heating? Who’s going to pay for it, I can’t. Ughh…..

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jul 6th 2021, 7:36 PM

    @Anna Carr: Electric cars are not nonsense and have a cheaper TCO than ICE vehicles.

    Try filling your filthy diesel from the solar panels on your roof.

    Burning petrol & diesel is driving health costs of €837 per person per year every year in Dublin alone.

    Think of that as you fill up with imported hydrocarbons that directly poison you & your fellow citizens with filthy exhaust gasses emitted at toddler level.

    23
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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Jul 6th 2021, 8:36 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: yes but what if there’s a blackout or a zombie apocalypse? Where are you going to charge your car and also FYI if you run out of charge on the road and have to call your breakdown assistance, you do know they appear with a filthy diesel generator full of carcinogens to spend 3 hours charging your lovely clean car AND my car runs on petrol not diesel and it’s a small city car. Have a lovely evening

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    Mute Bernard A Kavanagh
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    Jul 6th 2021, 9:12 PM
    7
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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Jul 6th 2021, 9:59 PM

    @Bernard A Kavanagh: Nice one

    4
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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jul 6th 2021, 11:41 PM

    @Bernard A Kavanagh: Old lithium batteries whether from cars, phones, laptops or whatever are a recyclable resource with lots of money to be made. https://youtu.be/xLr0GStrnwQ

    3
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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jul 6th 2021, 11:49 PM

    @Anna Carr: if there is a blackout or a zombie apocalypse then the petrol pumps wont work either nor will the oil refineries which run on electricity. But luckily those with solar panels will be still able to charge EVs while those on hydrocarbons go into full mad max mode. I have tens of thousands of km drive and have never once come close to running out of battery. EV range anxiety seems to be the preserve of those who don’t actually drive EVs or know anything about them. So anyway if i did run out of charge my insurer or the AA will transport my EV to the nearest charger, no need for your mythical diesel generator. BTW every trip to the petrol station is causing health harm as you inhale naphtha, benzene and other harmful vapours…enjoy.

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    Mute Sportmad
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    Jul 7th 2021, 1:08 AM

    @Anna Carr: will you marry me

    1
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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jul 7th 2021, 10:12 AM

    @Gavin Tobin: Does Eamon Ryan have his van on solar panels.
    Dont forget it was the Greens that promoted the Diesel revolution.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jul 7th 2021, 10:13 AM

    @Gavin Tobin: They are partly recyclable and mining the ore is anything but green.

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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Jul 7th 2021, 11:54 AM

    @Sportmad: haha sorry already taken but thank you lol

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    Mute HectorPickaxe
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    Jul 6th 2021, 4:52 PM

    Doesn’t look like anything will…

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    Mute Frank Koek
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    Jul 6th 2021, 6:01 PM

    Sending a message builds no homes,. Correct
    Neither does the Green Party in government!!
    The proof is there for all to see.

    47
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    Mute Jack Cass
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    Jul 6th 2021, 6:06 PM

    Imagine if Justin Barrett (National Party) gets more votes than Claire Byrne (Green)!! Not beyond the realms of possibility. The Government spin will be unreal!!

    39
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    Mute Stasia Morley
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:18 PM

    Greens are they for real

    39
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    Mute alphasully
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:25 PM

    neither will not sending a message

    30
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    Mute Stasia Morley
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:18 PM

    Greens are they for real

    26
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    Mute Margaret Kane
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    Jul 6th 2021, 6:46 PM

    Everyone of them will lie through there teeth to get voted in

    27
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    Mute Garreth Byrne
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    Jul 6th 2021, 5:17 PM

    Voters send messages but different politicians decipher them differently. So too do the commentariat.

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    Mute Trev Mooney
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    Jul 6th 2021, 10:15 PM

    Eamonn is a cabbage.

    15
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    Mute Sportmad
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    Jul 7th 2021, 1:07 AM

    The Green Party are looking at exile again. They are a party that unfortunately antagonize people more that any.

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    Mute MB
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    Jul 6th 2021, 8:24 PM

    I’d like to see a cross party committee set up to look after housing(similar to what they have done with health). I am sick and tired of opposition politicians – attacking the system at every turn, they are being paid by the taxpayer and should be working with the government to get housing right.
    Just like the vaccines , supply is the solution. We need to allow the market get on with providing the houses required and stop interfering for political capital, we are at full employment in the construction industry so very little additional capacity available (and no the councils are nowhere near in a position to build houses), they would simply be taking workers from the private sector supply. First time buyers are really the forgotten in all the arguments from the opposition benches.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Jul 7th 2021, 10:10 AM

    @MB: The market building the homes cost us billions, the builders and the banks made billuons and cost us the public billions.
    Social housing like the Vienna Method of housing works and after a short time is self funding.
    Trickle down economics fails and thats the fact.
    The market is to make money not any other reason.

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    Mute Shane McGrath
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    Jul 7th 2021, 12:57 AM

    Zzzźzzzzzzzzzz

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    Mute Niall Casey
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    Jul 7th 2021, 9:33 AM

    James Geoghegan’s previous job was a tobacco lobbyist.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jul 7th 2021, 1:38 PM

    One sure thing, after the next election the Green Party will follow the PDs and so called Labour into the dustbin of history. Baby Blueshirts.

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    Mute Marc Quinn
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    Jul 7th 2021, 1:36 PM

    Fake Greens… Nothing but a prop up party at this stage.

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