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IRELAND IS SPLIT down the middle on whether to start splitting atoms – that is, whether the country should build a nuclear power station to help move away from fossil fuels.
The highest support for introducing nuclear power is among 18 to 24-year-olds, while 45 to 54-year-olds are more hesitant about the idea.
A poll by The Good Information Project/Ireland Thinks asked a representative sample of 1,200 people the question: “Should Ireland build a nuclear power station to increase clean energy supplies?”
43% said yes and another 43% said no. The remaining 15% didn’t know.
Younger people from age 18 to 24 were the most interested in developing nuclear power with 60% saying yes, compared to a low of only 36% support among 45 to 54-year-olds.
Men were more in favour of building a station than women – 56% vs 30%.
The most up-to-date climate science is clear that the world needs to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and a major factor is removing dependence on fossil fuels.
Some experts suggest nuclear power as an alternative energy source and say that it is safe to use, although some concerns still exist among the public from past disasters such as Chernobyl in 1986.
In response to a recent parliamentary question, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohue said that “nuclear-powered electricity generation plants are prohibited in Ireland and the government has no plans to revisit the prohibition on nuclear-powered electricity generation in Ireland”.
But it’s an energy source that other countries are developing. The UK government is expected to soon invest £1.7bn into a large-scale nuclear reactor in Suffolk, according to the Guardian.
Voters for Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, Social Democrats, Independent and Aontú leaned more towards being in favour of nuclear power in Ireland than against it, but the highest level of support did not surpass 57%.
More Fine Gael, Labour Party, Green Party and People Before Profit voters were against a nuclear power station than were in favour, particularly in People Before Profit where 53% said no.
There was a high level of uncertainty compared to other questions in the Ireland Thinks poll, with 30% of Labour Party voters saying they didn’t know and between 10 and 20% uncertainty among voters from most other parties.
An issue that was almost as divisive was the question of cars – specifically, whether the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles should be banned in the next fifteen years.
The Department of Transport has set its sights on having 936,000 electric vehicles active in Ireland by 2030.
The European Union wants to see all member states, including Ireland, ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035.
51% said they agreed with that plan (at a minimum) and 42% said they did not. 7% didn’t know.
The proportion of people who approve of the idea steadily decreases with age – four out of five 18 to 24-year-olds would give it the green light whereas only two in five of people aged 65 and over would do the same.
Support was much higher among those with a third-level degree (64%) compared to those who finished education with their Leaving Certificate (43%) or before it (38%).
Although the population at large is split on the issue, Green Party voters are resoundingly in favour – 99% think Ireland should end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035.
The next highest level of support was among People Before Profit voters at 78%, Social Democrats at 66% and the Labour Party at 63%.
Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin said yes at a rate of 54%, 50% and 49% respectively.
The economy
On a scale of one to five, we asked people about their priorities in a trade-off between economic growth and tackling climate change, one meaning they would focus on growth and five on climate.
The most common answer was to balance the two, with 37% of respondents placing themself at a three.
For those who leant one way or another, more people chose climate change (21% were fours, 18% were five) than economic growth (11% were two, 12% were one).
The results indicate that young people in particular care more about tackling climate change than the economy – no 18 to 24-year-olds rated themselves as a one. 16% were a two, 28% were three, 30% were four and 26% were five.
That means nearly three times as many young adults are more concerned about climate than those who would focus on economic growth.
But that attitude isn’t confined to young people. In every age category (albeit with smaller margins), fours and fives were more common than ones and twos, except for 45 to 54-year-olds, who are slightly more focused on the economy – 29% were ones and twos and 28% were fours and fives.
Women were fives more often than men – 21% vs 16% – and ones less often – 9% compared to 16%.
Only supporters of Fianna Fáil, Independents and Aontú were more likely to prioritise economic growth, while Green Party, People Before Profit, Social Democrats, the Labour Party and Fine Gael voters leaned towards tackling the climate crisis.
Ireland Thinks polled a representative sample of 1,200 people on 16 October for their views on climate issues – you can find out about what Ireland thinks of climate responsibility, agriculture, and whether the government is doing enough on Saturday.
This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work are the author’s own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, see here.
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As soon as his lips move you know he’s lying…
@rolyat ecnal: Its like the ghost of Ray McSharry speaks when Martins lips move.
The Irish Daily Mail ran the story, but according to Martin its just Sinn Féin propaganda spin… Yeah cause the Daily Mail is definitely a shinner newspaper! You’ve been caught with your pants down Micheál!
@Frank Cauldhame: I actually meant Ray Burke, lol.
Did anyone watch the questions in the Dail. It was scandalous. He was asked 3 questions clearly. And refused to answer. The Ceann Comhairle wouldn’t even push him for an answer. He went off about SF and criticised them and flat out refused to answer even one of the questions.
1. Are the ministers going to the roadshow?
2. Did you approve it?
3. Who are they going to meet?
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: Glad you watched it too, more of should really as you really get to see what this government is all about
MM seems to have adopted the policy of not answering questions during Leaders Questions on top of the already well established policy of SF mud slinging & telling lies, he did it again today.
It’s absolutely disgraceful what goes on in the Dáil, these days it seems like representative & parliamentary democracy has gone out the window
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: MM is useless. FF actions are going to push the votes to SF and based on the last election they could very well be in the driving seat. Leaders should not be allowed to avoid answering questions. As for MM criticisms of SF its all deflection, we’ve heard these all before. Time to go.
He couldn’t speak because they hadn’t told him what to say.
Waiting on mortgage approval and I can’t tell you how despondent I feel considering I’ll have 320k to find a house in the Fingal County Council area. And that’s if I even get approval in the first place. I hope everyone remembers this in 2025. Or even earlier if we’re any way lucky.
Both Martin’s & Varadker’s attitude in the Dail in response to questions from SF is despicable and so childish. They really look like children. They are not only disrespecting the ethis of Leaders Questions, but the citizens that also want answers.
183,312 vacant homes in Ireland. like we need more cuckoos
https://www.money.co.uk/mortgages/empty-homes
@Sean Byrne: What have PSR funds got to do with vacant property? Totally speaking out of both sides of peoples mouths when it comes to housing in Ireland… are they charging high rents or are the big bad boogie men funds buying houses to leave them vacant? You can’t have it both ways. “Cuckoo funds” are institutional investors that are needed for rental developments, generally larger scale, they are almost always long term investors such as pension funds, they do need policing but they also don’t need this utter tosh about them being responsible for all the ills in the world
@Sean Byrne: those houses are nobodys business except their owners ,it’s not their fault that there’s a million and half new residents in the country in the last ten years
@Gerard Heery: Dereliction, massive rents, massive house prices, tax breaks to cuckoos, non-implementation with the vacant sites register, homelessness and the 3% of the vacant housing stock required to solve it are everyone’s business.
@Local Ore: Consider that this FF led, and previous FG led, governments main argument for vulture/cuckoo/foreign funds is to provide investment and stimulus to a housing market in woefully short supply. Then consider the amount of property hoarding and the lack of legislation to govern this and you start to see the difficulty in accepting this narrative.
@Local Ore: in other words cuckoo funds cause rack-renting.
@Gerard Heery: when you balance the emigration of Irish youth against immigration then the net immigration is far short of 1.5 million. Net figure of 34,000 immigration in 2018( CSO latest figures). The highest it has been since 2008.
So that argument doesn’t fly.
@Local Ore: both, an example being Kennedy Wilson who own Capital One Dock, almost €4K a month for the starter two bed, 80% vacancy since it was built, 22 stories and just sitting there. That one company own thousands of apartments in the city. They will keep them vacant rather than lowering the rent to meet the market! Between them and the other cuckoo funds they can manipulate and price fix due to their dominance in the market!
I’m sure they have plans .. just like the planning permission in Drumcondra last week , given against the people and the council , government said yes.. Someone somewhere is
Is benefiting from this.. it’s a disgrace .
Shameful.
At least one of the men who created the economic destruction of this country will not need anyone to shread evidence that led to the collapse of his criminal trail after today. Remember we as a nation will be repaying for his gangsterism facilated by FFG/ Greens for generations to come.
Next 2 weeks are critical.
Didn’t he claim there was no bank bailout? Serial spoofer.
Him and his mates, and I include FG are carpet baggers. They all deserve to be run at the next election.
Cuckoo funds is some moniker. Doesn’t sound good does it.
The day he gives straight answer to a question, you will have to pick me up off a floor, having suffered from shock!
A weasel.
When the housing bubble was collapsing, the government of the day introduced 100% mortgages to breath life into it. They also had the pension reserve invest in the late noughties. In the lead in they did everything to hamper supply, two Bacon reports had to be produced. Here we go again.
These companies so large they have disproportionate effect. House price are now unrelated to earning and all the lights must be flashing red. We’ve a bubble here since 2017 the inflation coming from large instiutions. Our house price now everything your Mam/Dad can get you and your own saving and everything you can ge from bank for two people. Its Not sustainable. Like 2006 , rem the words Soft landing. Government are trying to keep the air in the balloon. Once the investors slow we;ve mortgages on properties in negative equity and all those EU banking rules will seize all up again.
This it total and utter non-sense of the highest order. More of Irish politicians using the housing market as a political football to fool the public.
Cuckoo funds are literally just PSR funds or institutional investors for the private rental sector, they do not buy up individual properties and they are essential in every housing market on earth as they allow developers to build in higher quantities, I’m not a FF or FG supporter but if they are attracting these funds over France, Germany or the UK, I say well bl**dy done! Why in the name of god would any sain politician think this is a bad thing unless they are pandering to a minority of people who don’t understand that a housing market needs a range of options for investment and development.
@Local Ore: But what about the Robin thinking that she’s raising her own chicks and then one day she turns around and her son is a great big cuckoo?
I don’t like the sound of these funds atall.
@Vonvonic: The “cuckoo funds” name is only being used in Ireland as they want it to be a political football. Absolutely the funds need policing, which the government did an ok job of with the tax they added and the need to register the investment for its purpose, but the nonsense that they are “evil” and responsible for all the ills in the housing sector is total and utter muck talk. It’s working though, if Mary Lou says it often enough and with the right tone then people who don’t understand will row in and grab the pitch forks.
@Local Ore: I have no problem with the logic of these funds. They make sense. The idea that they will be producing “affordable” housing is a bit far-fetched though. I’m only going on the figures I’ve read about. I really don’t think they’re the fix we’re looking for at the moment.
@Vonvonic: 1000%, I don’t believe they produce affordable housing, I’m in full agreement with you there, but they are needed in the market to help developers build rental properties at scale. Dublin and Cork and Galway, etc., need this kind of investment, you don’t build a 5 story apartment building in phases, so you need these funds.
SF is playing games here demonising these funds and making it seem like they are the big bad Wolf all the time and people are falling for it, it’s a big reason I can’t trust them as a party…. Not saying I trust FF either though
@Local Ore: 100% To be honest the sh!t slinging in politics generally is torture. I honestly can’t figure out how the parties , with all their advisors haven’t figured out what a turn off it is.
@Vonvonic: Ireland badly needs a new, decent, political party!
@Local Ore: Your delusional. What happens when these fund are buying so much property that it reduces the amount of houses available and the price of houses rises and rises to the point where we are the 2nd most expensive country in the EU. Our parents got a mortgage for £25,000 and the same house today sells for 450k. Something. People who do not qualify for Mortgages are being asked to pay rents of €1,800.
There is a whole generation locked out of housing. If the govt don’t kick these funds out and increase supply then they will 100% be booted out in the next election. Its also worth noting that these funds pay little or no tax at all on their profits. Also there is a Tribunal in waiting with how NAMA managed all the bad loans in this country. Companies made millions overnight with fire sales of 100s of houses that were never sold to the public. Our politicians are supposed to act in the best interests of the people not to do favours to unknown shareholders from foreign countries
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: You’ve conflated a number of topics there. Investment funds don’t lower the number of available properties, they invest in bulk builds. I’ve worked in public sector economies, successfully, resolving issues like housing supply for 15 years and the only fixes I’ve seen work are the ones that the majority of commenters on thejournal reject and conflate time and again. A housing market is not a single thing – build and let first time buyers buy them all… that’s the definition of delusional. Not to mention the price of a house in the 80s being used in your comment… how much was a car then, a loaf of bread, milk? It’s all the government of irelands fault, global inflation.. Look, think whatever and vote whatever, obviously the boogeyman tactic being used is working
@Local Ore: So who are the funds that are coming in bulk buying properties from builders? The builders put the money up and built them to sell! There is nothing wrong with that. But the investment funds from Canada that buy them in bulk to rent them out for very high rents? They do not pay tax on these rents because of sweet heart deals. Their sole job is to make money for the investors who are from Canada! People in Ireland work their *** off to make people in Canada richer. That isn’t right.
People cannot stay renting at flat for the rest of their lives paying a rent of €1800/month? If the rent was affordable like €6-800 maybe I would agree with you. The monthly repayments for a mortgage of €750,000 is €1800 a month. I don’t believe these apartments were bought for 750k. The market is broken same as in 2008 when it collapsed.
Maybe you might think the way you do because every night you go home to a house you own and relax. What about the people that can’t do that because of their circumstances and the fact housing is no longer affordable to the ordinary person. There are people afraid of being homeless because the market is the way it is and that is not ok.
@Local Ore: spoken like a true FG lackey. Find a fkin bin and get in.
@Local Ore: yea? Then why wouldn’t he say that if that’s the case? You’re omitting a lot of details and showing no understanding of how investors have been integral to creating the housing crisis. Unless you don’t “believe” there’s a housing crisis either. Look outside your own remit for some perspective.
@Diarmuid O’Braonáin: where did you get your mortgage payments from? They are way off
@JustMeHere: I have never, and will never, vote FG or FF. Nice comment though, it definitely shows your level of perspective and insight into any discussion.
@Rob Gale: There is definitely a housing crisis. I don’t believe the government, or successive governments have done anywhere near a good job and public servants have done a terrible job with housing strategy. I’m not standing up for the government, I am trying say that you need a comprehensive plan that includes investment funds, including PSR, capital from central and local government, individual investment and more to fix a housing crises and it’s totally disingenuous to just call out that PSR funds and say they are bad, get them out of the country, that won’t work. But this country and its peoples reactions to everything is led by social media, no different to the US and the UK and it’s all outrage all the time…. What’s the point in commenting unless it’s “fup de guberment”
That’s a yes then
But what about the Robin thinking that she’s raising her own chicks and then one day she turns around and her son is a great big cuckoo?
I don’t like the sound of these funds atall.
Sham politics strikes yet again. Someone somewhere is getting money off of this. All wreaks of corruption and brown envelopes. Same old cronies running the show. Same old lies being peddled to the people. Its just laughable that years later the country is still bring ran into the ground by the same bunch of grey haired shams!!!
There’s one p in apartments Declan. If built under this government, those apartments will be sold en block to a vulture fund, who will pay no tax on exorbitant rents. No doubt you’re a ffg gombeen who thinks this is okay.
have your say