Victim blaming will not solve the housing crisis
Victim blaming will not solve the housing crisis - The Labour Party
Labour’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP for Dublin has condemned comments by Simon Harris suggesting that a significant number of people in emergency accommodation do not have a housing need, describing the remarks as deeply offensive, factually wrong and a clear attempt to shift blame away from Government failure.
Ó Ríordáin said:
“What the Tánaiste has said is simply untrue. People do not end up in emergency accommodation by accident or choice. They are there because Government has failed to provide secure, affordable housing.
“The Tánaiste’s comments also expose the Government’s warped priorities. Just last month, this Government was happy to throw €650 million at a sector that did not need it. Additionally, he has been flatly contradicted by the Head of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive. Shameful.
“This was a vacuous intervention from a Tánaiste who clearly believes that victim blaming is the way forward. Instead of owning the scale of the housing emergency, he is attempting to cast doubt on the legitimacy of people’s housing need. That is not leadership and it is beneath him.
“We in Labour have been clear that the housing crisis will not be solved by blaming those who suffer its consequences. It will be solved by building public housing at scale, by driving down rents, by ending the overreliance on the private market and by treating housing as a basic right rather than a commodity.
“I am calling on Simon Harris to withdraw these remarks. Government must stop scapegoating, stop the spin, and start delivering the homes people urgently need. That is the only path out of this housing emergency.”