Comments on: Accommodation in Dublin http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/ Life should be full of strangeness, like a rich painting Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:43:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Walter http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80450 Walter Sun, 13 Jan 2013 02:30:33 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80450 His name was in fact John Power, and he changed his name by deed poll so that the flatdwellers association name could appear on the ballot paper. He wore tinted glasses and a photograph of him wearing same appeared on election posters. When canvassing he and colleagues discovered that a lot of flatdwellers in Rathmines, Ranelagh and elsewhere were from other constituencies around the country and wouldn't have been able to vote for him. His name was in fact John Power, and he changed his name by deed poll so that the flatdwellers association name could appear on the ballot paper. He wore tinted glasses and a photograph of him wearing same appeared on election posters. When canvassing he and colleagues discovered that a lot of flatdwellers in Rathmines, Ranelagh and elsewhere were from other constituencies around the country and wouldn’t have been able to vote for him.

]]> By: Walter http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80418 Walter Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:51:17 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80418 I lived in Fitzwiliam St. in something as cramped as that for one year during my student years about 36 years ago; but I wouldn't expect a working adult to endure such conditions. In the 1970s a booklet called Flat Broke was issued by the Dublin Flatdwellers Association (does it still exist?) and one of their leaders ran in a general election in South Central but got only a few hundred votes (John Fallon (?) - he drowned in a boating accident sometime later). Really, the political establishment doesn't want to touch the rented 'accommodation' issue with a bargepole. Funks, all of them. I lived in Fitzwiliam St. in something as cramped as that for one year during my student years about 36 years ago; but I wouldn’t expect a working adult to endure such conditions. In the 1970s a booklet called Flat Broke was issued by the Dublin Flatdwellers Association (does it still exist?) and one of their leaders ran in a general election in South Central but got only a few hundred votes (John Fallon (?) - he drowned in a boating accident sometime later). Really, the political establishment doesn’t want to touch the rented ‘accommodation’ issue with a bargepole. Funks, all of them.

]]> By: OMF http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80407 OMF Thu, 10 Jan 2013 05:50:10 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80407 And the country swimming in empty houses. One of the big problems with bedsits is that yes, people will live in them. Landlords argue this point, but it's a bit like saying that people will eat sawdust if food is scarce. If there were no bedsits, there would have to be an actual housing plan for Dublin, hence why DCC tolerates them. If there were a housing plan, landlords and property magnates would lose out, hence they promote bedsits and doing nothing about accommodation or even public transport. And so Dublin grows bedsits like the bedsits grow mould. And the country swimming in empty houses.

One of the big problems with bedsits is that yes, people will live in them. Landlords argue this point, but it’s a bit like saying that people will eat sawdust if food is scarce.

If there were no bedsits, there would have to be an actual housing plan for Dublin, hence why DCC tolerates them. If there were a housing plan, landlords and property magnates would lose out, hence they promote bedsits and doing nothing about accommodation or even public transport. And so Dublin grows bedsits like the bedsits grow mould.

]]> By: Jack Murphy http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80400 Jack Murphy Wed, 09 Jan 2013 15:42:00 +0000 http://dublinopinion.com/2013/01/08/accommodation-in-dublin/#comment-80400 I've lived in bedsits around Drumcondra , not quite as cramped as this one appears to be though. During my time in Dublin I've viewed some bizzare places , from what seemed like a house\hotel out of a horror film on Clonliffe road replete with it's own resident drunk in a stained vest to a flat on NCR in a stone floored basement. The latter had the outline of a man on the wall behind the bed where the smoke\grease\dirt couldn't settle. A friend asked to come with me one Saturday because he wouldn't believe the stories I was telling him. Greedy landlords have no shame when it comes to expecting a person to live in a cramped , shabby flat in Dublin. For a half decent flat you have to move into the €600 - €700 bracket. I’ve lived in bedsits around Drumcondra , not quite as cramped as this one appears to be though. During my time in Dublin I’ve viewed some bizzare places , from what seemed like a house\hotel out of a horror film on Clonliffe road replete with it’s own resident drunk in a stained vest to a flat on NCR in a stone floored basement. The latter had the outline of a man on the wall behind the bed where the smoke\grease\dirt couldn’t settle. A friend asked to come with me one Saturday because he wouldn’t believe the stories I was telling him. Greedy landlords have no shame when it comes to expecting a person to live in a cramped , shabby flat in Dublin. For a half decent flat you have to move into the €600 - €700 bracket.

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