Surprised the number is so low. Then again, we’ve seen recently they don’t always declare and register their tenancies.
There are far too many landlords in the Oireachtas, but what’s wrong with being a landowner? It weakens the argument a little when they include landowners in the statistic
There is 85,000 km2 of land on this island, someone has got to own it. Half of the TDs and Senators are from rural areas so it shouldn’t be surprising that some of them do own some land
You know many of the country lads have apartments or houses is Dublin for working at the Dail? So that number is most likely inflated by this
Do they have to declare if spouses/partners and close family members own property?
Why is the picture of Eddie from ‘Bottom’?
Ireland does have a major conflict of interest issue. And to answer the other question no I don’t think family has to declare anything.
It’s the only practical means of investing in this country. Try to invest in the stock market and you’ll get bent over by taxes.
Troy isn’t even the biggest landlord in the Dail. If he’d followed the rules in terms of declaring everything, this story never would have been a story.
A good chunk of people in the top 10% of earnings have money to spend on things like property?
Egads
Bit of a difference between landlord and landowner. Landowners are mostly farmers and they have a very different way about them than the typical landlord
Try it some time!
When they say “landowners”, I presume they mean agricultural land which they let out? Surely they don’t mean “owners of property” as it’d cover anyone who’s finished their mortgage.
I mean it’s not shocking. The type of person who will actually push themselves to run for politics is imo far more likely to already have money because the people who don’t are already behind due to lack of funds, leaving aside lack of time, and all the barriers to entry as an “outsider”
IMO TDs being landlords isn’t a problem in principle, I think a big part of the problem is as a country we just have an idea that we’re powerless to change politics – I think it’s a hangover from British rule.
In theory you could have a system where TDs are landlords but they don’t fuck us over, but it would require the public holding them to account regularly. We just don’t seem to have it in us as a country, we generally mock political protest.
Don’t see this as either surprising or bad tbqh.
Outside Dublin, Irish people have some kind of inter-generational trauma about land, they’re absolutely obsessed with getting some and holding it.
Plus it’s really hard to be a TD when you have young kids, so it’s very common for TDs to be of an age when you might have saved up enough / received some inheritance to own land or a property.
TD finances are weird. On one hand, you’re basically on 100k a year.
On the other, no bank will lend to you – sure you could be gone in the morning. It’s way too risky a job for them to go near you.
Also, you basically end up donating half of it to local stuff to keep your seat. Every GAA club raffle, every little sponsorship or fundraiser, there goes a hundred quid or so.
*Ministers*, now. That’s where the actual money is.
Only 80? Now I am shocked.
For a second I was hoping the title was “Almost 80 TDs and Senators have spontaneously combusted”
It’s no wonder we’re in a housing crisis with politicians like this.
Wow, only half? Seemss kinda low to be honest. You’d expect representatives to be a bit older, own property, and have roots in the community that they’re representing. You’d hardly expect them to be sharing a rental with 3 of their mates
I mean landowner could range from an acre rented to local farmer for very little money, up to 1000s of acres and a dozen houses, a large income source.
I always thought that people who want to be politicians should never be allowed to be.
The situation would be pretty serious if not even the TDs and Senators could be landowners in the country.
So there’s 160 TD’s and 60 members of the Seanad. 220 in total.
77 of 220 is 35%.
Given the usual social class of our politicians, this percent doesn’t seem massively high.
I don’t think its fair to say: “Look, these people are landlords!” Miggle D is or fairly recently was a landlord also. Where the focus needs to be is on who in power is gaming the system for profit. Or who is flat out breaking the law for profit.
It’s the only way to build wealth in Ireland. I’d think it’s similar for anyone who’s had a bit of excess money in the last 30 years – probably a very large number holding property as we can’t really do ETFs or Stocks in Ireland.
I’m not saying it’s a good thing, it’s really terrible and has reached a terrible tipping point now but being realistic, it’s unfortunately the outcome of policy decisions.
First the British, then the Catholic Church, now a political class who are quite transparent in protecting their private interests at the expense of the public. Seems like we slip the yoke of one master only to find another.
That statistic does not seem shocking to me considering the profile of TDs.
However, according to the member interests document, only 16 TDs (10%) hold any type of shares. This seems incredibly low given the wealth profile of TDs and several of those declared seem to be of minimal value. I would wager that if any journalist pulled at the thread here, they would find massive under declaration
Every article I read my brain sees Tory then Troy…
Party breakdown?
>It’s an irrelevance. We’re obsessed with irrelevance. Meanwhile, in an A&E somewhere in this country, there’s a woman watching her poor father entering his ninth hour on a Trolley, begging the nurses to give him a slice of toast.
​
I read this in an article earlier and I completely agree.
The scum rises to the top
Someone’s rent is someone else’s TD salary.
*guillotine sharpening.
Politicians should have to live in social housing
They should all be audited after the Troy affair. Clear conflicts of interest need to be made public.
This is why the housing disaster is what it is. Where is the incentive for any politician to improve the situation when they will benefit from it getting worse.
Reminder that fewer than 1% of the general population are landlords
35 comments
Surprised the number is so low. Then again, we’ve seen recently they don’t always declare and register their tenancies.
There are far too many landlords in the Oireachtas, but what’s wrong with being a landowner? It weakens the argument a little when they include landowners in the statistic
There is 85,000 km2 of land on this island, someone has got to own it. Half of the TDs and Senators are from rural areas so it shouldn’t be surprising that some of them do own some land
You know many of the country lads have apartments or houses is Dublin for working at the Dail? So that number is most likely inflated by this
Do they have to declare if spouses/partners and close family members own property?
Why is the picture of Eddie from ‘Bottom’?
Ireland does have a major conflict of interest issue. And to answer the other question no I don’t think family has to declare anything.
It’s the only practical means of investing in this country. Try to invest in the stock market and you’ll get bent over by taxes.
Troy isn’t even the biggest landlord in the Dail. If he’d followed the rules in terms of declaring everything, this story never would have been a story.
A good chunk of people in the top 10% of earnings have money to spend on things like property?
Egads
Bit of a difference between landlord and landowner. Landowners are mostly farmers and they have a very different way about them than the typical landlord
Try it some time!
When they say “landowners”, I presume they mean agricultural land which they let out? Surely they don’t mean “owners of property” as it’d cover anyone who’s finished their mortgage.
I mean it’s not shocking. The type of person who will actually push themselves to run for politics is imo far more likely to already have money because the people who don’t are already behind due to lack of funds, leaving aside lack of time, and all the barriers to entry as an “outsider”
IMO TDs being landlords isn’t a problem in principle, I think a big part of the problem is as a country we just have an idea that we’re powerless to change politics – I think it’s a hangover from British rule.
In theory you could have a system where TDs are landlords but they don’t fuck us over, but it would require the public holding them to account regularly. We just don’t seem to have it in us as a country, we generally mock political protest.
Don’t see this as either surprising or bad tbqh.
Outside Dublin, Irish people have some kind of inter-generational trauma about land, they’re absolutely obsessed with getting some and holding it.
Plus it’s really hard to be a TD when you have young kids, so it’s very common for TDs to be of an age when you might have saved up enough / received some inheritance to own land or a property.
TD finances are weird. On one hand, you’re basically on 100k a year.
On the other, no bank will lend to you – sure you could be gone in the morning. It’s way too risky a job for them to go near you.
Also, you basically end up donating half of it to local stuff to keep your seat. Every GAA club raffle, every little sponsorship or fundraiser, there goes a hundred quid or so.
*Ministers*, now. That’s where the actual money is.
Only 80? Now I am shocked.
For a second I was hoping the title was “Almost 80 TDs and Senators have spontaneously combusted”
It’s no wonder we’re in a housing crisis with politicians like this.
Wow, only half? Seemss kinda low to be honest. You’d expect representatives to be a bit older, own property, and have roots in the community that they’re representing. You’d hardly expect them to be sharing a rental with 3 of their mates
http://tdlandlords.com/ a simple website but a powerful one. Probably needs to be updated
I mean landowner could range from an acre rented to local farmer for very little money, up to 1000s of acres and a dozen houses, a large income source.
I always thought that people who want to be politicians should never be allowed to be.
The situation would be pretty serious if not even the TDs and Senators could be landowners in the country.
So there’s 160 TD’s and 60 members of the Seanad. 220 in total.
77 of 220 is 35%.
Given the usual social class of our politicians, this percent doesn’t seem massively high.
I don’t think its fair to say: “Look, these people are landlords!” Miggle D is or fairly recently was a landlord also. Where the focus needs to be is on who in power is gaming the system for profit. Or who is flat out breaking the law for profit.
It’s the only way to build wealth in Ireland. I’d think it’s similar for anyone who’s had a bit of excess money in the last 30 years – probably a very large number holding property as we can’t really do ETFs or Stocks in Ireland.
I’m not saying it’s a good thing, it’s really terrible and has reached a terrible tipping point now but being realistic, it’s unfortunately the outcome of policy decisions.
First the British, then the Catholic Church, now a political class who are quite transparent in protecting their private interests at the expense of the public. Seems like we slip the yoke of one master only to find another.
That statistic does not seem shocking to me considering the profile of TDs.
However, according to the member interests document, only 16 TDs (10%) hold any type of shares. This seems incredibly low given the wealth profile of TDs and several of those declared seem to be of minimal value. I would wager that if any journalist pulled at the thread here, they would find massive under declaration
Every article I read my brain sees Tory then Troy…
Party breakdown?
>It’s an irrelevance. We’re obsessed with irrelevance. Meanwhile, in an A&E somewhere in this country, there’s a woman watching her poor father entering his ninth hour on a Trolley, begging the nurses to give him a slice of toast.
​
I read this in an article earlier and I completely agree.
The scum rises to the top
Someone’s rent is someone else’s TD salary.
*guillotine sharpening.
Politicians should have to live in social housing
They should all be audited after the Troy affair. Clear conflicts of interest need to be made public.
This is why the housing disaster is what it is. Where is the incentive for any politician to improve the situation when they will benefit from it getting worse.
Reminder that fewer than 1% of the general population are landlords