NO matter how it is dressed up, the housing crisis is a shameful indictment of this society and particularly Fianna Fáil’s role in the catastrophe. 

A report has shown that some residents in social housing estates feel they are stigmatised and are viewed as “all scroungers and drug addicts” who live “rent free”.

Castleisland Desmonds and Murroe Boher have been crowned Tesco Homegrown All-Ireland Intermediate and Junior Ladies Club Football champions respectively this afternoon.

Local authorities are practically powerless to deal with problem tenants causing antisocial behaviour.

Tánaiste Joan Burton has warned it would be foolish to let the country’s savings fritter away and strongly indicated any reward for people who struggled through the recession will be on a small scale, year by year.

At the USI conference, outgoing president Garry Redmond claimed that “a lecturer starting in Ireland would earn many multiples of what a lecturer starting in the UK would”.

ONE of the last acts of the current crazy government before it exited the stage for a long summer break was to impose a €200 levy on every second and subsequent housing unit in the state.