Rory Hearne: Troy controversy exposed the gap between Generation Rent and those who govern them

Troy’s attitude to housing, not as a home but as property investment, is not an outlier, it is Government policy, which has led to the fiasco where €1bn a year, a quarter of the entire housing budget, goes to private landlords, writes Rory Hearne

Junior Minister Robert Troy resigned despite being supported by Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar. Picture: Julien Behal

The Robert Troy controversy starkly shows the gulf of housing inequality between a tiny, but influential group in society who own multiple properties and Generation Locked Out who work, and save, and sacrifice, and still cannot get a home. 

It also points to a gulf that has opened up between the beliefs and values toward housing held by Generation Rent who just want a home, and those in Government and older generations who consider it just fine to invest in the ‘property game’, with little consideration for how this impacts on those who have to pay for it.