Mind your houses

IN the past week, the focus has shifted from houses for the Irish people to the Houses of the Oireachtas, and it’s clear now that a leadership contest will take place in Fine Gael over the next two months.

Once the contestants are confirmed — I’m betting on Varadkar, Coveney, Harris, Bruton, and Fitzgerald — the real canvassing will begin. Some TDs have already nailed their colours to the mast, but the real focus will be on the undecided and those whose initial preference didn’t make the final list. One of the front runners for the role of leader and Taoiseach is, of course, the Housing Minister, Simon Coveney.

The timing is, at best, unfortunate. The Housing Strategy is still in its early stages. On top of this, the Brexit discussions are imminent, once Article 50 is invoked at the end of March. There is no doubt that these issues will take priority over the next two months. But at the same time, it’s crucial that the momentum established to date in addressing the housing crisis is maintained. Following the Taoiseach’s speech last Wednesday night, we know that things will start to crank up just before his St Patrick’s Day trip to Washington to meet US president Donald Trump. Minister Charlie Flanagan says it will be ‘business as usual’ while the leadership battle is taking place. I find that as implausible as Trump remaining in office for four years.