There were heated exchanges around the topics of housing and immigration.
The first of two definitive leaders’ debates in the 2024 General Election campaign aired last night (Monday, 18 November) and saw fiery exchanges from those that took part.
RTÉ’s Upfront with Katie Hannon hosted the leaders’ debate, which was billed as Ireland’s “largest ever” as ten leading politicians vying for votes took part.
These were in alphabetical order:
- Cian O’Callaghan (Deputy Leader of Social Democrats)
- Ivana Bacik (Leader of the Labour Party)
- Joan Collins (Leader of Right to Change)
- Mary Lou McDonald (Leader of Sinn Féin)
- Michael Collins (Leader of Independent Ireland)
- Micheál Martin (Leader of Fianna Fáil)
- Peadar Tóibín (Leader of Aontú)
- Richard Boyd Barrett (Leader of People Before Profit)
- Roderic O’Gorman (Leader of the Green Party)
- Simon Harris (Leader of Fine Gael)
As they each faced questions on their visions and policies for the nation’s future, there were some fiery exchanges amongst them – such as on the topics of housing and immigration.
Tánaiste Martin and Boyd Barrett clashed when the former defended his handling of the housing crisis while in Government.
“Fianna Fáil took over the housing brief, okay? Because we wanted to make a difference and we have made a difference. We created a Housing for All strategy,” Martin said.
“We have exceeded the targets on Housing for All. We’ve built 125,000 homes. When we came into office, there was 20,000 homes being built. [There we’re] 33,000 houses last year.
“This year, we’ll be in the higher 30,000s.”
When host Hannon questioned these projected figures, Boyd Barrett said repeatedly: “But will any of these be affordable?”
Martin then said: “What we need in housing is more supply,” to which the People Before Profit TD responded: “We need it to be affordable… It’s not affordable. They’re building stuff that nobody can afford.”
The Tánaiste hit back by saying: “Richard, your proposals would destroy the construction industry,” which led Boyd Barrett to retort: “No, you destroyed the economy and then battered us with austerity for ten years and created a housing crisis.”
Micheál Martin responds to criticism from Cian O'Callaghan of the Social Democrats and others on Fianna Fail's housing record.
— Upfront with Katie Hannon (@RTEUpfront) November 18, 2024
"What we need in housing is more supply," he says.
"They're building stuff nobody can afford," says Richard Boyd Barrett.#rteupfront | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/BJtgezRWan
On the topic of immigration, Taoiseach Harris said it was “a good thing” but that “the sudden increases that we’ve had to deal with have placed real pressures and challenges on our systems.”
“We’ve been working as a Government and my party Fine Gael is working as well to make sure we have a planned approach to migration,” he added.
“Immigration is good, let me be very clear on that. But we’ve got to make sure that the rules are enforced and that we’re building up the systems to make sure we can provide people with a yay or a nay as to whether they have a right to be here.
“If it’s a nay, ensure they leave. If it’s a yay, make sure they’re integrated.”
In response, Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín said he agreed that there should be a “compassionate response” to issues surrounding immigration.
However, he then accused the Government’s handling of people coming to this State as being “completely unmanaged at the moment”.
On immigration, "we've been working to make sure we have a planned approach…" says Simon Harris.
— Upfront with Katie Hannon (@RTEUpfront) November 18, 2024
"We do need a compassionate response, but there has been absolutely no common sense from this government," says Peadar Tóibín.#rteupfront | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/Z1vOUbiIQi
Boyd Barrett than criticised both the Government and Tóibín of scapegoating migrants.
“Migrants are not the problem,” Boyd Barrett said: “And there has been a systematic campaign of scapegoating them which now Peadar and the Government are leaning into.”
Highlighting various other important issues in Ireland such as “the under resourcing and under staffing” of the health service and “the need for more services and supports for children with special needs”, the TD added:
“Instead, the finger is being pointed at migrants and it’s particularly sad when you consider that Irish people were scapegoated in the same way.
“They were blamed when they went to Britain and in the United States when actually they were enriching the countries they went to. They added economically to those countries.
“And the migrants coming in here are enriching our country. They are actually helping build the houses we need. They are working in the health service.”
Boyd Barrett then accused the Government and Tóibín of using the issue of migrants “to deflect attention away from the real people who are responsible for the failings in our society”.
Tóibín denied this, stating: “Absolutely not true. We should be able to have a conversation without trying to censor people.”
The debate is available to watch in full via the RTÉ Player.
"Migrants are not the problem. There has been a systematic campaign of scapegoating them" says Richard Boyd Barrett to the prior comments from Peadar Tóibín.
— Upfront with Katie Hannon (@RTEUpfront) November 18, 2024
"Not true. We should be able to have a conversation without trying to censor," he responds.#rteupfront | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/ljdM5vTa6J
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