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10 Jan 2026

"We really need to start having serious conversations about where the country is going"

Councillor Liam Browne has put up a passionate cry on his socials for the government to do more to help people in Ireland, especially the younger generation, as he described Ireland as ‘stealing the future from its youth.’

"We really need to start having serious conversations about where the country is going"

Councillor Liam Browne has put up a passionate cry on his socials for the government to do more to help people in Ireland, especially the younger generation, as he described Ireland as ‘stealing the f

Reporter:

Darragh O’Flynn

09 Jan 2026 8:33 PM

Councillor Liam Browne has put up a passionate cry on his socials for the government to do more to help people in Ireland, especially the younger generation, as he described Ireland as ‘stealing the future from its youth.’
"We need to talk about the reality of living in Ireland right now," Browne said.
"The latest data from the CSO and legal experts tears away the mask of "GDP growth" to reveal a society that is breaking the backs of its workers and stealing the future from its youth.
"​Here is the actual state of the nation:
​1.   Shopping 
"While we are told the economy is booming, the price of survival says otherwise. In just one year, steak is up €5 per kilo, butter and cheese have spiked, and energy costs are rising again. Households aren't saving 15% of their income because they are prosperous; they are saving out of fear.
We are retreating because we know shocks are coming that we can't absorb.
2. Housing 
"The numbers are terrifying. House prices are now 24% higher than the peak of the 2007 bubble.
​Median home: €381,000
​Dublin: €495,000
​Rents: Averaging over €2,000 nationally.
​We built 24,325 homes in the first nine months of 2025, but the population rose by 78,300. The math is simple, and it is sinister: the shortfall is guaranteed.
This isn't a market; it's rationing by wealth.
Single people? Low to middle income families?
You have "no chance" without inheritance or lifetime debt.

​3. Adulthood itself is being blocked

"This is perhaps the most heartbreaking stat: Over 440,000 adults aged 18-34 are still living with their parents.
This isn't a lifestyle preference; it is forced dependence.
We have created an economy where adulthood itself is being blocked. Young people cannot start lives, they cannot start families, and the birth rate is falling as a direct result.
We really need to start having serious conversations about where the country is going."
Funded by the Local Democracy Scheme

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