Well darn it anyway, that legal advice thing has once again stopped our great leaders reforming crusade in its tracks.
There was Enda and his warriors armed and ready to fight the good fight for the weak and defenceless tenants who were being ripped off by evil landlords.
We’ll stop them and their evil ways of upward-only rent reviews promised Enda as he sharpened his sword and checked his grenades.
But those evil landlords were too quick. Legal eagles swooped on Enda’s camp dropping legal bomb after legal bomb, the crusade was over.
Darkness and despair once again fell over tenant-land.
One of Enda’s trusted warriors, Richard (the not so great) Bruton explained:
We looked at the rent issue but the legal advice was very clearly that if there were to be a change, taxpayers would have to pay compensation to the landlords involved.
Clearly that is not on at a time like this.
From the cold wasteland of ripped off tenants and devastated small businesses, a faint cry was heard:
What about the referendum you promised to over-rule the existing property rights of landlords?
I don’t see it as being an issue that there will be a constitutional amendment.
We have legal advice (aaaahhhh, another legal explosion) that this isn’t a doable approach and we have to work on other instruments that will make it easier for the retail trade to make a difficult transition.
The last, just audible, cry of despair could be heard before the silence of betrayal enveloped tenant-land.
Who….who….benefits?
There was no reply.
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