After the wave of protests in Spain, the housing crisis is now also sparking mass demonstrations in Portugal. Activists set up protest camps in the main squares of Lisbon and Porto on the weekend. European commentators look at why governments are failing to come up with convincing responses.
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Government in shock
For Público credible solutions to the housing crisis are indispensable:
“In this quiet little country where demonstrations are always predictable, the government of [Luís] Montenegro and the mayor of Porto were shocked by a new form of protest – the ‘camps’ – and ordered a police operation against the peaceful demonstrators. … The Portuguese put up with a lot. The [social democratic] PS, which bears special responsibility given its eight years in government, would do well to quickly re-establish itself as a credible party on housing issues. There is a national emergency, and whoever comes up with the best solutions could become the electoral alternative for the camping generation – and for others too.”
The mainstream is failing to offer solutions
Népszabadság comments:
“Why is the radical left securing landslide victories in places where centre-left parties are losing ground? Primarily because the housing crisis cannot be tackled with technocratic stopgap measures. When they’re spending more than half their salary on rent for a mouldy studio flat, voters are not interested in ten-year building reforms. The radical left, on the other hand, clearly names scapegoats – property speculators and private equity funds – and demands immediate, drastic interventions such as rent caps or nationalisation. Yet it is precisely the housing issue that offers European social democracy the opportunity to restore its lost credibility. To do so, however, tangible results are needed.”