Eoin Hayes is a Social Democrats councillor for Kimmage-Rathmines and lives in Dublin 6. He wants affordable housing and reduced traffic congestion, supports local business, and wants climate justice measures implemented.

I’m a renter, a small business owner, and a Dublin City councillor. Every single day, I see the real impact of poor government policy, knowing there were better choices available for people who have been let down time and again. More widely, I entered politics to counter the rise of neo-fascism and everything it represents.

Housing (or as I prefer to call it, homes) is the biggest issue people bring up with me. It’s fracturing our society and threatening our economy - schools can’t find teachers, nurses are emigrating, even multinationals are struggling to recruit and retain staff. But I also think it points to a much bigger issue: the long and consistent arc of a reduction in the State to solve big societal problems. We know the State can perform - ask anyone who’s had to deal with Revenue - and we know it’s uniquely placed to tackle our biggest problems. But we need to back it, again.

I hope to be a voice of my generation - a generation that knew Ireland before the internet age or the Euro, weathered the Great Recession, became its most educated workforce, and has forged Ireland into a world-leading economy. Underpinning the rise of neo-facism and a reduction in the State’s ability to perform in that period, in my view, has been a political system that has been unwilling to reform itself to restore trust with the people it serves. I suspect my first speech, if I’m privileged enough to give it, will focus on the failings of a political class that has taken too many for granted and not done the hard systemic work required to build a better foundation for our Republic.