Madam, – I am writing in response to Fintan O’Toole’s article (Opinion, April 12th), which focuses on yet another call-to-arms for the “negative equity” generation, and I would just like to advocate the rights of an arguably harder-hit group, to which I myself belong.
We are the generation that did not have the opportunity to buy property, or anything else for that matter, as we spent the boom years in college, many graduating in 2008 with few prospects, the slowdown of summer 2008 becoming the atomic blast of September 2008.
Instead of earning wages of say €25,000 a year after leaving school (resulting in a loss of four years of €100,000) we incurred the expenses of attending college (rent, fees, living expenses), leading to a double swing in income, and yet we have nothing to show for it.
Where I ask is our compensation for this – did we not make our decisions based on the same mis-information and false expectations as those who bought property? Are we not in a worse position than many of those now? Whereas those who did buy do have the advantage of living in their own house, my generation, or specifically those who did not buy, or were not in a position to buy in the boom – have nothing – we will probably be living at home until we are 30 or so, and then we will be told we will be bailing out mortgage holders as well as the banks.
How long before we get compensation? A very long time, I would say. If only someone would focus on the plight of graduates who will shoulder the burden of all these payouts and handouts in the future – those in negative equity are certainly not the only ones without a voice. – Yours, etc,