Valesca Lima
@valescal.bsky.social
Research on Housing, Governance & Citizen Participation
The politics of housing in Spain has taken centre stage, and reflects what I call the 'post-neoliberalisation' of housing politics. Bonus post out this morning @tonygroves.bsky.social @javigil.bsky.social @valescal.bsky.social theweekinhousing.substack.com/p/eviction-s...
Eviction sparks Spanish housing revolution
Bonus post 05/10/26
theweekinhousing.substack.com
The proposed citizenship changes in Ireland is less about solving a problem and more about confident nod to anti immigration groups The government could make the system more efficient w/ less delays and errors but changing the signposts is easier than take a responsible decision 👉 jrnl.ie/7180998
'My Belarusian passport expires before 8 years is up. If I go back, I know which building I would end up in'
The real life impact of the change of citizenship rules for two Russians and a Belarusian, written by a Belarusian journalist living in Galway.
jrnl.ie
I randomly found today my thesis writing playlist and I'm totally having very mixed feeling about it 🤯 Not about the music taste at the time (it was really great haha) But it's amazing to think how music can bring back sooo many memories Sample: www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcJC...
Nicola Cruz Boiler Room Tulum x Comunite Live Set
YouTube video by Boiler Room
youtube.com
NTA still ‘considering’ to improve their app that doesn’t work
Shamim Malekmian@shamimmalekmian.eurosky.social · 2mo agoFrustrated with Dublin's glitchy app for public transport, a guy opts to build his own. A spokesperson for the National Transport Authority said that they are considering ways to improve their own tool. Read more here www.dublininquirer.com/frustrated-w...
“We will find you and if we find you, we will not let you live.” That's what cricket female players heard from the Taliban regime. Vicious gender politics is at the centre of sport in Afghanistan. Ireland's officials love to sounds outraged but DO NOTHING ABOUT IT www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
Fintan O'Toole: Cricket Ireland showed indifference to gender apartheid by hosting Afghanistan
Unlike the soccer team’s bad luck in being drawn against Israel, Cricket Ireland did this – excuse the pun – entirely off its own bat
irishtimes.com
The Dunsink plan shows Ireland has a lesson to learn from the Soviets Objections to Dunsink are not about what’s in the plan. They’re about what’s missing www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
Sinéad O'Sullivan: The Dunsink plan shows Ireland has a lesson to learn from the Soviets
Objections to Dunsink are not about what’s in the plan. They’re about what’s missing
irishtimes.com
Ireland's EU presidency must reclaim housing as a democratic project. Access debate is filled by far-right extremists - Ireland can shape inclusive discourse, writes DCU's Dr Valesca Lima @valescal.bsky.social for @irishexaminer.bsky.social. Read more: launch.dcu.ie/4hB4348
My piece in the @irishexaminer.bsky.social this week: Ireland's EU presidency must reclaim housing as a democratic and use this opportunity to shape an inclusive discourse www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/comm...
Ireland's EU presidency must reclaim housing as a democratic project
Debate on housing and who has access to it is being rapidly filled by far-right extremists — Ireland can use this opportunity to shape an inclusive discourse, writes Valesca Lima
irishexaminer.com
I was there just to wait for Argentina to lose in the final match but then I was caught by surprise with a quite OK halftime show: Madonna, the Ronaldinhos, BTS! Ted Lasso?! Even Bieber was there but his song killed the vibe 🤣 And Shakira of course
Childcare services need urgent policy changes: when a provider is overcharging and pulling out of public funding to avoid paying refunds it is holding parents hostage. These parents don’t have options! Childcare space a very scarce www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2026...
Dublin creche raising fees after being ordered to refund more than €100,000 to parents
Charlie’s Childcare had signed up to State funding scheme, agreeing to keep fees at 2021 levels in return
irishtimes.com
I have been expressing desire for an app that alerts me to the presence of pervert glasses in my vicinity. It exists and it's called Nearby Glasses! Immediate download.
A new app alerts you if someone nearby is wearing smart glasses | TechCrunch
A hobbyist developer's new app, which can detect nearby smart glasses, comes amid resistance to always-on recording and listening devices that invade people's privacy.
techcrunch.com
People do read your thesis: patthomson.net/2026/07/07/p... It's good @patthomson.bsky.social debuked this one. It might be that few people will read it cover to cover (external & internal examiners, supervisors, proofreader) but once it reaches a repository, other plp will engage w/ it too!
people do read your thesis
That tweet is back. You know the one. A PhD thesis, it says, is the only book in the world read cover to cover by exactly three people: the author, the proofreader, and the examiner. The screenshot…
patthomson.net
Really important guest post by Mike Allen of Focus explaining how serious proposed changes to access to homeless accommodation are @samtranum.bsky.social @tonygroves.bsky.social @focusireland.ie theweekinhousing.substack.com
The week in housing | Michael Byrne | Substack
Weekly analysis of housing policy and politics. Stay up to date with new research and evidence. Click to read The week in housing, by Michael Byrne, a Substack publication with thousands of subscriber...
theweekinhousing.substack.com
Brussels asked for housing advice, then ignored its own EU‑funded research: euobserver.com/217560/bruss...
Brussels asked for housing advice — then ignored its own EU‑funded research
The EU affordable housing plan was conceived in crisis mode, mirroring the reactive logic of many national 'housing crisis' strategies: rushed, politically-driven, and shaped more by the need to be se...
euobserver.com
Tens of thousands celebrated Budapest Pride, the first since Viktor Orbán’s ousting.
Tens of thousands march in the first Budapest Pride since Viktor Orbán was voted out
Saturday's Pride march came a little more than a year after Orbán's nationalist-populist government passed legislation and a constitutional amendment to outlaw the event, drawing criticism from human ...
pbs.org
How is it the power grid couldn’t handle electric cars but it will be fine with all these data centers?
Must read guest piece today by Rosie Worsdale (Joseph Rowntree Foundation). One of the most rigorous & nuanced takes on rent controls you'll find @daraturnbull.bsky.social @michaellondonsf.bsky.social @darrenbaxter-clow.bsky.social @kengibb.bsky.social theweekinhousing.substack.com/p/making-ren...
Making rent controls work
Guest post 26/06/26
theweekinhousing.substack.com
“Removing households from housing lists or homelessness statistics is not a solution to the homelessness and housing crises.” Homelessness charities warn new housing bill could bar vulnerable people from emergency accommodation: www.independent.ie/irish-news/p...
Homelessness charities warn new housing bill could bar vulnerable people from emergency accommodation
Group of charities express concern and call on Government not to ‘rush through’ legislation
independent.ie
The rise of larger vehicles like SUVs and pickup trucks, with their taller hoods and larger blind zones, has contributed to a 75% increase in pedestrian and cyclist deaths since 2009. Until we design better streets and ban these vehicles, people outside these vehicles will keep dying.
The Deadly Rise of Giant Trucks and S.U.V.s (Gift Article)
The vehicles on American roads have grown larger — and they are killing thousands more pedestrians, a Times investigation found.
nytimes.com
We're #hiring a fully funded PhD student researcher for our @seai-ie.bsky.social funded project, a 4-year collab between the Schools of Law & Government + Electronic Engineering at @dublincityuni.bsky.social. You’ll get €25,000/year stipend & fees. Deadline: 8 July 2026 www.dcu.ie/sites/defaul...
Family of Stephen Ogilvie issue statement: "We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility - do not do this in the name of our loved one as we do not share the same values" >> www.psni.police.uk/latest-news/...
Family of Stephen Ogilvie issue statement | PSNI
“We are completely devastated by the horrific attack on our loved one on Kinnaird Avenue. This has been a massive shock to our whole family, and right now, our only priority is being at his bedside an...
psni.police.uk
'A constitutional right to housing would give the residents of Oliver Bond House [in Dublin] clearly identifiable rights and a mechanism to enforce those rights in court." >> www.irishtimes.com/opinion/2026...
Lorcan Sirr: Oliver Bond residents are suffering the slow violence of State neglect
A constitutional right to housing would give residents of the inner-city Dublin complex a tool to pursue their rights
irishtimes.com
The ongoing housing crisis continues to make women more vulnerable to sexual violence and exploitation "Sex-for-rent demands in Ireland: ‘You can sleep with me or I’m not going to help you" www.irishtimes.com/ireland/hous...
Sex-for-rent demands in Ireland: ‘You can sleep with me or I’m not going to help you’
Maria’s story is a snapshot of the situations many international students, migrants and women face in Ireland’s ‘precarious’ housing market
irishtimes.com
This is the position of Islamic feminism: the problem is not Islam, but the way certain men have interpreted it to serve their own interests … A feminist framework rooted in Islam rather than imported from the west, gives them a way to resist that feels authentic theconversation.com/what-happene...
What happened to Afghanistan’s female academics?
By December 2022, all universities in Afghanistan had closed their doors to women.
theconversation.com
As misleading headlines go, that has to be up there with some of the worst! As is the claim that "Immigration is fuelling mass unemployment among under-25s." The "shocking new study" does NOT show that at all 🙄 🧵 1/21
My debunk thread from earlier is now also a Substack post if you prefer the long-form read. Also, do you like my new stamp?😁 monkdebunks.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
How Do You Turn "10 Brits for Every Migrant" Into "27 Migrants for Every Brit"?
Somehow, one think-tank managed to do just that, and the press lapped it up.
monkdebunks.substack.com
How Ireland’s far right has opened new front by targeting Dublin’s council homes The far right is hijacking anger on working-class Dublin estates over a shortage of council houses by vandalising vacant properties www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/20...
‘Very disturbing’: How Ireland’s far right has opened new front by targeting Dublin’s council homes
The far right is hijacking anger on working-class Dublin estates over a shortage of council houses by vandalising vacant properties
irishtimes.com
‘Google dot-com is less of a utility now than it is a roach motel: Enter something into its prompt, and suddenly you find yourself trapped inside a dungeon with no way out’ www.sfgate.com/tech/article...
Google hates you
"The repercussions of Google's pivot to AI will be vast and horrid."
sfgate.com
How a VFS Global turned visas to Europe into big business, enjoys a near monopoly on outsourced visa processing and makes profit on hidden service fees and very low staff salaries while consistently mishandling data: www.politico.eu/article/how-...
How a company turned visas to Europe into big business
Investigation prompts European Commission to launch “comprehensive study” into outsourcing of visa processing.
politico.eu
