Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

They want more taxes on everything. They wanted zero Covid and zero everything and a freebie for everybody. That is not possible in this country.

Then they want to shut down debate on other issues that do not suit them in here, like what happened to me yesterday when I was speaking. I was shouted down and called a disgrace, the same as today. I am elected by the people of Tipperary for the time being. Deputy Paul Murphy can laugh if he likes. He was elected by the people of Dublin. More power to the people; that is democracy.

We have to get real here. I will probably support the motion because we have to tackle what has gone wrong with big business and the grip they have, and the conglomerate in the oil business. Poor people are looking for SEAI grants and have been waiting for two and a half years. They are putting money into meters and are frozen in their houses. There is no joined-up thinking. It is a lovely pipe dream.

As for COP27, I will not go there. Enough people went to it. I would not go. It is farcical. That is what is going on. We had harder frosts and winters when I was a buachaill óg, which was not today or yesterday. We need to cop on with climate change, which is frightening the you-know-what out of the people. We need to deal with people honestly and openly. There might be some slight changes, but not like people have said there would be. We had hard winters before, in 1947 and 1963. There was 30 feet of snow in my area, out in the Nire Valley, in my neighbouring parish. We talk about climate change today. It is the narrative we want to push and to hell with the people.

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