Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I, too, am critical of this, as well as of the sneaky way in the budget last year the Government put in a carbon tax, which we cannot even debate on the finance Bill for next year, or for the nine years. This trick o' the loop job is a three-card trick. We all agree that climate mitigation is necessary. However, we are being destroyed in rural Ireland. It is pure folly. Many speakers earlier who spoke about what I have been speaking about, which is the pollution that is being caused out by county councils up and down the country. We have Deputy Chris Andrews talking about it in Dublin. I could bring anyone to ten, 15 or 20 villages in Tipperary. I could bring them to different towns that are spewing out raw sewage. The Government parties are crucifying the ordinary people. They will not allow people build houses in rural Ireland. They are trying to drive the people off the land.

The young farmers, who I support wholeheartedly, were encouraged by Government, especially by Deputy Bruton’s Government, and encouraged by Teagasc to up their game and their production with cheese plants in south Kilkenny. An Taisce, a band of roving bandits, is holding that up and being reckless, having been in court four or five times. It is shocking. What is the Government then doing? It is funding An Taisce with the taxes of those people that it is crucifying. This just would not go on in an asylum. The lunatics are definitely in charge here.

Deputy Nolan spoke about the just transition. It could not be more unjust. She mentioned the power plants and asked to have Lanesborough and Shannonbridge reactivated. I am told that the plant in Lanesborough has been taken down, been exported to Germany and has been recommissioned there in. We are importing peat as well. The poor people out there are just devastated. The Government parties think that they can fleece them on the price of food. How are we going to get a tractor that is driven by electricity? How are we going to get electric trucks, as Deputy McGuinness said? If we ever manage to have them, their costs will have to be passed onto the businesspeople, who now cannot even afford the cost of fuel. God help the people for the winter.

I, too, want a €20 increase a week for pensioners, carers, and vulnerable people in the budget, although that would not even cover the increasing costs. We are now going to have blackouts. We have been warning this for the past 12 months, because EirGrid told us. Now, Government is saying that it might happen. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers here told us that they would not be culling the cow herd, when this famous Bill was going through the House. Where are they now? We can see it in front of our eyes. They told downright lies to the people. Are they so stupid themselves that they will not even question what they have been told? It is propaganda and spin-----

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