Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

It is not rocket fuel for inflation. The Government would be redistributing wealth, not printing money. On the third measure, the Government says it cannot bring in cost-of-living packages every week. That ignores the fact that households are being hit with cost-of-living increases every week. Here is one thing it does not have to bring in at all; it just has to cancel something. Cancel the carbon tax increase planned for 1 May. The Government cannot be on the side of the people in a cost-of-living crisis and at the same time be heaping more taxes on them. Do not talk to us about a green agenda. If the Government wants to make the green agenda deeply unpopular, then it will do precisely what it is planning to do. Instead, it should bring in a tax on the big corporate carbon polluters.

Last but not least, and this will not cost a penny - it is a bit of advice from me and I will give it free of charge - the Government should stop with the Marie Antoinette stuff. Stop talking to people about spending less time in the shower. It is patronising. People do not want to be patronised; they want action from their Government. The Taoiseach might comment on my action proposals and tell us what the Government is actually going to do.

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