Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I compliment Solidarity-People Before Profit for putting down this motion for debate. I am unsure as to what different acronyms this group uses but I believe we should consider this motion, as a person who was never in favour of nationalisation. We must, however, consider it here because of the ineptitude of several Governments.

Ar an gcéad dul síos I wish the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan and the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, and others, a happy, holy, and peaceful Christmas. Anything I say here is said in good faith and nothing personal. We have followed a dream on climate change, however, and it has become like indoctrination now, from young people in the schools upwards. There is a slight challenge ahead, certainly, but where we talk about a frost now, I can remember 50 years ago going out with a sledgehammer to break the ice on ponds to feed our cattle in Tiobraid Árann, which I say to the Minister, whose ancestors came from Tipperary. These were savage and severe frosts. All of this has been hyped up by the media and everywhere else and one is a kind of a pariah if one has a different opinion.

Returning to the motion, it says that we must take action because we have failed to deal with the energy companies, like we have failed to deal with all big business in this country. I hate using the word, and will not use it because this is the Christmas season, but they have plundered our finances through business and sweet deals with the Government and have got away with black, blue and yellow murder.

It is as simple as that.

There is absolutely no regulation. We have regulators galore. I see the lovely one here, NORA. I would love to walk down the boreen with NORA, but my God, NORA is useless, toothless and fruitless. We have 90 days' worth of supplies. That is wonderful. Does the Government want a clap on the back? What good is 90 days, especially in a war situation? We have all our eggs in the one basket. If the bottom falls out of that basket, we have nothing. There are no plans. Many of the people here today who want this voted for a carbon tax. If there was ever a wrong time for a carbon tax, this was the wrong time when we are middle of an oil crisis. They like to blame it on the war, which it is-----

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