Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I believe he has gone from being green to being yellow. Like the coward of the county, he is out the door as fast as his legs can carry him when he sees us coming because he knows we speak the truth. We are self-employed, so we understand what the carbon tax and energy crisis can do to businesses and every person in this country. That is why he runs from us and hides when we are in the Chamber - he knows he will have to listen to the truth.

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae just spoke about trucks carrying woodchip arriving in Foynes and transporting it to keep the lights on. That is nonsensical, but the Government closed the various factories that delivered energy. Now, we are transporting woodchip around the country. The Government has no concept whatsoever of what that means. Someone can go to Spain and buy a barrel of gas for €16. It costs €45 in Ireland. Is Ireland not an EU state? Ask someone in any other European country what the price of fuel is there and people in Ireland will still pay more. A year and half ago, I brought a truck to Leinster House to highlight transport costs.

Sinn Féin voted to increase the carbon tax. Six months later, it tabled a motion but would not back our motion to get rid of carbon tax. Now, Sinn Féin has tabled this motion. It is not a bad one, but Sinn Féin is trying to have butter on both sides of its bread. None of its Members are self-employed, so they do not understand what the working person does. It is not like they have employees - people who want to feed their families and go to work in the morning. That is the difference between the Rural Independent Group and parties that claim in the Dáil they know what they are doing, even though none of them understands what it is like to be an employer.

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