Taoiseach accused of herding rural people to the cities

Fuming Mattie in verbal brawl with Micheál Martin

Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath has launched a stinging attack on the Taoiseach over increases in the Carbon Tax, declaring that Micheál Martin’s Government wants people to have no cars, no services and is seeking to herd all rural people into the cities.

An incandescent Deputy McGrath, addressing the Dáil last week, fumed at the Toaiseach: “You don’t want to help the people. You want to let them perish and die in the ditches – that’s what you’re going to do.”

He added: “And that seems be your raison d’etre in politics, which is ‘to hell with the people. Once I am all right, Jack, I’m fine’.”

“You want people to have no cars, you want people to have no services in rural Ireland and you want to herd them all into the cities.”

The Taoiseach, on refusing a call by Deputy McGrath to reduce the Carbon Tax, was told by the Tipperary TD to go “join the Green Party”.

Mr Martin accused Deputy McGrath of trying to make a bogey that the Green Party was “the greatest evil since time began” - to which the Tipperary TD replied, “It is”.

Deputy McGrath said all the Taoiseach wanted to do is “dance to the tune” played by the Greens. Calling on Mr Martin to consider doing something “immediate and meaningful” to help people struggling with the big increases in fuel costs, Deputy McGrath said Mr Martin could follow the lead of other countries in Europe and cut taxes and cap costs.

He went on to suggest that the Taoiseach may be out of touch with the impact people faced with rising costs of fuels like agricultural and road diesel, which was impacting on people in rural areas.

“When was the last time you pulled up at a filling station and filled your own car,” he quizzed.

“Because you’ve a driver. You had one when you were leader of Fianna Fáil and you have State drivers now and everything else. So you don’t know, you’re out of touch completely.”

“And you accuse me of being dishonest when I’m telling you the basic naked truth, and every dog in the street knows it: that it’s your policy that’s causing the inflation.”

CLIMATE CHANGE

Defending the Carbon Tax and rejecting calls to postpone an increase in the levy, the Taoiseach said action must be taken by the Government to tackle the climate crisis, which had to be dealt with once and for all. “We cannot keep on postponing climate change, we can’t keep on delaying climate change.”

Carbon Tax is set to increase by €7.50 in May for home fuels, bringing the cost to €41 per tonne. The increase for petrol and diesel already took effect after October’s budget.

Deputy McGrath, a member of the Rural Independent Group, said that Carbon Tax was a “key contributing factor” to the rising cost of living, saying that it was having “a bruising impact” on the prices of homemade electricity, petrol and diesel.

Mr Martin said the income from Carbon Tax goes “back to the people” in the form of income supports such as the fuel allowance and help for low income farmers to improve their environmental practices. He also pointed to the Government’s €25,000 home retrofitting grant scheme.

He rejected a claim by Deputy McGrath’s that Carbon Tax was a key contributor to inflation, pointing out that a major contributor was the rocketing price of oil on international markets.