Carol Nolan criticises budget's carbon tax and rural impact
Carol Nolan criticised the recent budget and its climate measures, arguing they threaten rural communities, horticulture jobs and could lead to blackouts. She called the carbon tax hike unsustainable and unfair and said promised ring-fenced funds from the £1.5 billion carbon budget were reneged upon.
Main criticisms of the budget
Carol Nolan argued that there is nothing progressive about the possibility of blackouts, importing peat from Latvia and Estonia, or abandoning farmers. She said the measures punish rural people, motorists and agri-contractors and described the pursuit of the stated objectives as ludicrous.
Concerns for horticulture and rural jobs
The deputy warned that thousands of peat are being imported while 10,000 jobs in the horticulture sector are at risk. She said rural TDs who praised the budget were paying lip service to the horticulture sector and that constituents will not accept the outcome.
Carbon budget and ring-fence grievance
Carol Nolan said a commitment to ring-fence a proportion of the £1.5 billion carbon budget was reneged upon and called for that pledge to be addressed urgently. She framed the issue as a fairness matter for the farming community, describing them as the backbone of the rural economy.
Praise for education measures
She commended the minister, a former teacher, for expanding the DESH scheme and for recognising the need to reduce class sizes, expressing hope those measures will continue in the next budget.
Closing remarks and tone
Carol Nolan concluded with a forceful warning that the proposals would not be accepted by rural communities, repeating a local rallying cry near the end of her remarks. Her speech combined criticism of climate and fiscal measures with calls for pragmatism and fairness.
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I want to start off by saying that overall here last night we heard many government TDs on their feet and shamefully some rural TDs lauding the great budget and indeed as they termed the great climate action measures but I want to remind those TDs who called these measures progressive that there is nothing progressive about the possibility of blackouts. There is nothing progressive about thousands of peat being imported from Latvia and Estonia while 10,000 jobs are at risk in our horticulture sector. There is nothing progressive about abandoning farmers. There is absolutely nothing progressive about punishing rural people, motorists and agri-contractors by a carbon tax hike that is unsustainable and unfair and unacceptable. What we are seeing here is the pursuit of ludicrous objectives. What we need is pragmatism and constructivism but we have not seen that. The only flicker of hope that I could see or the only flicker of positivity that I could see in the whole thing, the only chink of light was the fact that Minister Norma Foley, and I want to commend her for her work as a former teacher like myself, that she saw the need to expand the DESH scheme. She also saw the need to reduce the class sizes and I hope that that will happen again in the next budget. But I do want to point out that there is huge concern among farmers. There were serious commitments made to them and they were reneged upon. There was a commitment made to ring-fence a proportion of the £1.5 billion in the carbon budget. That was reneged upon. I feel that needs to be addressed urgently because it is not good enough. The farming community deserve better and I am calling for that here in Government. They are the backbone of the rural economy and I am calling for fairness here and there has not been fairness. Some of the rural TDs to get up and laud that and pay lip service to the horticulture sector outside the gates today and think that that is fine. It is not fine. We are not going to accept it. Irish people and certainly their constituents won't accept that. Goam Maggat. Goam Maggat. Head to Killer Goam Maggat.
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