Holly Cairns: Government 'doesn't listen' on cost-of-living crisis
Holly Cairns today accused the government of ignoring the growing cost-of-living crisis and failing to listen to protesters, backbenchers and the public. She warned that political choices, not inevitability, left households exposed to soaring energy, housing and food costs and opened space for extremist actors to exploit protests.
Main charge: The government's failure
Holly Cairns told the chamber the government has had resources to provide meaningful support but refused to, wasting billions while critical public services, housing and infrastructure were not delivered. She described ministers' responses to protests as combative, patronising and dismissive and called that a failure of leadership.
Household impact: Real hardship
Cairns outlined the human cost: pensioners sitting in freezing homes, disabled people choosing between heating and charging mobility aids, and workers struggling to pay for basics. She highlighted that 700,000 households rely on home heating oil and that its cost has soared 70% in just under a month.
Political choices and blame
Cairns argued the latest price shocks are linked to international events but that the scale of the impact here is the result of political choices, including cutting disabled incomes by
c1,400 and leaving 315,000 households in energy arrears. She accused ministers of playing into the hands of far-right actors by failing to engage with protesters.
Social Democrats' alternative: Immediate measures
The Social Democrats set out targeted supports: a
c400 energy credit for households earning up to
c70,000 and a Solar for All scheme to double grants for 3,600 households and cut bills by
c450 a year. Cairns said these are concrete proposals the party will bring directly to the public.
Consequences for government and debate
Cairns challenged the Taoiseach over what she described as arrogance and contempt for the house, accusing the government of ripping up the schedule to avoid scrutiny. She framed the moment as a test of whether the government will listen and change course or continue to offer inadequate responses.
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Comhairle, we're here today because this government doesn't listen. It doesn't listen to the opposition, it doesn't listen to its own backbenchers and most importantly it doesn't listen to the people. The cost-of-living crisis didn't suddenly emerge six weeks ago when Trump attacked Iran. It has been growing and growing for years and this government has had the resources to provide meaningful support to people but refused to. Instead people have watched whilst you wasted countless billions, failed to deliver critical public services, housing and infrastructure, all while giving sermons about the importance of fiscal prudence. That is the backdrop to these protests. Life in this country has become totally unaffordable for an ever-increasing number of people. People working long hours every week, barely seeing their families and really struggling just to pay for the basics. Pensioners who spend long evenings in freezing homes because they can't afford to turn on the heat. Disabled people choosing between heating their home or charging their mobility aid. The pressure is relentless and it is draining. The cost of groceries, energy and housing has all skyrocketed with no end in sight. For many the fuel increases were a tipping point and these protests were a way to express that. I want to be clear that the Social Democrats do not agree with blockades of critical infrastructure but I do understand people's frustration and their growing sense of desperation. Last week as protests began to grow instead of recognising that frustration and that desperation and engaging with people the government refused to listen. A succession of senior ministers issued combative, patronising and dismissive statements. The Minister for Justice was talking about sending out the Defence Forces before anyone had even spoken to the protesters. That is not leadership. That is a failure of leadership. The vast majority of protesters are farmers, hauliers and ordinary people who simply cannot keep up with the rising cost of living. Taoiseach, one of the most stressful things is the thought of not being able to put food on the table. The mental health impact on people who rely on diesel to do their jobs does not seem to register with this government. People are terrified. They do not want to be out on the streets. They want their government to listen to them. They want their government to help them. Your failure to do so created a vacuum. A vacuum that has allowed a small number of far-right actors to try to hijack the protest for their own agenda. Taoiseach, you played right into their hands. And now, instead of reflecting on your complete mishandling of this crisis, the government is engaged in a blame game. The Communications Minister is even blaming the media. And you come in here today, the first occasion the opposition has to ask questions, and you rip up the dull schedule and prevent us from even doing that. Showing contempt for this house as well as the people who elected us to hold you accountable. It is shameful. And it shows the complete arrogance of this government and your complete inability to read the room. Proposing a package of measures that will be of little assistance to the vast majority of people. 700,000 households all over the country are reliant on home heating oil. The cost of it has soared 70% in just under a month. And there is nothing in your proposal to address this. It is further evidence, not that we needed it, that no lessons have been learned. We all know that these latest price shocks are the fault of Trump and his illegal war with Iran. But the scale of the impact here is not inevitable. It is the result of political choices. A political choice to cut the incomes of disabled people by €1,400 a year. A political choice to sit back while 315,000 households go into energy arrears. And a political choice to fail to make renewable energy, like solar, accessible. This government's political choices have failed to protect people from exactly this kind of price shock. That is a failure of vision and that failure is all yours. The Social Democrats have an alternative vision for this country and a plan for immediate targeted financial supports for those who are struggling the most right now. Which would deliver a €400 energy credit for households earning up to 70,000. A real tangible solution to help people who are struggling the most. A solar for all scheme to double grants to 3,600 and cut people's bills by 450 each year. These are proposals that we're not just talking about, we're bringing them to the door tomorrow.
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