Mattie McGrath condemns 'unjust' turf ban and family tax

We're independents, correct. You're one of them, all right. Thank you very much, we're independent group. Slippin' it down. Is this cae down, Mr. Chair? Is this cae down, Mr. Chair? Is this cae down, Mr. Chair? No, my last cae. Look, first of all, cae does she, some of my breakers of Gualdo, Breen O'Donnell, Eireann O'Dore, Agus Mairead, and our members and all Office staff that support us in putting this motion together. And we put this together in sincerity. And we're consistent, if nothing else. We have opposed this unjust, punitive, anti-small man or woman, small family tax. It's totally discriminatory against a people. And the Minister, look, I have great respect for you, but it's kind of a remark there, but we're doing this or doing that or the other. I want to ask you one question. Cae well na taak di Gilea. Where are all the deputies? There wasn't one backbenture of Fianna Fáil here. There wasn't one backbenture from Fianna Fáil here. There wasn't one backbenture from Fianna Fáil. There wasn't one backbenture from Fianna Fáil. There wasn't one backbenture from Fianna Fáil. There wasn't one backbenture from Fianna Fáil. There wasn't one backbenture from Fianna Fáil. Missing in action. Missing in action, Fianna Fáil. Missing in action. They're all action. God, we're here in 20 minutes' time. Sorry for invoking the name of God, but I can't believe it. And then we have some people tell us that we should go mining for turf. Now, I don't profess, or any of us don't profess to know everything, but we know that turf isn't mined and things like that. And we get lectures from people in white vans about what we should do and about LNGs and everything else. But look, that's fair enough. I want to ask ministers. It's appalling vista. This has a sense of deja vu for me and you. You were in the same room as I was. Up on the fifth floor, in your proud party. You were in a fine room full of deputies, ministers and senators. When we had the Minister for the Environment, John Garmy at the time, with Taoiseach Brian Cowan. And I know John, I think it was Deputy, Byrne was chairing it. And we gave two hours discussing when a breeding bitch would be a breeding bitch. And that was the deja vu. That was the last time I walked out of that parliamentary room, because I knew the whole thing was going to do that. And we're back there again. I know there's awful trouble in your party. There's worse trouble in fighting again, because the tarners are nice and flippant. It's like taking the wine off of the people, taking the turf off the people. Right, you know, sexy kind of talk. It's nice and it's emotional and it's everything else. So, we can't call last season. We come back relaxed. And we do come back relaxed. But the minute we left here two weeks ago, there was only a rumpus of our turf. But remember, you're not forgetting one thing. This measure by Emma Ryan is in the big book. The lower. It's in the program for government. And you're stuck to it. You're welded to it. You're welded to it. You're welded to it. And you have to honour it. And Michal Martin said, or Taoiseach Martin said, I think he was in Deneuve or someplace. I don't know where he was. Not in Cork anymore. And Kerry, looking at a bog. I said yesterday, he must be lost in a fog, in a deep bog. And he is. But he said, look, this would be all smoothed over and he would do whatever. There's rumours now of he doing a secret deal now with the Greens and forgetting Finnegade. And I can't forget, you're the Chair, I can't comment, but the regional independents who consistently vote here. They are not independents. They are Finnegade-backed ventures. They consistently vote with every measure. But the measures that are here today are hurting the people. And you know more than anyone, you're from the Midlands, the place you're talking about Just Transition. It's the most unjust transition, just imposition, that was ever dreamed of. So, it must be some of the 36,000 NGOs that you have now, costing 5 billion a year, to come up with these lovely acronyms and lovely names and Just Transition. It's the most unjust, regressive piece of legislation. Why? Because there's no alternatives. Because people are frozen in their homes. Because people can't go to the bog. Easter Sunday was the day. And if Easter came late, they'd be anxious about it. To hit for the bog Easter Monday morning. They always observe the Sabbath and still do most of the rural island. And off to the bog with their flask of tea. And my God, they'd have a sore back. And they'd have a sore lots of places after. Cutting it out for the day with the slain. And thrown it out in the bank. Thankfully now, the machines can come in and cut it and leave it out for them. But they have to go out and turn it. A family event. It was a part of our heritage. Our dukes. Our beliefs. And what we live for. And it also sustained us. And we also had the mental spirit to help each other. I remember there'd be 10 men. I often drove a tractor and trailer. And 10 men and the women. Equal opportunities. They loaded it in bags. And loaded over trailers. Brought it home. Had a fine feed of bacon and cabbage. And a drop for the road. And maybe a bag of two turf for the driver of the tractor. And they give stuff to their neighbours. So it is more important to the people of rural Ireland than wine. Wine is an elite drinker. And the teacher was watching Lyrical History about wine being like the berries or something. I know what he said. And then he said that the whisky tasted more like bog. You would know he never stood in a tough coating position. Either with a slain. Or with handing out a wheel banner across the bog. He'd know well the taste of the cold tea he'd have. And the sandwich might be gone stale. But he'd have it. And he'd earn it. But that's what you all need now. Is a trip back to the bog. A trip back to rural Ireland. Where you profess to represent. A trip into the fair and more you'll be ugly. Into the small farms. Into the small industries. Take the micro industry generation. And there was a deputy across the floor pointed out. People in good faith families put up mini turbines. Put up solar panels. And they're exporting ESP now back to the grid. And it's been robbed from them. Because they're not getting paid for it. And there's no sign of legislation that will deal with this. So what kind of a bad taste and bad incentive is that? And there's so many other things I could say. But as I said the NGOs have plundered this country. And we were talking about the carbon tax. I have the figures here. But 670 euro. 70 million. Yes. And 126 million was spent on climate action actions. So where's the other 500 odd million going? It's a con job. It's a three-car trip. And they took it into diving that the backbenchers are down here. Do you know what? The Garda tobacco team could recruit a pilot. They go down so deep so fast. And they come up again when it suits them. And the constituency. Oh, we're all against the carbon tax. We're all against the prices. The rising prices of diesel. And if they don't want to make this Garda tobacco team. Because for other reasons. They should go into their Olympic deep dive and swimming. Because I never started to make it. But there is a huge sense of jjavu. I can sense it. Well, he imploded with the Green Party at the time. When I said at the front gates. I would stop going out at the evening. I was kind of angst. And I said, the next thing you try and stop. Is the cat chasing the mouse. And it's coming to that. It's utter folly. And you shouldn't go away for two weeks breaks. Because Minister Ryan gets these ideas. I have personal respect for the man. I have good conversations with him. But he goes up with these utopian ideas. And it's only driving a wedge between the people. I want big people with us. It's not all the big butter. And the stick that the old school masters had. You will bring the people with him to carrot and stick. So we need to get real here. And we need to get support. And we at the Rural Independence are consistent. Consistent. We have other doctors here that will come in and out. And they are all for everything else. But they are all being indoctinated by the army of NGOs. An army. We have no army. We have an army of NGOs. Some very good people. But 36,000 NGOs. Costing 5 billion annually. Now we had NGOs ever. When I was at Booker Logue. Where women and men and emissions went all over the world. And they had worked in total world countries. And brought water schemes to water paths of Africa. And God knows where. And by Afro we sold the Middle East. And all the different magazines. To send little aims out to them. They weren't costing 5 billion. They had nothing. To give their life dedication. And the Irish people all they want now. To live out their life in a modicum of peace. Not be perished in their houses. Not be frightened about the turf police. That are going to come along now. Most of these I know. They don't have squatters. They don't have gathered numbers. And we're picking out things out of our head. That we might have this man or that. Oh now we're going to have a limit of population. So we'll have to be able to move from one village now. To the next village. To go to the 500 to burn the turf. Did you ever hear the like of it? The lunatics are definitely running the asylum. When you hear these kind of statements coming up. It's not a plan. It's an idea. It's what they say. It was a regulation. And we do a consultation. The people of Tipperary and West Waterville. And up in North Tipperary. They're in the bog already. Cutting the turf for this winter. You know that. They're close enough if you want to see them. They'll be hoping to go out and turn it in two weeks time. And turn it again two weeks after I have it dry. And for an expert to come on to our tea last weekend. And tell the programme that. We were all burning wet turf. I can tell you. Once had a wet turf. A gallon of petrol wouldn't burn it. But what is the Fianna Fáil leader going to do. When he goes back to his parishes. Like before they all went back with the pit fox. And the lighting started turf. I know what they'll do with the lighting started turf. It won't be up in pit fox. It'll be someplace else. But yes. Storting the people. And they're really really hurting. And they're sick and tired of you. And it's time to cause an election. Thank you Deputy. Thank you Deputy. Thank you Deputy. Thank you Deputy. Thank you Deputy. You were very there. You wish you. I was afraid to get us. You just point off the bell. Thank you Deputy Deputy Secretary, Secretary.