Mattie McGrath attacks energy price rises, government response

I would take no question from you, Minister, I would take no question from the absent Minister. He was here at the start. So why is it that he's fled like snow of a ditch when the questions were being asked by, especially the rural groups, the regional groups and ourselves and indeed Deputy Mike Lamara who had to return to a health committee. So Minister, Minister Ryan here has to answer and he says, made one statement there and we'll be checking the records, that a final decision would issue on Barry Rowe and their application. in the coming weeks. So we'll be holding to that because he's dinnered and because the tarnister wiped off 19 billion off of this country's investments one day here about two years ago when he said that we were changing our policy at the behest of the Greens. The problem here is that Michal Martin, in his grovelling attempt to get into power, hitch his wagon up to the Greens and he doesn't want to hitch it now but it must be on hitch and the Hames would take not for the Hames would back where it should be on him because he's he's made a total Hames of it and you're one of his backbenchers and one of his junior ministers now as well. I don't think you have any responsibility in the industry portfolio so they put you in here. Why are they all plowing? Are they all plowing? When are you going to stop plowing and you tell us it's nonsense? Every kind of a situation that comes up with you is a situation of stopping people, persecute the people and you talk about the profits and the troubles that we have now on the back of Covid. When the hardship and the pain you put people through and the fear you put people through and the fears you left people on. We're not climate change deniers in here, not one of us. We understand nature and we are very proud supporters and the farming communities, the rural communities are of the flora and fauna and indeed fossil, we understand that we must change and we will change. I know better people to change when we are ready. But you won't untackle or loosen up the tacking on the horse before you go to the creamer with the milk. If you do, you'll have milk spilled on the ground. But you'll have milk spilled everywhere and you'll have blood spilled because you're driving people to distraction. You're not funding mental health. We'll lobby here yesterday but you're putting huge pressures now on people's mental health. Because they just can't cope with the ever-increasing cost increases. We can't interfere here. We can't interfere there. We own, the people own 95% of ESB and I salute the ESB outdoor staff and indoor staff that I deal with and outages that are very effective and are very good. But the pure gouthing that they're taking off of people now and they're making 590 million profit in the first six months of this year, in the teeth of this awful horrendous upward spiral of prices, is just sickening. And for the CRU to come out yesterday, another quangal with a brass plate on the wall and say that they couldn't do anything about it. That is why the people are so sick of you and so tired of you. A weary cobbled together, a mixed match of a liquorice of all sorts of a government. But the sweets are turning sour and there won't be any liquorice in them when this is finished because when you meet the people, they're waiting for the long grass, they might not have the lights to see you, but they have enough batteries to see you coming in, you might have head touches on you from some kind of solar power. If you go near them at all, I don't believe you will. Because take the country here in our economy, from hotels to catering, to, as I said, butchers, abattoirs, you name it, agriculture, all of it. And indeed, leisure centres, our schools, neednery, childcare, national schools, secondary schools, third level, how are they going to pay the bills? You know they're not. And they couldn't possibly pay them. And you tell them, a few minutes ago, don't anyone panic, don't anyone worry, we'll all be okay. We will. Live harsely, you'll get grass. I say, mother, no, you'll chuck your teeth and look after our people, but you have abandoned that a long time ago. Why? We also have, as I said, I said the leisure centres, we have also every facet of business, industry, hauliers, you name it. And I was in the Super Valley shop recently, and the bill April, 12 months ago, was €6,080. The bill last April, this April past 2022, was €18,000. Ever before these mad increases you're talking about now. How is that sustainable? They imply 36 people. There are competitors down the road, some of the German, you know, our friends in supermarkets, people who support them too, I won't name which one. Ten staff, tripled the income, and so they can manage. So, we have served our global masters. And you've served them too, as Minister of State for European Affairs. But Peter Madden has served their global masters. No matter what happens to the people, he's planning a big job, an after career, when he's run out of politics here, obviously in some part of Europe or beyond. But the sooner the better. Get him away from this year. Because no one will ever think that anyone will betray our people like he done. When you think of De Valera, you think of Lamas, you think of Charlie High, you think of Bertie Hedden, who you're afraid to talk about now and you don't know what you're doing. It's a distraction. Take advantage of Albert Williams. The enthusiasm and the way he supported business. And our small families, our small people. And you are just serving the global masters of Europe. That's all you want to do. As far as I'm concerned, the reality is that there are three real causes of the state of the energy crisis that's here today. And Everett Hayne is a complete underinvestment in the oil and gas. No alternative capacity whatsoever. And no back-up plan whatsoever. What they say one time with Johnnie, about America, no cash, no hope. You have plenty of cash, but you have no vision, no plan, and you're an abject failure. And that's why one of your back bidders won't come into the chamber for this debate, the regional debate last week, or many other debates we bring forward. Such a dereliction of democracy. At least you did cobble up, welcome back, you did cobble up, Lara, you did cobble up a counter motion. Because you had this nonsensical situation last week and 40 times previous of not opposing the motions, only to acquiesce to them and put them in the bin. Such a cynical plight of a government is disgraceful. You cobble together a response to this is a half-baked response. So Minister Ryan, you are back. And I'm asking you now, you did say when you were here that Barry Rowe will get a decision in the next two weeks. I'm holding you to that, we'll be raising it here. Because you have prevalicated, you have ignored them and you won't meet them. Imagine companies that they're smitting on us think that they're a dirty word. But it's okay for us to imply our import oil from other dirty dictators when we can't get it from Russia. But you have held up their application for licences. It couldn't be up there. I had ten minutes, I can't call it, please. I had ten minutes, I didn't delay. No, in fairness, I had ten minutes. And so they'd like to have it up. The Minister Brun took his full ten minutes. So I'm entitled to, in our motion, to take my debt in the hall. So you have, Minister Ryan, you have prevalicated and presided over one disaster after the next. As I said, it's just not feasible or anything else. Because you've shamed the oil companies and the oil investors. And you've dismantled all of them. And you have no diversity plans. Many people out there crying. Businesses and households and everybody else trying to diversify. Trying to put in solar panels and trying to put in many generators and many turbines and everything. And many have. And you refuse to pay them for the ESP to bring back to the grid. Only this July they're getting any acceptance that the ESP is taken back off of them. So many people have the vision and the passion that you have. But I ask you, what changed you from 2007 when you made statements that we had to bring in all our oil reserves and our gas reserves to be self-sufficient in this country? What dramatic change were you? Wasn't it not from the global masters in Europe? I know Green Party policies are there, but I served with you in 2007 to 2011 when you were banished from this country. And Michal, the teacher of Manchester, know what happened in that Fianna Fáil Green government. But he doesn't care, as I said. Power at any cost for him. And no power for the people. No cotton for the people. No heat. No warmth. We'll be all coming in here in our thermal vests and our long johns. And the people at home will freeze in their houses. And you're going to give out back temporary support in the budget to everyone. Why does any TD in this Dáil need any of the price paybacks you're giving? You're giving it to millenaires. You're giving it back to the chairs of the ESP and the chair of Aldera Quangos as well, who are on board for the oil of 120,000 a year, plus expenses. The people are fed off of it. So look, this is not good enough, Minister. And we're calling on you not to oppose this motion. But if you do, and we're going to put down a motion of no kind for you to resign. We respect you as a decent man, but your policies are cuckoo. And I think Deputy Nolan said last week that you're following some kind of a court-like scenario with your green policies and your colleagues. But I believe that your biggest problem is serving the global masses. And we know that in the meeting on the 21st, we'll have representatives at another global economic forum again. And instead of representing the people of your country, who duly elected you to this parliament and all of us for the time being. And they are hurting across every fashion of society, from the womb to the tomb. And they are indeed. And we know they're attacking men on the womb before, and they're unborn. But look, you're attacking and perishing everybody now. And you don't care. And you have no bit of humility, no bit of respect, and no bit of appreciation of the problem. So I say to you, it's time to get out, go to the country, go to the ground, and feel the temperature. And continue, and go out to the park, or send out the cheese hook to the park, and dissolve this ramshackle, humble, humpty-dumpty government before you destroy our people, and compete in our country. Thank you. Thank you Deputy McGrath.