Mattie McGrath: Slams Government 'Con Job' Over Green Plan
Mattie McGrath criticised the government's green plan in a Dáil speech, calling it a "con job" and accusing the green component of perpetuating a sham. He raised concerns about COP spending, failures in state projects including broadband and the National Children's Hospital, the sale of Quilter, and problems facing farmers.
Accusation of a sham plan
McGrath described the plan as a "typical con job" by the government and by its green component, saying materials distributed (including a book he received) are part of a sham and scam he will not engage with.
COP spending and public spectacle
He attacked COP-related activities and the associated travel costs, characterising them as "shenanigans" and implying the government's approach relies on fear and publicity rather than delivery.
Failures in state projects highlighted
McGrath listed what he called repeated failures in state projects, citing the stalled broadband rollout and the national scandal of the National Children's Hospital as examples of promises that will not be achieved.
Concerns over Quilter sale and farm plastics
He criticised the sale of Quilter to an English company, naming Gresham House, and warned that the benefits will flow to that company rather than farmers. He also accused an Irish farm plastic firm, allegedly run by ex-RFA personnel, of unfair competition that has driven private producers out of the market.
Retrofitting, grants and forestry problems
McGrath said ordinary people cannot afford retrofitting, face grant backlogs and supply shortages, and that forestry work has been impeded by ministerial decisions - leaving farmers reluctant to engage despite existing contracts.
Final verdict and tone
He concluded the speech by calling the approach a "three-card trick" of the worst order, accusing the government of talk without action and staging public moments rather than delivering solutions.
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Minister Gourmacher-Good. Look, this plan is a typical con job by this government, and especially by the green component of it, and the people that make it up to support them. We had your COP shenanigans and the costs that we had in all the aeroplanes that flew out there. You have your fear. I definitely didn't want that book. I got it in my post as well this year. I didn't ask for it. I didn't read it. I won't read it, because I know what's going on is a sham and a scam. We have the details here already of the failure to roll out broadband, the failure of the national scandal of the National Children's Hospital. You name it, countless state projects. And everything that you have in this supposed plan won't be achieved, is not achievable. And then you allow, on the other hand, while this is going on, to allow Quilter to be sold off to an English company. Gresham House, lovely name. And all the sequestrationers in that will go to that company. The farmers that buy that land or have that land won't have any bit of it. It's the biggest con since the time of, I don't know when, the time that time of immemorial, the time that time began. We didn't have an Irish farm plastic company, operated by mainly ex-RFA people who are in the know, who are scamming and have driven private producers, who are doing great work picking up farm plastic. Declan Ducey's one and Liz Moore, who have broke, black-added, unfair competition laws, been raised in this house, been raised like a cultural committee, but Deputy Collins and others, you don't want to know about it. But the black-adding that you've given ordinary people is just simply shocking. It's not retrofitting. I want to do it, but can't afford to do it, can't get grants, the backlog is there, can't get the materials. They've been all to Minister Hackett, and she won't allow you to cut a kipping. Not her mind to say, there's such a bad case now in farmers' mouths, they won't go near forestry, because she has black-added, remember which way she can, and stopped them from cutting trees, even though they had contracts to do so. It's a shocking situation, and it shouldn't be allowed. So, I say to this, it's a three-card trick of the worst order, and you keep bringing in more plants and plants here, and it's all no talk, and no action, and you have a full minute of children. That's what you're trying to do.
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