Mattie McGrath Blasts Energy Firms and Warns of Pipeline Sabotage
Mattie McGrath spoke in the Dáil about soaring household energy costs and criticised the minister and government for inaction. He called alleged plans to render the Kinsale gas pipeline unusable "national sabotage" and demanded immediate clarification.
Criticism of rising household energy costs
McGrath warned households face massive increases in gas and electricity bills, citing projected hikes and accusing the government of failing to protect hard-pressed consumers. He urged emergency measures similar to COVID-era interventions to cap prices or restrain wholesale increases.
Concerns about energy companies and consumer protections
He criticised big energy firms and named ESP as showing the lead in hikes, saying the inability to tackle multi-billion euro companies was "stickening." McGrath raised issues with standing charters, pay-as-you-go and prepaid power, and questioned how households in multi-unit buildings with one PPN/RPN number will claim proposed supports.
Skepticism about smart meters
McGrath described smart meters as "way too smart" and called them a "con job," stating he would not advise constituents to accept them. He framed smart meters as another mechanism he believes will extract money from consumers.
Allegation over Kinsale gas pipeline and licence delays
He reported being told the Kinsale gas pipeline is intact and could be used again but alleged a directive is on a minister's desk to pour ready mix into the pipeline, rendering it unusable. McGrath called that potential action "national sabotage" or even treason and demanded an immediate answer about the alleged instruction, also criticising a delayed licensing decision relating to Barry Rowe.
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Go ra ma ha ha, electricity costs, domestic electricity accounts, emergency measures and miscellaneous provisions of Bill 2022, second stage. What a mouthful, Minister, because you don't intend to do anything for the hard press people. Households are facing annual gas and electricity hikes of 6,000 from early next year. That is more than triple what they were paying at the start of 2021. Look, Minister, we have figures quoted. I'm not going to quote any more of them here because it's just pure gouthing. what's going on. I have great respect for ESP and ESP workers and outdoor staff and the work they do always. But your inability here, your government's inability to tackle the condomers, to tackle the big multi-billion dollar people, is just stickening, to be honest. Now, why can't your Minister do something like he did with COVID? Emergency legislation to cap their prices or to bring some kind of respect on them. When they get away with those kinds of hikes, it's shocking. It just follows a range of price rises in the past few years, a few weeks, sorry, from other utility firms with SSC electricity, community power and prepaid power, all hiking up the cost. With ESP showed the lead. If you had done something meaningful to deal with them, you would send a clear message to the other people, hang on a minute, you can't be gouging the ordinary people. Why don't you do something with the standing charters? Quite simple. They're exorbitant at the moment. Why don't you do something with the pay as you go? How are people going to manage in those areas here? And I want something clarified too. If there's 20 flats or 20 units in one ESP going in, one PPN number, RPN number, and they are different, how are they going to claim back there? How are they going to get this so-called money, man of heaven that you're talking about giving them? The smart meters. I, for one, think they're way too smart for us all. And it's a con job. That's what my honest belief is, the smart meters. And I said they won't be putting one in or advising any of them either, because you're fat too smart at taking money out of the poker, Nadina. Gawk law. Gawk whore. And also, I want to ask you now, and maybe you might ask your senior minister. He stood up there, shocked to know him, and said that there was a license application in front of him. Not actually a license, but just a continuation of a license that they already have for Barry Rowe. He said they'd have an answer in a few days. That's two and a half weeks ago. So he's playing with these things, sorry, serious issues that are sitting on his desk. He's just refusing pint blank to deal with him, and he's just kicking the can down the road and trying to hunt good investors that will bring us in energy at no cost to the taxpayer here. It's all of their own money. And Kestela, for Antakta, or Antara, Minister Ryan. I met a group of people last week with my colleagues, and they informed me that the Kinsale gas pipeline, we know it's not being used now, it's empty, but it's in great condition. I am told, I'm shocked to hear this, I'm told, and we're told, and it's not doot brand num, go doot brand leahy, go a faro tip it on, we'll poke it in a lane again. This is pretty hot information, that Minister Ryan has a directive on his desk, waiting to sign it, to actually carry out an act of national sabotage on that pipeline. National sabotage. I would go and start to call it high treason, to put, really makes concrete, probably with a 10% increase in top of it, into that pipeline, to render it unusable. Ever again. So I want that question answered, Minister. Because if that happens, this man should be, and you with him, should be dragged out of government, and the people should rise up here, and say, enough's enough. I mean, to damage a piece of infrastructure. What kind of a tink, you know, mind would anybody have? If someone did it, we'd be arresting him as an indigardee. So our Minister's going to sign this order, to send ready mix, with employees and others, to pour it into a gaslight that was laid, and served this country for decades. And it's still there intact, ready to be used again, but he wants to put a ready mix in that can never be used again. Because of an ideology. Because of an ideology. Well, I think that you're, that lunatics are definitely running the asylum, if that happens. What we want to say, Mr. President. Well, you know what I mean? That's an old saying. I'm not going to say, you know, that's a very old saying. In God, if I tip it on. Well, it looks like it to me, if we're going to put concrete, that will go off at 10 newton or whatever, and it'll be the strongest battery, I suppose, and you'll never again use that pipeline. That's an act of treason, I would call that, if that happens. And so, I'm asking you to clarify me, with immediate response, tonight or tomorrow, is this poppycock, is this wild dream someone has, or could he reach so far as to sign an order to instruct people to carry out that kind of state-friendlyism, national sabotage, and cutting off our noses to spite our face. We might never be able to use that again, because if we have floating gas terminals, we'll come in there and do the treatment of the gas and pump it back into the system here to keep the lights on for the winter.
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