Before I begin, I want to mention the developments overnight which have raised the prospects of a ceasefire and an end to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. I hope for a peace that is lasting and brings justice and freedom to the Palestinian people. Tá stampa Fhine Gael ar gach leathanach den bhuiséad seo a bhí foilsithe Dé Máirt, buiséad a thréigeann daoine atá ag obair chun aire a thabhairt dóibh siúd atá ar an bharr. Cuireann briseadh na ngealltanas mór a rinne an Tánaiste ó thaobh cáin ioncaim, táillí mac léinn agus cúram leanaí é seo i gcuimhne dúinn. Some 48 hours have passed since the introduction of the budget. I hope that the real shock and anger of working people and families is starting to register with the Government. They have spent the past two days shaking their heads in disbelief at what the Government served up on Tuesday. It was a budget that abandoned workers in order to look after those at the top. This budget has Fine Gael's stamp on every page. It is a budget that shows up for developers, landlords and investors, but leaves workers behind. It is as though the Government sat down before the budget and asked, "How many of these election promises we made can we break in this budget?" That is what it did. I want to address some of the broken promises the Tánaiste himself made. The first one is on income tax. He said: "[I] believe we can do about €1.4 billion each year in tax measures over the next five years. And that will be made up of both the changes to the income thresholds ...[and] also changing the entry points to the various USC ban[d]s". That is what the Tánaiste said to The Irish Times in November last year, one week before the general election. He broke that promise on Tuesday. In one of the largest tax-cutting packages in the history of the State, at a time when it was never more needed, he could not even give ordinary workers a single cent in an income tax boost. The Tánaiste betrayed more than 2.5 million workers. That is on him. However, he found the money for big tax breaks for developers and landlords. It says everything about his priorities. The second broken promise that he delivered on Tuesday was on student fees. Speaking on social media in November last year, just two weeks before the general election, he said: "I think we need to really phase out third-level fees. I've strong views on that." What happened? How can student fees be phased out while parents and students are being asked to pay €500 more this year than they paid last year?
Sentiment score: 0.02
That is what the Government did in this budget. No matter how hard the Tánaiste tries to spin - no doubt he will try to do it again - he said he had the backs of the students of Ireland. He has double-crossed them. It is another broken promise. The third one is on childcare costs. Speaking to the Irish Independent in October last year, just a month before the general election, he pledged to deliver €200 per month childcare and to do so quickly. Here is what he said: "I actually believe the cost bit we can deliver quite quickly. I believe it can be delivered in the early time of the government." Fine Gael pledged to produce an action plan on childcare costs within the first 100 days of Government. We are now on day 259. Where is the plan? Where is the urgency he had in the run-up to the general election to deliver €200 a month childcare? It is not in the budget. Families are again shortchanged. The broken promises have caused a lot of hurt out there. You do not get to raise people's expectation when you need their support and then come back empty-handed when they need yours.
Sentiment score: -0.06
That is not good enough, but it is what the Tánaiste did. Does he get why so many workers out there are so angry with what the Government has delivered in the budget? Does he understand that they feel really let down by the litany of broken promises?
Sentiment score: -0.32
Seriously? Does the Tánaiste really believe that?
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The Tánaiste speaks about honesty. I will read back his words from before the election-----
Sentiment score: 0.25
-----so maybe he does not put much credence in it.
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Wait until he hears what Fine Gael promised the people. It was to increase the higher tax-band threshold, raise the point at which a worker enters the higher tax-band by at least €2,000 each year.
Sentiment score: 0.41
That is what Fine Gael promised.
Sentiment score: 0.51
It promised a plan-----
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----on childcare costs within 100 days.
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The Government has no plan. Fine Gael has broken promise after promise because that is what Simon does.
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He says what needs to be said at a point in time-----
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-----and then forgets all about it. The families of scoliosis know that and now the workers right across the State know what he is all about.
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Two and half million workers have been abandoned in this budget. I put it to the Tánaiste, at a time when the Government made tax breaks available to investors, banks, developers and landlords, why did it consciously decide to leave workers worse off in this budget? That is shameful.
Sentiment score: -0.49
What it has done is shameful. It has broken its promise. Can the Tánaiste explain-----
Sentiment score: -0.23
-----why he made a pledge that it would lift the burden on workers and decided consciously to favour developers-----
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-----investors and landlords over the people who are out working and building our economy?
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Fine Gael promised to abolish the USC. Does the Tánaiste remember that?
Sentiment score: 0.26
It was to abolish the USC.
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The Government made a choice on tax to give €2.5 million of taxpayers' money-----
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Why did you break your promise?
Sentiment score: 0.32
Yes, on banks and developers.
Sentiment score: 0.40
You gave them your sweetheart deals.
Sentiment score: 0.65
Why did you break your promises?
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Why did you break your promises?
Sentiment score: 0.38
Why did you break your promises?
Sentiment score: 0.38
Why are you breaking your promises?
Sentiment score: 0.38
Answer the question.
Sentiment score: 0.00