I thank John Campbell and Marc Nolan for their assistance in putting together our motion. We have brought it forward because people across the country have been pushed to the edge. The only reason we are now having serious conversations about costs is that ordinary people had to take to the streets to be heard. The recent fuel protests did not happen by accident. They happened because people felt ignored and because workers, families, farmers, fishermen and small business owners simply could not take any more. It took that level of anger and frustration for the Government finally to recognise how severe the situation had become. That is the hard truth. When we talk about the cost-of-living crisis, let us talk about the real numbers people are dealing with every single day. Food is one of the basics. A sliced pan now costs €1.65 to €1.70. People are paying €2.40 to €2.50 for 2 litre of milk. A pound of butter is pushing €5 after rising by almost 50% in five years. A simple shopping basket of bread, milk, butter and another few basics has quietly but steadily increased week after week. Food prices have been rising by 4% to 6% every year, with groceries inflation running close to 7% recently. This means the weekly shopping that previously cost €100 now costs €130. For many families, there simply is no more room left in their budget. However, the pressure does not stop at the supermarket. We have seen diesel and petrol hitting €2 per litre, crippling commuters, hauliers and anyone who depends on a car. Home heating oil costs between €1,200 and €1,500 for a standard fill, which is a bill many simply cannot afford. Some householders have seen their electricity and gas bills double, forcing them to ration heat and power. For the farmers and fishermen who produce our food, fertiliser costs double at times, feed prices are climbing sharply and input costs have become completely unpredictable. This is not pressure; it is a pile-on, and we all know who feels it most. It is every person who has to drive. It is every householder depending on home heating oil. It is the farmer, the fisherman, the small tourism operator and the builder trying to stay afloat. It is the hard-working men and women of this country. They are the people for whom Independent Ireland stands. They are the backbone of this country and they are barely surviving. They are the very people who took to the streets for the fuel protests. They were not protesting for the sake of it but because filling their car, lorry, bus, tractor or fishing vessel had become unaffordable, heating their home had become a luxury and running a business had become a gamble. They protested because they felt they had no other option left. The fundamental question is why it took protests for the Government to listen. Why does it take crisis after crisis fuelled by energy shortages and food inflation before action is taken? The system is reactive. Prices go up, people struggle, pressures build and protests happen before the Government responds. It is not good enough, it cannot continue and it is why this motion matters. We are proposing a fiscal planning framework for economic certainty. It is a system that finally would bring structure, planning and predictability into how we respond to shocks. We know those shocks are not going away. Fuel prices will rise again, energy costs will spike again and food prices will fluctuate again. It is a question of when, not if. People should not have to protest next time just to be heard. They should already know what will happen. The framework we propose would set out a clear trigger point. When fuel costs reach a certain level, action will be taken. When inflation rises beyond a threshold, supports will be activated. When farming inputs spike, relief will be provided. The responses must be ready in advance. They include cuts to fuel excise to being down pump prices, VAT reductions to ease pressure on households, targeted supports for farmers, fishermen, hauliers and builders, help for small business owners struggling with overheads and direct supports for families facing impossible heating and electricity bills. Instead of delay, uncertainty and last-minute scrambling, we need certainty. Having certainty changes everything. It means a family facing a heating bill of €1,300 knows help is coming. It means workers filling their tank at €2 per litre know relief will kick in. It means a farmer planning a season is not gambling on the unknown. It means people in the building sector know exactly what the future holds. It means people are not left feeling ignored until they are forced out onto the streets. That is what the fuel protests told us. They told us people were struggling and were fed up and they told us that the current approach was not working. While we know we cannot prevent global crises, we can prevent people being left without a plan when those crises hit. This motion is about replacing reaction with preparation and making sure that no one in this country has to protest just to be listened to again.

Sentiment score: -0.02