An tseachtain seo, den dara huair ó mhí an Mhárta, d'impigh an Coimisiún Eorpach ar bhallstáit céimeanna a chur i bhfeidhm chun an brú ó phraghsanna leictreachais a laghdú. Tá an Rialtas go fóill ag diúltú rud ar bith a dhéanamh chun cuidiú le gnáthdhaoine atá thíos le billí leictreachais iontach mór. Le bheith fírinneach faoi, tá an Rialtas ag déanamh rudaí níos measa tríd an gcreidmheas fuinnimh a bhaint díreach nuair a bhí siad ag teastáil ó dhaoine go mór. Beidh daoine anois ag cur na ceiste simplí seo, má tá an Coimisiún Eorpach ag impí ar an Rialtas gníomhú, cén fáth go bhfuil sé go fóill ag déanamh rud ar bith? This week, for the second time since March, the European Commission has urged member states to come up with measures to ease the burden of electricity prices. This morning, people are asking a very simple question: if the Government has been told to act, why is it still standing back? The reality for families is stark. Electricity bills are rising again, heating costs are through the roof, grocery prices are up week after week and households are being pushed to the pin of their collar just to get by. Here is the reality behind all those bills. The Irish Independent today spoke to an 85-year-old man from Balbriggan. He has been working for 71 years and still cannot afford to retire. He works 15 hours a week just to keep his head above water. He sees it plainly. The State pension is not enough to live on. After a lifetime of work, he is still paying for heat, food and insurance, with the cost of everything rising. He knows that if he stops working, he will not be able to pay his bills. The newspaper also spoke to another man. He is a farmer from Cork in his 70s. He gets up every morning at 6 a.m. to go to work, every single day, not out of choice but because costs have spiralled far beyond what the pension can cover. The cost of heating is up, fuel costs have doubled and the price of everything is climbing up and up. This is not how people imagined their later years. After a lifetime of contribution, they should not be worrying about whether they can afford to heat their homes, but that is the human reality of this crisis. What did the Government do at the very moment people needed supports? It took them away. Energy credits are gone, scrapped just when the pressure was intensifying and just as households were already at breaking point. That decision is indefensible because, at the very same time, we see this week that the Government's economic spring forecast shows the money is there. The reality is that a fraction of the surpluses would make a real difference in ordinary people's lives. The Government has more than enough to act, more than enough to support households and more than enough to give people a real break. This is not about money but about political choices. The Government is choosing not to act. It is choosing to leave families exposed. It is choosing to let bills rise. It is choosing to tell people to wait - wait for the budget, wait until next year and wait while the crisis deepens. People cannot wait because the crisis is here, right now. The bills are landing right now. The pressure on families is right now. These families need relief immediately. Does the Tánaiste accept that his Government got it wrong when it scrapped the energy credits that were so obviously needed? Will the Government now act to reintroduce those supports and bring forward an urgent cost-of-living package or will it continue to sit on billions of euro in surpluses while workers, families, pensioners and so many others across the State are pushed to the brink?

Sentiment score: -0.01

The Tánaiste is still not listening. He is trying to spin it, and he can try to spin it whatever way he wants, but people, in their real, lived experiences, know where they are at. They see prices going up. They see the prices of electricity, fuel, home heating oil and groceries going up. They see all of that. They see a Government that is talking about surpluses - billions of euro more than were expected - and refusing to act. The Government does not need the European Commission’s approval to introduce energy credits. It withdrew those energy credits in the height of winter. We told the Tánaiste what would happen. What happened Simon? Never have we seen more people in the history of this State who cannot pay their electricity bills. On top of that, we have fuel prices and groceries increasing and rents, insurance and student fees going up. It is never ending on families. I am telling the Tánaiste, what the Government needs to do is act now. It needs to bring forward an emergency cost-of-living package that supports families in the here and now. People cannot wait for the Government to get its act together in the budget in October for measures to be implemented in January. People’s bills are rising now. They are looking for help and leadership and the Government is continuing to give them the deaf ear.

Sentiment score: 0.09