I thank my colleague, Deputy Ahern, for allowing me to share time with him. I am extremely disappointed that those who criticised my party have not waited for a response. I did not want to speak about this tonight but if people want to stand here and criticise my party, scrapping the carbon tax would have allowed a €1 billion hole in the public finances. I am not sure what I would say to an elderly person who has made an SEAI application to retrofit their house or to get their house wrapped if I was a hypocrite and did not support the financial measures that have been implemented by the Government. Do not criticise my party and then not stay around to hear the reason we voted in support of the somewhat practical measures that were outlined. We do not support the carbon tax reduction Deputy Ahern spoke about. The protests we have seen in recent days reflect something very real. At the centre of this anger is the rising cost of fuel. It is the cost of simply getting to work, getting children to school and keeping daily life moving. There is deep frustration among the public and, as Deputy Ahern said, it is hardworking ordinary families who are put to the pin of their collars trying to make ends meet. PAYE workers and ordinary members of the public are being squeezed and for many there is no alternative. They have to drive and they are being asked to absorb costs they simply cannot afford. I also believe some of the language used by the Government last week was completely wrong. It did not fully grasp the depth of anger that exists. When people feel unheard, that frustration only grows. The Minister of State, Deputy Troy, said that the majority of those who were protesting were hardworking decent people and they absolutely were. However, we cannot condone some of what we saw during the protests and I do not believe it is appropriate to engage with self-appointed representatives who do not speak for the wider public. This situation should have been de-escalated long before it reached this point. The Government did not have to put our gardaí and Defence Forces into very difficult situations. I have great sympathy for them. They are members of those communities they had to go into and they found themselves in such difficult circumstances. We cannot ignore what is driving this. Families across this country are at breaking point. People are doing everything right and are still falling behind as the cost of fuel, groceries, energy and housing continue to rise faster than their incomes. That is where our focus must be. If we are serious about being constructive, we must bring forward real, costed solutions. Let us be honest, some people have been good at protesting and posting online but slow to offer any credible costed proposals. That is not good enough. Costed proposals must ensure we have targeted fuel supports for workers and rural families who have no alternative but to drive. It means targeted energy supports for PAYE workers. It means intervening when prices are spiralling, including in the cost of home heating oil. It means reducing energy costs and ensuring excessive profits are used to support households. Fuel may be the spark to these protests but this has exposed a deeper pressure on working families. People are looking for leadership, fairness and the chance to build a decent life through hard work. Our job is to listen and is to act and it is the Government's job to deliver.

Sentiment score: -0.06