Ministers spoke earlier about Government measures and responsibilities, and how they have the best interests of the people of Ireland in mind. Will the Minister of State tell me this? In the most recent budget, the Government gave a generous tax break to the highly profitable fast food giants like McDonald's and Burger King. How is that in the best interests of ordinary working people?
Sentiment score: 0.58
Sorry?
Sentiment score: -0.08
The question I asked was how that was good for ordinary working people, the people we were out on the protest with. The Government's tax breaks ensured that the profits of big developers pushed the average profit of an apartment from approximately €50,000 to €80,000, yet when ordinary working people try their best to get by, go to work, raise a family and find a home and ask for a break and supports, they are given crumbs like a handful of cent off the price of green diesel and home heating oil. Average prices for a home continue to run away from the reach of ordinary people. I am proud to have spent so much time with those on a protest in Kilkenny, ordinary people from every walk of life who are tired and just want a break from the struggles of everyday life. What I found so uplifting was the constant support coming from the public and from local businesses who wanted to stand with those on the picket line. There is the sheer volume of people who have emailed me over the past few weeks and shared their own personal stories of how the cost-of-living crisis has been suffocating their lives. However, they have been suffering before now. It has not just been because of the war. They have been suffering because of the Government. I got emails from older people and people with disabilities who wanted to be out with the protesters, but they could not because they were at home trying to stay warm, in their beds for longer than they needed to because they could not afford heating oil. It is as simple as that. I met workers in their 20s and 30s who felt helpless. They asked me what the point was in paying taxes in this country as they would never be able to afford a house. They did not know if they would be able to afford to have children. Parents I met are worried about the future of their own children. There were grown men who cried because their businesses were going under. The political decisions of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have only added fuel to their fire. I stand with the ordinary people of Ireland, who have absolutely no confidence in the Government. The volume of emails I got have stated that quite clearly. Ministers say, as one did today, that some of the people on the protest were their friends. You do not treat your friends like that. I can go back to Carlow-Kilkenny and hold my head high. I know whose side I am on. The Minister of State and the Government have failed to listen to the people. They have failed time and time again to hear the people. It is shameful.
Sentiment score: -0.10