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During the fuel protests, the public came out and told the Government what needed to be done. It knew this was coming, it did not listen and it left it to the eleventh hour, and here we are. The Government will have been in place for two years

that the Government is scared of the people. The only reason we are here today is that the Government is scared of widespread protests about the cost-of-living crisis. In response, we have a two-month stay of execution for petrol and diesel costs alone … zero-carbon economy to get off of our addiction to and reliance on fossil fuels. The only way to force the Government to act is the threat of protest and protest itself. There will be substantial protest. On Saturday, 19 September, the Affordable Ireland Campaign will be mobilising

Ireland. For seven years, we in Aontú have said that locking people into an annual fuel tax increase irrespective of the price of fuel is morally wrong. Today, Simon Harris has, for the first time, used exactly the same language in his speech. Is this a potential … carbon tax in this country. All of this is happening for the simple reason that the Government is afraid the people will protest on the streets during the EU Presidency. The Government is afraid of the people it is supposed to represent

kicked away this time, the farmers are going to get an awful kick back on this and are furious. They are talking about protesting. I am trying to keep the peace like we tried to before. The Government has forgotten the people out there - the farmers … December? What about the hundreds of thousands who cannot pay their electricity bills? They have no certainty. Putting up the price of fuel again in the coming months will be a further hit. The Tánaiste also talked about electric vehicles and solar panels. People want to change

others in congratulating Senan Molony on his retirement. This is a Government permanently stuck in reaction mode. A crisis happens, pressure builds, people protest and, eventually, the Government scrambles to put together an emergency response. This is not a cost-of-living strategy; it is a desperate approach … fees and so-called voluntary contributions. That is on top of already extortionate rents, mortgages, childcare, groceries and energy bills. Yes, extending the fuel supports will help but it will not help enough. The most frustrating thing is that this Government is in a position

here. It is because the Government parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the so-called Independents feared the return of mass protests this week. It was hard to see, indeed, how the Government could have allowed the first phase of these cuts to end in the same … invested adequately in universal public services, building decent homes, developing public infrastructure, tackling the climate crisis and tackling our over-reliance on fossil fuels. People in Ireland have been living with the consequences. It is no wonder the cost of car ownership has become a political football