Mattie McGrath Accuses Greens of 'Communist Policies' in Fiery Speech
Mattie McGrath criticised the Green Party and government energy and tax policies in a speech on 3 May 2023, saying they punish ordinary families and favour big companies. He said Sinn Fein refused to support a motion to cut carbon tax and accused the Greens of pursuing "communist policies" and punitive charges.
Key criticisms
He said the highest prices in Europe, record profits at the ESB and the behaviour of oil companies had left people bewildered, angry and demoralised. He argued promises of a windfall tax were hollow and that semantic changes around coupling oil, gas, wind and clean energy had allowed costs to rise.
Previous votes and public reaction
He recalled that on 22 October 2022 Sinn Fein refused to support a motion to cut carbon tax, leaving the proposal unsupported here. He referenced Deputy Tobin's remarks and said people at home were bewildered, "black-eyeders, and are perished, and are angry, and are demoralised."
Direct challenges to ministers and named figures
He told the minister to "pack up your bags" and suggested evacuating the building so someone else could run it, saying current policy was driving coats and fur to ordinary families. He accused David Cossack of being "green outside and red on the inside" and likened his stance to historical figures such as Liam Lynch and party peers.
Specific policy grievances
He criticised plans for a 23 cent per litre rise in diesel by October and said the government would not tackle banks, the ESB or the oil companies, whom he blamed for causing havoc and ruin. He concluded with a blunt rebuke aimed at the Greens and their policies.
Speech tone and closing
Throughout the speech he used confrontational language, accusing the Greens of trying to force people out of their vehicles and of promoting punitive taxes and rates. He closed with the remark "to hell out of the Connacht with the Greens," underscoring his strong opposition to current energy and tax policy.
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I am a bit bewildered at this point in time, because this is a good motion I want to support, but on the 22nd of October 2022, Sinn Fein refused to support us in a motion to cut out carbon tax, so we can't have it everywhere here. The people at home are bewildered, as Deputy Tobin said, and are black-eyeders, and are perished, and are angry, and are demoralised, and are many other words I couldn't use. With the highest prices in Europe, we get promise after promise that you're going to have windfall tax, ESB making record profits, and with the coupling of oil and gas and wind and clean energy, all this semantics has gone on. We were the last in Europe to do that, the last to allow that to happen, and it's obviously a plan here by the Greens. I said to David Cossack that he's green outside and red on the inside. Oh, I'm happy to be described as that. You're not in a short of communism, then. Out-and-out communists, and you want to destroy our people, and destroy our country. Well, I think I'm in like Liam Lynch, and party peers, and others who fought for this country to serve our people, and you're serving yourself, and you won't even tackle the big moguls, and the oil companies, you won't tackle the ESBs, you won't tackle the banks every day of the week, that are causing havoc and ruin on people. So, I say to ye, Minister, the sooner you pack up your bags, and if you evacuate this building, and let it to someone can run it, because you're driving coats and fur to ordinary families. They can't eat, they can't go to work, and they can't do anything else, and barely can eat. Minister, it is a stated policy of you, of your party, the Green Party, again, communist policies, again, to force people out of their vehicles by charging punitive taxes and punitive rates. You came here last week, again, two weeks ago, and you put up the exercise back again by 23 cents a litre on diesel by October of this year. So, to hell out of the Connacht with the Greens is what I say.
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