Danny Healy-Rae: Calls budget 'deeply anti-rural', slams carbon tax

There is no doubt about it, but this is a deeply anti-rural budget that will do nothing to support the rural economy of the family farm, instead the costs of operating a family farm or living in the countryside will be substantially increased. From blatantly biased discriminatory to discriminatory, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens budget which whacks consumers, motorists and homeowners through regressive carbon tax hikes while rewarding banks with massive tax cuts. Minister, I will say that I do appreciate very much the extension of the Help to Buy scheme. The continuation of that scheme is very welcome. However, there are several other things that I am very concerned about. The cutting of the roads budget by 88 million. And I will talk about carry and local improvement schemes. We have 676 schemes still on the list. We got through 20 this year, 11 last year. So, that's 31 in two years. Make it up lads, there will be no count of any one of us if we will keep going that way with 20 schemes a year. I remember the years in times gone by, there were 111 schemes done in one year after the other for two years. So, we are being left down and I have said it several times before, the people in Kerry are entitled and on those roads are entitled a good road to their doors. The very same as the people in Dublin for. Here, the carbon tax is wrong and you see, he promised us going back that there would be a scheme for solar panels and for farm solar panels to boost the energy and to create electricity. And now we have a farmer that, he was on the television actually this evening, he has enough, he has created enough power on the solar panels in his shed alone to cover his own electricity. And he could supply much more of it to the grid, but there is no facility. And that facility was supposed to be in place for solar panels by 2020. Now we are told it will be 2030. But, you see, what he is doing is penalising the farmer and if the farmer is driven mad at the same time. And if everyone else hot as well, hollers. And he must remember that there is a carbon footprint for bringing electricity long distances. And that is what is happening now. But the Taoiseach and Eamon Ryan and Leo Brackett would rather be trying to cut the national herd and farmers and everything else. Paralyse the heritage industry. People going to work. Transport industry. Taxis. And the way we are going, all and many other people may be perishing in their homes before the winter is over because they won't be able to pay for the electricity or the fuel, the oil or paraffin that they use. There has been amber lights flashing all the year telling us that we may run out of electricity. And we know what the cost of it is, but that is bad enough. But what is the government doing about it? Well, I do know where the Taoiseach and his gang were all the week. They were all tugged out over in Glasgow, over at the COP in Glasgow. And what I want to know, Minister, he promised that he would give 200 million this year and every year for 10 years to the cause of climate change. Did he tell you that he was doing that? Are they working together? Are they working together? What's happening? Because it is very serious. You are collecting carbon tax on the one hand and giving it away with the other hand in to these fellows to keep these so-called scientists and whoever flying from country to country. And maybe we don't know what they are doing from the aeroplanes when they are doing that. And he is still doing all this in the name of climate change. I tell you that he would very much want to cop on. And are we dealing with the biggest crowd of lunatics ever running the country? Because when you see on the one hand the collection of the carbon tax and the torture that they are putting people through, it is the best country in the world if it will keep going. We see the state of our hospitals, the state of our farmers, the state of our workers trying to go to work. No failing license for some applicants for the applications for over three years. I had one for a little. It was seven years before he got it the other day. Harley is in the transport industry. So then he tells us that he has closed down Borna Mala. We know that. And he closed the Tordemone Point and put nothing in to replace them. It is no wonder the amber lights are flashing. He is opposing Shannon Ellen Gee. And he is telling fellas to buy electric cars. Where are they going to plug them in? Where are they going to get the electricity? Will the electricity be there when they plug them in? And it is very likely that there won't be electricity there to charge them. Minister, I am asking you to cop on and deal with the basics. Giving away 200 million this week of the people's money that was collected in the name of carbon tax and other taxes. That is very wrong. To flit it away like that. And the pressure that he is putting the people of Ireland through. And especially the farming and the haulers and the transport industry. Thank you very much. It is very wrong to do that to those people, Minister. And I can't say that I condone it and I never will. I will never condone something like that. To put honourly good, hardworking people through what he is putting them through in the name of climate change. And I will tell you one thing. If he were there for the last secularum, he won't change the weather. Whatever will come down, it will come down. And he won't stop it. He won't stop this. Thank you very much, Deputy. Thank you very much, Deputy.