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LAST UPDATE | 21 Sep 2022
GREEN PARTY LEADER Eamon Ryan has accused Sinn Féin of “following the Tory government approach” in advocating for an energy price cap.
The UK government announced today an energy price cap for homes in Northern Ireland, which will begin in November but be backdated to October.
Minister Ryan said Sinn Féin’s plan is “pretty much the same policy” that Jacob Rees-Mogg outlined for Northern Ireland this morning.
‘Act decisively’
Speaking in the Dáil during Leaders’ Questions this afternoon, Sinn Féin’s Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said the government needs to “act decisively” to combat “scandalous hikes by profiteering energy companies”.
He called for energy prices to be capped at “pre-crisis levels” of the summer of 2021 to get “families through this winter”.
Deputy Doherty described it as a “straight-forward plan” that is happening in “many other European countries”.
‘Tory approach’
In response, Environment Minister Eamon Ryan described an energy price cap as a “Tory give-away”.
He said it was “pretty much the same policy” that Jacob Rees-Mogg outline for Northern Ireland this morning.
Minister Ryan added that it “would benefit the better off who tend to use more energy” and that it would “benefit the energy industries”.
“What we need to do is apply windfall charges and actually get that money back to our people, rather than providing a cap where they get a free pass,” said the Green Party leader.
“It is simple your plan, but I don’t think it’s the right one,” he added.
The Environment Minister also said that the “real story here is that Vladimir Putin is looking to divide Europe” and that the public must be reminded that the Russian government is using “energy as a weapon of war”.
Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty then claimed that Minister Ryan was “Tories on the brain, maybe because you’re in bed with the Irish Tories here”.
He said that people in the North will now have “certainty in terms of their bills”, but also pointed to several other European countries like France, Polan, Denmark and Holland that have also introduced price caps this winter.
“So explain to me,” said Deputy Doherty, “why do you oppose what Austria has done? What France has done, what Poland has done? What the Danes or what Slovakia is going to do?”
Minister Ryan in response said that “every country has slightly different circumstances” and that the “plan presented by the Commission for the immediate response in the next six months is the right one”.
The exchange between Minister Ryan and Deputy Doherty ended with a call “for a little bit of decorum” by the Ceann Comhairle.
Party leaders
When questioned about whether he agreed with Minister Ryan’s comments today, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said he thinks with the Green Party leader said was “a factual statement”.
“I can understand why people would like to see price caps, but the difficulty in price caps is we’ve no idea how high the price of energy will go. And we don’t actually control that because the oil and gas is brought in from overseas,” Varadkar said.
“So if you have a price cap, the government has to be willing to say that it will pay the amount over the cap, no matter what it is. That, as the Taoiseach said, is a blank cheque, it’s a contract for difference. It’s the thing that brought down Anglo Irish Bank, it’s reminiscent to the bank guarantee,” he said.
The Tánaiste said he would be “very, very nervous going down that road”.
“It might be popular for a while, but it might be the thing that brings back austerity and start something we don’t want to every see in our country again,” he said.
Reacting to Varadkar’s comments, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald he is “wrong”.
McDonald said price caps should be in place until the end of February.
“It is a temporary measure, it is an emergency measure, but it is a necessary one,” the Sinn Féin leader said.
“The reality is that people all across the country … are really worried by two things. Firstly, the inability to pay the bills as they are now, and then the terror that there will, in fact, be another price hike through the autumn and into the winter,” she said.
“For us, this is just a sensible and a necessary intervention.”
With reporting by Hayley Halpin and Lauren Boland
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This problem starts at the top. It’s a common occurrence to see a professional footballer screaming obscenities at referees. Even now with VAR making decisions. Until that starts being punished, kids will do the same.
@Rocky: Yep, and managers attacking them on sky sports after games. The ref has always been seen as the villain in football. Monkey see; monkey do.
@Rocky: There’s a rule that diving is a yellow card offence. Rarely used. Looking for an opposing player to be booked is a bookable offence. Never used. So no point being in new rules when refs won’t use the ones that are in. And I’m in agreement with you. It does start with the professionals. If a player seems Neymare rolling around at the slightest tip then there going to do it. And Pundits and managers are equally to blame.
@Rocky: nail on the head. Same to some extent with GAA. Then on a rugby pitch you’ve the opposite. No surprise the kids playing each sport (and their parents/coaches) follow suit with what they see on the TV.
@Pseud O’Nym: it happens in rugby too, especially at underage.
@Pseud O’Nym: Yeah. Shame rugby players didn’t behave a bit better when they’re not playing the game.
@Vonvonic: what are talking about, Soccer & GAA are 10 time worse than rugby players, bad eggs in every walk of life can’t just single out one discipline
Any team’s or their supporters who abuse a referee should be blacklisted for future games until they get their house in order.
I’ve never understood why the ref’s in football are so weak and nor hand out yellows followed by reds for any player hurling abuse. It would only take a weekend in the likes of the “Premiership” before teams copped on. And now that all the ref’s have a mic, they should follow the rugby and have it televised, no hiding when everyone at home can hear the foul language.
Who would be a ref. Even when there right there wrong. Take GAA for example. Most players sent off in semi finals have there red card overturned no matter what they dis to receive the red. If a ref sends off a player too early (again for no matter what) there seen yo have ruined the game. And then GAA wonder why they cant recruit refs.
@Cormac Flanagan: and then when a referee makes a decision, the GAA omertha kicks in and they never back then. E.g. James Owens, Conor Lane, hung out to dry by the authorities this year for their decision.
The standard in the Airtricity League is absolutely shocking!
@Ciaran McCann: here is an idea, you become a ref and we will see how you get on
Christ above. Soft world were living in these days.. put them to work in a call centre for 6 months first after that the abuse on a pitch will be a dream
@Diarmuid O Brien: such a pi#ss poor comment.
@Paul Gorry: As opposed to your wonderful input on this story, he’s not wrong either, Retail staff, call centre workers and Bar staff know all about getting abuse and I can tell you it’s a hell ooff lot worse than referees get.
Some of the refereeing mistakes seen, you wouldn’t see in an under 12s game, the problem is that they aren’t experienced enough to ref in big matches and they don’t have the technology to help them (Goaline technology, Video Ref, etc)
@Paul Gorry: lol..sorry your offended by such a light hearted comment..you should join the referees who claim to be abused too..counseling might be needed. Ill try to remember your feelings for future comments
@Adam J: how often do workers in those sectors face returning to their car after finishing to discover tyres slashed, windows smashed, cases where the individual is locked into their workplace (changing room), or even bundled into the boot of a vehicle, as a form of revenge for decisions made, cases of physical assault, or cases where your family is contacted and threats made against your family? For those who think I’m exaggerating, I spent 8 years as a soccer ref in the mid to late 90s in Dublin and either had these happen to myself, or to my colleagues.
As for the technology you mention, don’t see much of that in about 95% of matches played, particularly at schools level or the junior/intermediate leagues.
@Diarmuid O Brien: i mean they are being abused and they aren’t paid enough to take that kind of abuse. You should give it a try. Let’s see how long you would last
@Diarmuid O Brien: A call center? Jesus, have we got to the stage where call center work is considered tough? Bless.
Give them all cattle prods, you’ll see their tenure increase and abuse go in the opposite direction
Not like the old days when they left because they needed glasses…
A by-product of the culture of corruption within the FAI?
@Eddie O’Neill: Yep the FAI are responsible for dimwitted !mbeciles who think it’s acceptable direct vile abuse at another human being. Go back to sleep and stops fishing for likes with buzz words
@Phil Redmond: You’re missing my point. My point was that the governing body has not addressed this long running problem, they can issue bans/fines/sanctions to players, staff, fans for incidences of referee abuse. They have a large part to play in addressing this. If there is no consequences for these actions then you are always going to get the imbeciles, that you referred to, that are too stoopid to work out what is the correct way to deal with their base emotions.
@Eddie O’Neill: Fair enough but maybe next time say that. You’re original comment implies it’s the FAI’s fault it’s happening in the first place which obviously isn’t the case. This is a problem with the culture of football as a whole and it happens in plenty of countries not just here. Yes FAI could be doing more to fight it but so could everyone else. Clubs need to take action as well instead of waiting for the FAI to hold their hand. The refs at underage level as well get awful abuse especially from parents. Clubs need to clamp down on that. Ban little Johnny from playing football if daddy can’t keep his mouth shut and you’ll see a change in behaviour quick enough
Well if they keep putting up the wrong posts, well
At least they have a fall back plan, from what I can gather they’re all expert wank3rs
@Hugh Morris: very mature
@D. Memery: I didn’t come up with the phrase…
Because they’re shyte
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