The government’s proposals for tackling the cost of living crisis are pathetic. They have proposed ‘once off’ measures they can withdraw at a later stage. They keep pretending that inflation will ease off later in the year.
People Before Profit have advocated clear and radical measures to tackle the crisis.
The government has the power to impose maximum price orders on electricity, home heating oil and gas. They should use it.
The government will impose a carbon tax in May . They should withdraw it.
Rents have skyrocketed. The government should order an immediate freeze and then set up an independent rental review board that would enable tenants seeks rent reductions.
Ireland has the highest mortgage rates in Europe with first time buyers paying €180 a month more than their neighbours. The government should order banks to cut interest rates to the average Eurozone rate.
Ireland has the dearest childcare service in Europe. We should set up a publicly run, not for the profit system.
The government has cut public transport fares by 20%. Why not go the whole way and make it free to help save the planet?
Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Greens will never support these measures because they are ideologically committed to the free market. They really think that ‘the market’ will fix itself and so will only support temporary measures they can reverse later.