‘Freeze inflation, not the nation’: protesters call for more action on cost of living in budget

Hundreds of people have marched through Dublin city centre on Saturday in a pre-budget protest calling for measures to help alleviate the cost of living crisis.

The protest, which was organised by the Cost of Living Coalition, began at the Garden of Remembrance at Parnell Square and travelled to Leinster House, where speeches were heard.

The coalition is an alliance of political, trade union, student, environmental, and campaigning groups with members of People Before Profit, Sinn Féin, Labour, the Social Democrats, the Dublin Council of Trade Unions, the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, Inclusion Ireland and Extinction Rebellion present.

Protestors held placards which said “freeze inflation, not the nation” while chanting “too many landlords in the Dáil, that’s why rents will never fall”. A large cardboard image of a vulture was also carried by those marching.

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People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said it was critically important people put “as much pressure on the Government as possible” ahead of Budget day on Tuesday.

“Despite the fact they have unprecedented resources available to them, the Government are clearly managing expectations to not really put the spending and investment that is necessary to deal with the cost of living hikes that people are facing and a dire and ever worsening housing crisis,” he said.

“That is not acceptable. We are going to keep up the pressure…What the Government did last year in the budget was not enough and they are going to do less this year so I would be very worried that people on low and modest incomes are going to really be hit hard as we head into the winter months.”

Among those taking part in the protest was architect Julia Botelho, originally from Brazil and living in Ireland for the last six years.

“It is just miserable, I am a young worker, I have a job which is good, but I’ve no hope of getting a house. I pay so much on my rent and I basically work to survive,” she said.

“I’m 31 and I would like to get a mortgage but I just can’t see it happening for me, I think I will have to move country or just go back home.

“Bills have increased massively. Right now, I’m living by myself and I’m a bit worried about the winter. I won’t be heating the place just for myself.”

Ray Larkin, a mental health awareness campaigner from Tullamore, Co Offaly said he wanted to raise the plight of older people in particular.

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“I’m here mostly because I know older people that are in the dark. I know an older woman that used to go to bingo one night a week and now she can’t even afford a small book. Loneliness will set in and it’s a second Covid, as she said to me,” he said.

“Elderly people are finding it so tough, they don’t know how they’re going to cope this winter. I called down to a neighbour as I hadn’t seen any light coming from their home in a couple of days. The man, who is in his 70s, was sitting in the dark and his wife had only died about six months ago. It is unbelievable what’s going on.”

Susan and John Bradley, from Co Wexford, said they would like to see measures that would help younger people secure affordable housing.

“My daughter is renting and she’s paying €850 a month, there’s no hope of her saving for a house as she has three children. She is really struggling,” Ms Bradley said.

“It is just her husband working, with one wage coming in. Her husband was out with Covid last week and he had to take five days off work and all he gets is two days pay. I would like to see more help for people in their situation in the budget next week.”