Winter is coming, as they say in Game of Thrones.
We are not talking about the presidential election, although it would be easy to think that. No, winter is coming and the Opposition says the Government has failed to prepare for the hardship to come.
Micheál Martin has certainly been feeling the chill.
It was a very cold house for the Taoiseach last week. His budget went down like a lead balloon in many places and his chosen candidate in the election went down the tubes.
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But they are nothing if not a considerate lot across the floor. Opposition leaders were more than happy to turn on the burners for him when the Dáil resumed on Tuesday.
Although, after surviving the week from hell, Micheál could have done without a reminder.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald began Leaders’ Questions on a nice, summery note by remarking that all the Coalition’s big election promises about giving workers a break in the budget “disappeared like snow off a ditch”.
But the atmosphere soon turned icy.
She slammed the decision to remove one-off energy credits for householders this year.
“So winter now approaches. People will leave their light and their heating on for longer. And the rip-off bills they receive will be a body blow for families.”
The Taoiseach can’t understand how parties of the left keep demanding the retention of this universal energy credit.
It means that the very wealthy, who can more than afford to pay their gas and electricity bills, also get the benefit of a Government handout. He also says a continuing subsidy won’t encourage the companies to cut their prices. If they know this money is coming every year, they will just factor it into pricing.
“We keep underpinning the gouging.”
In the debate over the best way to keep the lights on and the home fires burning, the Taoiseach wasn’t denying the existence of rip-off bills and price gouging.
How to stop it seems to be the sticking point.
Have no fear, though. Micheál is on the ball. For there is a task force now.
“The Minister has established a national group to look at the regulatory framework governing the pricing of energy.”
The National Energy Affordability Taskforce. Neat. Under the auspices of Darragh O’Brien, the Minister for Energy.
Darragh would be seen as something of a hard man in Micheál’s Cabinet. A political gouger to take on the price gougers. Neat.
Mary Lou came armed with the latest report from the ESRI to bolster her scorn. In its budget analysis, the think-tank found that the average Irish household lost 2 per cent of its disposable income as a result of the measures.
But the Taoiseach has some issues with that report.
“The ESRI methodology, I would argue, is somewhat flawed in terms of…” he ventured, to a chorus of derision from across the floor.
He tried to explain.
“Under the SWITCH model, if you index to inflation, the top lowest, the top, sorry, the lowest-income deciles benefit substantially more than anybody else, well, up to 4 or 5 per cent. If you index to wage growth it’s a different story. And I’m more into deprivation and consistent poverty -”
He was drowned out by the chorus of outrage.
“ – Sorry. In terms of methodology, I’m into arresting and dealing with those who are genuinely suffering from deprivation and consistent poverty, then the idea of relative poverty, which is a moveable feast, particularly when you’ve a growing economy for 10 years…”
You could see how he might have been losing his audience here.
“What will you do to end the rip-off?” thunders Mary Lou, at a time when people are dreading the gas bill.
Micheál tries. He really does.
“The fundamental factor is the broader regulatory framework that governs the pricing of energy, gas being the issue. Gas sets the price.”
One can sense his frustration.
“We are at a disadvantage in that respect, where also [because of] the dispersed nature of our grid. We’ve the eighth-highest electricity prices among the EU 27 when adjusted for purchasing power parity. That’s where we are right now,“ he explained, repeating that the anti-gouger gouger task force has now been established.
“Did the ESRI tell you that?” drawled Mary Lou.
“No, the ESRI used a different methodology to the one we used last week in terms of how we utilised…”
The Opposition thought this was a hoot.
“Rather than the Micheál methodology,” snorted Mary Lou, overdosing on the acid drops.
“This is well known,” persisted Micheál before giving up.
She wasn’t even listening, he sighed. All she does is interrupt along with her Sinn Féin colleagues.
Populist soundbites. He’s sick of them.
Poor Micheál. Seriously trying to make a serious grown-up contribution and all he gets is heckling and smart remarks.
Has he not learned how this knockabout back-and-forth works by now?
[ A week of so many leaks Fianna Fáil ought to call in the specialist plumbersOpens in new window ]
Then Labour leader Ivana Bacik stood up.
“The housing system in Ireland is broken.”
She said the budget did nothing to start a badly needed radical reset of housing policy. Would he reinstate the eviction ban, for a start?
The Taoiseach talked about judicial reviews, often politically motivated, hampering efforts to get on top of the housing situation.
“Classic deflection tactics,” said Ivana.
Solving the housing and homelessness crisis is “much more complex” than the solutions offered by Ivana, he tried to explain again.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns piled on the misery.
“I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that there’s more disastrous news in housing today,” said Holly to the Taoiseach.
Micheál probably didn’t.
He probably knew she was going to tell him anyway.
Which she did.
Holly told him the Central Bank says the Government is going to miss its housing targets again this year and construction activity is down for the fifth year in a row.
“Your approach hasn’t worked, it’s not working now and it’s not going to work.”
[ The budget bet big on apartments. Will it help fix the housing crisis?Opens in new window ]
The Taoiseach came in heavy with the minute detail again.
An approach which never really works at Leaders’ Questions, wasn’t working yesterday and might occasionally work in the future.
He wants substance. He wants discussion. He wants engagement.
“Soundbites don’t build houses, deputy.”
They get more headlines, though.
“Soundbites don’t build houses but you need to acknowledge that your Government isn’t building enough of houses.”
Micheál battled on with his facts and figures, while accepting that more needed to be built.
“That is not a soundbite or rhetoric. That is unprecedented investment in housing.”
Then it was back to rip-off energy prices which, as Paul Murphy of People Before Profit pointed out, is costing the consumer three times more than the wholesale price.
“Addressing energy affordability is key for us,” said the Taoiseach.
On it went.
“This Government is literally prevaricating while the people of Ireland are freezing,” declared Aontú’s Peadar Tóibín, who is never one to over-dramatise his soundbites.
Winter is coming.
