{"id":1771,"date":"2022-02-08T13:38:13","date_gmt":"2022-02-08T13:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/flemings-marie-antoinette-moment-show-government-is-out-of-touch\/"},"modified":"2022-02-08T13:38:13","modified_gmt":"2022-02-08T13:38:13","slug":"flemings-marie-antoinette-moment-show-government-is-out-of-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/ga\/flemings-marie-antoinette-moment-show-government-is-out-of-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"Fleming&#8217;s Marie Antoinette Moment Show Government Is Out Of Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>The government has yet to provide a single targeted relief to people who are struggling to survive<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Patronising comments by Junior Minister Se\u00e1n Fleming on the cost-of-living crisis are indicative of a government that is out of touch and lacking in empathy, according to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAdvice from Junior Minister Se\u00e1n Fleming, to \u201cshop around\u201d and \u201cstop complaining\u201d, was a real Marie Antoinette moment. It\u2019s easy to shop around when you\u2019re in the top 5pc of income earners. It\u2019s not so easy to do this when you\u2019re deciding whether to eat or heat your home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe comments are indicative of a government response to this crisis that has been slow, out of touch and lacking in empathy. We have been talking about a cost-of-living crisis for many months. The government has yet to provide a single targeted relief to people who are struggling to survive. A \u20ac100 electricity credit, announced in December, is unlikely to materialise until March or even April.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are targeted measures the government could take now that would make a real difference to people. Core social welfare rates \u2013 which were only increased by a paltry \u20ac5 in January \u2013 should be increased by a further \u20ac5. We know pensioners are among those most impacted by high energy costs. A \u20ac5 increase to the pension, which had not been increased for two years, was never going to be enough. The minimum wage must also be increased to factor in record levels of inflation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fuel allowance should be extended beyond March and must also be paid to low income earners in receipt of the Working Family Payment. Currently, they are ineligible for this payment. The Exceptional Needs Fund should be doubled, and restrictions loosened, so that families at risk of fuel poverty can be assisted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA \u20ac300 refundable tax credit, for those earning below \u20ac50,000, should also be introduced. This would target support to those low and middle income earners who desperately need it. As it stands, the government is about to spend more than \u20ac6 million on electricity credits for holiday homes. This is not a good use of State resources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInnovative measures in relation to the cost of public transport should also be introduced. Reduced fares for off-peak travel should be introduced to encourage people to leave their cars at home and use public transport. It was reported this week that traffic is back at pre-pandemic levels while public transport is at just 60pc capacity. This imbalance must be addressed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA State-run school transport scheme for school children should also be established. A consultation on the bus scheme for schools is currently underway. Implementing a transport scheme for all students would save parents time and money \u2013 and also remove cars from the road at rush hour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe government cannot simply tinker around the edges when it comes to the cost-of-living crisis. It must be ambitious and innovative and provide real support that will make a meaningful difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>8 February, 2022<\/p>\n<p>Ends<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The government has yet to provide a single targeted relief to people who are struggling to survive Patronising comments by Junior Minister Se\u00e1n Fleming on the cost-of-living crisis are indicative of a government that is out of touch and lacking in empathy, according to Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy. \u201cAdvice from Junior Minister Se\u00e1n Fleming, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1224,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[182,88,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1771","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-catherine-murphy","category-finance","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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