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Double Standards ??
Surely it is hypocritical of this Government, and especially the Green section of it, to try to persuade the people of Ireland to cut down on their use of fossil fuels in order to reduce our carbon emissions by 10% . They also intend to persuade us by charging us a Carbon Tax, which they hope will be introduced with the coming Budget in a few weeks time.
Lets just look at all this in a rational manner.
Firstly, what are they going to do with the money they collect from us – this extra tax burden? Petrol, diesel and home heating oil and gas will have the extra charge for us to pay. How will it be used to cut down on global warming or will it just go into the coffers to help pay for salaries and expenses of TDs, Senators and Civil Servants?
Secondly, let’s assume that they succeed in forcing a 10% reduction (and they will have to force it by severe penalties and the like) – Ireland’s population is 0.075% of the world’s total. Now 10% for such a minuscule part of global population will be so insignificant as to register little on a global scale. However we are told that other countries will follow our example (the pebble being thrown into the pond and the tiny ripple etc) – can anyone give us an example where other countries have followed Ireland’s example or where this country has been able to influence the internal decisions of other powers? What chance have we of influencing the policy in China, Japan, USA, Russia or any such major industrial power?
Thirdly, it is fine for John Gormley and his likes to tell us to leave the car at home and cycle or take public transport to work but that is a ridiculous suggestion for rural Ireland, where public transport is non-existent and while he, and his cronies in Government, want to put an end to the rural transport scheme. It is also an insult to the majority of Irish people to be told to only take one foreign holiday or to holiday at home in Ireland. The majority cannot afford to take holidays at all thanks to the incompetence of this Government in allowing our economy disintegrate and sink into the mire. Have they lost all concept of life for the ordinary citizen at this stage?
Fourthly, and most telling of all – John Gormley, along with Trevor Sargent, gave the people of Monaghan an undertaking that they would support our campaign for the retention of services at Monaghan General Hospital. As soon as they went into Government, Monaghan Hospital and most of their other pledges went out the window on the new mercs. Now the double standards come in – the people of Monaghan must now travel to distant hospitals to access treatment – are we to travel on bicycles? Are we to share cars with other patients? Are we to share cars when we are going to visit loved ones? Will he cut down on the number of ambulances travelling our roads? Will each ambulance now take two or more patients? Will new electric ambulances be delivered? What produces the electricity to power these engines? The sad thing is that with the extra charges, the cost of taxis will go up and the cost of everyday items will increase because of extra delivery costs and people will not be able to afford the travel costs to these hospitals. But what about the extra carbon emissions being caused by all the extra travel by patients, their families, the doctors, the nurses and the ambulances? Surely this is increasing the problem and this is being forced on us by the same person who wants us to reduce the emissions. There is a conflict here and it is obvious that the Government, including the Greens, make the rules to suit themselves. It is a clear example of double standards or worse.
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