With Germany reopening coal burning power stations and fuel prices soaring at unprecedented rates and with possible shortages Eamon Ryan is on the rampage to ban the advertising and sale of turf. Internet sales of turf are to be banned under his ill timed draft regulations to be brought to the Taoiseach and Tánaiste by the Green Party leader Eamon Ryan next Monday.
Off his Rocker
The proposed legislation will also ban adverting of turf in newspapers. Internet sales of turf will also be banned under Ryan’s draft regulations. Rural Opposition rural TD’s were highly critical of Minister Ryan’s comments about online turf sales on Thursday, stating that his remarks on an internet ban show that he ‘doesn’t understand turf’ and ‘is off his rocker’.
The Hot Topic of Turf
Meanwhile on Thursday night there were dozens of turf advertisements on DoneDeal. Under the new regulations, the selling turf on newspapers will also be banned. Opposition fireworks together with hot air from Ryan on the contentious hot topic of turf look set to reignite again next Monday as the Ryan brings the contentious proposals to the Leaders’ meeting.
The sale and distribution of smoky coal, wet wood and turf is due to be banned from September. The Government however insist that people with turbary rights to bogs will still be allowed to cut turf and gift or sell it to their neighbours. Turbary rights refer to ancient rights granted to cut turf for fuel on a particular area of bog.
Hair Brained Turf Ban
During a Leinster House debate on Thursday, Sinn Féin’s Matt Carthy said the proposed ban on the retail sale of turf was ‘hare-brained’ given the rising cost of fuel. ‘The Central Bank estimated that inflation will hit 10% next month and much of that has been driven by soaring energy costs,’ he told Ryan. ‘Many families will be simply unable to heat their homes come the autumn. I have to say that it is bizarre that the minister next week plans to bring forward proposals to ban the sale of turf, considering that such a ban would remove the only viable source of heating for many families. Does the minister not recognise how hare-brained a proposal that is at this time?’ Minister Ryan responded by stating: ‘That is not what I expect to introduce next week. Where the restrictions will be introduced is on the retail and internet, on that commercial operation,’ He also said ‘the vast majority of turf’ is sold via traditional channels, such as through those with turbary rights. This will be allowed to continue’, he said. ‘It is fairly minimal, unless you might have a bit on DoneDeal where somebody has a bit of extra turf left over and they might sell it on,‘ he said. The question is if it is so minimal, why then does he need to impose draconian regulations to ban it? Common sense has rarely been a strong point for Mr Ryan.
‘I repeat my call for common sense and a practical solution,‘ he told the Irish Mail in his justification for senseless legislation. ‘Fuel and energy poverty will be a big issue in the winter,’ the former justice minister said.
Mad Ban in A Fuel Crisis
Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice said that the Government should pause the retail ban on turf for several years. ‘There is going to be a shortage of coal,’ he warned. ‘Not some of the fantasies [Eamon Ryan] lives in. Coal is scarce, that is what I am being told by the merchants. A 40kg bag will be €50, maybe more. It has gone from €4.50 to €9.27 a tonne and it is going to go higher,’ he said.
A spokesman for the minister said that the ‘main effect of the proposed regulations will be to bring an end to the sale of smoky coal, which is the main contributor to air pollution in Ireland’.
Green Party Insanity
The Green Party leader had previously made the ridiculous and unsubstantiated claim without any evidence to support it up that 1,300 people die in Ireland each year due to air pollution. ‘The regulations will have no effect on the burning of peat or the cutting of turf by those with turf-cutting [turbary] rights,‘ ‘Nor were they ever going to have any effect on these rights. People with turbary rights will continue to be able to gift or sell turf as before’. the spokesman said using Ryan’s fallback position.
Soaring Energy Prices
The ban on the sale of turf looks set to be accompanied with the latest round of energy price hikes. Electric Ireland confirmed its fourth price increase in just 12 months last week. From August the 1st, Electric Ireland will further increase its prices by 10.9% for electricity and 29.2% for gas, adding an extra €164.40 or €311.40 to annual bills.
Independent TD for Kerry Danny Healy-Rae said that the minister’s comments about selling turf on the internet ‘shows you how little Eamon Ryan knows about turf’. ‘To suggest that people are buying it on the internet is ridiculous,‘ he said. ‘He knows nothing about the bog or about turf. I’d say the first sod of turf he saw was the two sods that were put up in front of him when he came to Kerry for a meeting a couple of weeks ago. He has gone off his rocker.‘
Facing A Cold Winter
Matt Carty the Cavan/Monaghan Sinn Fein TD took up the cudgel to try and combat Ryan’s ill timed and mad proposed legislation saying “Many families will simply be unable to heat their homes come the autumn. They’re actually in despair with worry as to how they will make ends meet. In that context, it is bizarre that you plan to bring forward … proposals to ban the sale of turf, considering that such a ban would remove the only viable source of heating for many families. Do you not recognise how hare-brained a proposal that is considering people actually want and need Government to wise up and bring forward proposals that will support them, rather than make their lives even harder?”
Power Madness
There is no talking to Eamon Ryan who is a danger to society in his power madness since he became a government minister in a shakily cobbled together coalition that is bound to back him regardless of his increasingly insane schemes. This is a dangerously sick government with a spineless Taoiseach.