There’ll be f ire and brimstone

Bid to limit turf cutting would ignite protests bigger than the water marches says Healy-Rae

THE Healy-Rae brothers have warned the Government that any renewed plans to limit people living in country areas from cutting and burning turf will face mass acts of civil disobedience on a scale ‘never seen before’.

The popular Kerry TDs were reacting to moves by the climate change watchdog to phase out peat and coal burning for home heat and electricity.

The issue has caused so much anger in recent years that it provoked large protests

Objective to remove burning of peat over time

and the election of Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan as a TD and then an MEP. It would be to rural dwellers what the bitter water charges protests were to urban dwellers.

Addressing the Dáil during a debate on climate change, Michael Healy-Rae told Leo Varadkar that if there is any ban on the burning of coal or turf, ‘they will be faced with every type of fire and brimor stone and hell’.

The Taoiseach answered that, currently, there are no plans for an ‘outright’ ban on the burning of coal and turf.

He added that over time, ‘it certainly would be our objective to remove the burning of peat from power generation and perhaps the burning of coal as well in the medium to longer term’.

In response to that, Mr Healy-Rae said he is ‘exercised’ over the issue, as he believes proposals are afoot, even if they haven’t been drafted yet. And the Independent TD will not obey any legislation on the subject. He said the protests would outstrip even the water charges protests.

The independent Climate Change Advisory Council recently recommended that the burning of coal and peat for residential heating and electricity production should be phased out and carbon tax should be substantially increased.

It warned that Ireland would not meet its EU 2020 targets, which could result in up to €600m in fines similar amounts buying credits from member states that overachieve on their targets.

Mr Healy-Rae said rural people are ‘very militant’ on the issue. ‘This will be way worse than the water charges ever were. If people thought they saw people power then, that’s nothing in comparison to the marches we will have on turf… people are really upset.’

He said stopping local turf cutting to cut emissions is ‘a load of rubbish’ and the ‘difference a couple of turf fires make to emissions… is just a spit in the ocean.’

Danny Healy-Rae said: ‘Enough is enough… what’s wrong with doing something that’s natural and has been done for centuries?

On what people’s reaction to a ban would be, he said: ‘You couldn’t describe it, what it would mean. People would go mad.’

His brother has said electric cars are ‘a load of rubbish’ and the pair ‘would not get much business done trying to get electricity between here and Kilgarvan to top up’.

‘The people of rural Ireland are ready to take on any government, politician or minister that says they can’t cut turf. They don’t have a clue about this… above in Dublin.’

‘Difference turf fires make is spit in the ocean’