Editorial: Government must be brave on tackling energy costs - and White House visit - Kilkenny Live

With the price of energy continuing to rise as a result of ongoing international conflict, it is time the Government steps in and re-introduces some sort of energy credit to offset the soaring cost of heating our homes.

After a pandemic, amid a housing and cost-of-living crisis, the sad reality is that many people are having to choose between heating their home and everything else. It shouldn't be this way.

The Government should extend the Fuel Allowance to support families most at risk, as well as offer a wider energy credit. People are afraid to order heating oil. The knock-on effect of these price increases on everything else, including food, is a further blow.

We are still dealing with the impact of increased costs triggered by the war in Ukraine in 2022. Real wages have not kept up with escalating prices, and the latest global turmoil only serves to add to the misery.

Growing international connectivity, globalisation, and improvements in supply chain logistics have been a boon to society. However, it also means global events are felt at a local level like never before, and disruption half a world away hits home.
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Meanwhile, Taoiseach Micheal Martin will make the perilous journey to the White House on St Patrick’s Day, where US President Donald Trump quite literally could do or say anything. These visits are important, and the invitation should be taken when it is offered.

It should not, however, come at the expense of the Irish State and its institutions to be able to exercise their function and speak plainly. President Catherine Connolly is entitled to point out that the ongoing violence being meted out in the Persian Gulf is illegal and outrageous.

If these matters are discussed during the Irish visit to Washington — and indeed, on the many other foreign trips Irish politicians will go on — there is of course need for tactful diplomacy and the careful choice of words.

However, our leaders must not be cowed into silence at the destruction of countless lives, and the real consequences of this aggression being felt by people all around the world. They must fight the corner of those they represent, and position themselves on the right side of history in terms of international law and human decency.