‘Pantomime’ erupts in Dáil as Simon Harris holds up graphic of Michelle O’Neill
Tánaiste Simon Harris and Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty accused each other of contradictions in the Dáil as a row broke out about the cost-of-living crisis and college fees.
Mr Doherty accused Mr Harris of repeatedly breaking election promises made to workers and families, before People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy told Mr Harris, who recently became finance minister, “don’t continue to be Scrooge”.
Mr Harris responded by defending his Fine Gael party’s handling of the economy and said the Irish economy is “going well”.
He rounded on Mr Doherty by pulling out an A4 print-out of a Sinn Fein graphic that compared tuition fees in Northern Ireland with those in England.
The graphic had “£4,855 – student tuition fees in the North” over a picture of First Minister and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill, and “£9,535 – student tuition fees in England” over a picture of Sir Keir Starmer.
Waving the graphic in the Dáil, Mr Harris said that this compared unfavourably with fees in Ireland.
“Your faux-outrage, angry Pearse doesn’t convince anybody,” he said amid objections from the Sinn Féin benches.
“We are reducing fees in this jurisdiction now, fees in the North are more than double, and you thought to take to social media and say ‘this is great news’. Hypocrites,” Mr Harris said.
“People see through it, and that’s why you’re sitting over there giving out rather than actually being in government, because you have no credibility on this.
“You say one thing here, and you do the exact opposite in Northern Ireland.”
Labour TD Duncan Smith labelled the exchange as “pantomime”, before continuing a question on Garda resources in Leaders’ Questions.
Mr Doherty criticised the claim that Mr Harris was “sensible Simon” and said his promise to put money back in people’s pockets was “directly contradicted” by his actions in the first year of government.
He accused him of breaking promises made during the general election to protect customers and reduce prices.
He said he had promised to cut income tax for workers; to reduce energy bills and instead withdrew energy credits; abolish student fees and instead “hiked” them by €500; to increase the renters’ tax credit; and to bring in a plan to reduce childcare fees to €200 a month in the first 100 days of government.
“This is not putting money into people’s pockets, Tánaiste.
“This is about taking money out of their pockets.”
“Why should anybody take you seriously when the promises that you made before the general election, one after the other, after the other, were broken by you and you did the direct opposite?”
Mr Harris said that they would continue to pursue “sensible economic policies” and they would “continue to be prudent and sensible in the time ahead”.
He said the domestic economy was growing, consumer spending was “good” and there was record building and construction.
He said the Government had taken measures to help with the cost-of-living crisis, including the rollout of hot school meal programmes, expanding the Working Family Payment and Fuel Allowance to more families.
He said that the current coalition had only delivered one of five budgets as part of the programme of government and that state-led childcare facilities would be delivered.
“You’ll be 19 years delivering your ripostes to the budgets by the end of this (government) term.”
Mr Doherty said that Budget 2026 would see disposal incomes hit and result in reductions in household living standards.
“Sensible Simon, I put it to you, how did you break all of these promises.
“You promised things over and over again, and you broke them one after another.”
Mr Harris responded: “We can debate the use of the word sensible, Pearse, but one thing’s for sure, no one will every call you ‘prudent Pearse’.”
“Your faux outrage, angry Pearse, doesn’t convince anybody.”
People Before Profit Paul Murphy said it would be a “cold, hard Christmas for a lot of people” as the cost of heating oil had “shot up”.
He called for an emergency winter cost of disability emergency payment to be made to people.
“Please don’t continue to be Scrooge, don’t continue to be Grinch.”
