Aisling Moloney

But essentially then they do it often on their own terms in press conferences where they want to give a little nugget.

I think maybe they're trying to also persuade back some of their supporters that might be really dissatisfied with them after what they saw with the protests yesterday.

And the blockades, because there wasn't, I suppose, widespread condemnation of the blockades and the protests, which the government, I think, expected to happen.

There were people that really supported them who aren't farmers, who aren't hauliers, who don't drive for a living, but did support the protests.

And I think they're trying to talk to that.

Middle Ireland, squeeze middle section that they like to appeal to, especially Fianna Gael.

You rely on tax receipts to fund all those green men.

And you don't have to go too far away from Leinster House to have a look at

To get rid of it or to... It's the increase that is actually going to come in in October.

Yeah, so they've been hard explaining the benefit of the carbon tax and up until there was a blockade, they were very unmovable on it.

And so it will be difficult for them to row back entirely, I think, when it comes to budget time.

And also you have to remember at budget time, they bring in

lots of measures.

So they could just bring in the carbon tax increase as well, along with the rest of the measures and kind of make a tweak here and there to say, oh, well, we gave you this and we're taking away with this.

And that's often what happens at budget time.

And so I think that might be one of the ways that they could not justify it, but bring it in without maybe too much backlash that maybe they give you with the one hand and take away with another.

Because certainly the Taoiseach is in Greece this week and he was talking about how

that they want to give people more permanent relief on high energy costs, and that will be done in the budget, and maybe doing this through social protection, I think is what he said, which would indicate that there isn't going to be maybe a universality with the energy credits, especially with what the EU Commission has been saying all along.

If you do this again, guys, basically, please don't give it to everyone.

Make sure you give it directly to the people who need it.