By Reilly Woods
Day after day, we find ourselves scrolling smack into a wall of devastating new reports, from Trump’s incredible mismanagement of his own imperialist assaults on Iran, to the continued breach of the “ceasefire” in Palestine, to Westminster and Stormont’s utterly poor preparation for the economic fallout of a war they are complicit in.
Though life demands we carry on as normal, tension unfortunately remains high as each morning offers another unpredictable mess, much of which is landing right on our doorstep.
And while many of us face varying levels of personal detriment as a result of this incoming fuel crisis, Rachel Reeve’s has announced to the world that the UK is facing “no issue with supply”.This means that the rises in prices have been nothing short of shameless price-gouging by the same companies that have accumulated a combined £125 billion in profits in the UK since 2020.
Rising desperation
As of this year, nearly 40% of Northern Ireland households are facing fuel poverty, and about 80% have reported rationing their fuel reserves, which, to many drivers, requires sacrificing their food and heating just to keep the car on the road.
This problem is exacerbated for disabled people, of whom it’s estimated over half are facing fuel poverty – a number which will only increase with the proposed £5 billion worth of cuts to disability benefits by 2030. Likewise for those who live rurally and have longer commutes, representing just under half of the country. But this thorn has made its way into the sides of almost all of us, between elders, families, and students, as this fuel spike sprinkles additional money burdens on top of an existing cost-of-living crisis.
The Government’s answer to these systemic failures is to introduce a 10-year band aid, titled locally as “Warm Healthy Homes Strategy”, a scheme which Stormont has yet to financially secure. Along with having no clear long-term plan, and completely inadequate funding, the scheme inevitably falls short of addressing the overall poverty in Northern Ireland.
Shifting the blame
It would surprise few that of the entire UK, we are living in the jurisdiction with the lowest wages, lowest household incomes, and highest rates of disability and deprivation. Belfast itself has boasted some of the UK’s highest rates of child poverty, the fastest growing rents, and one of the lowest life expectancies for both men and women.
It’s safe to say that the issue runs deeper than a £150 million package, but Stormont would have us believe that this is out of their hands – that we are at mercy of Westminster’s decision. While this may ring partially true, one would have to squint to see the efforts made by our self-identified left-wing First Minister to acquire the ability to meaningfully tax wealth. Notwithstanding the treasury relief funds that are often left to expire unused, our representatives have continuously thrown severed ropes at the most vulnerable members of Northern Irish society, routinely diverting blame to the opposition.
Meanwhile, they consistently miss targets to improve cycling infrastructure and public transport, in line with the Climate Change Act 2022, and fail dramatically to produce the housing they supposedly plan to make “more energy efficient”.
We’re not outnumbered – we’re out-organised
There is a widespread, shared exhaustion that links each of us together in this chaos. But there is something more hopeful brewing alongside it. Most of us have felt it already – just a gentle bubble in a long-simmering pot. There are opportunities for a real fightback against the capitalist cost-of-living crisis, not just in the North, but across the globe.
Many saw the fuel protests in the North and South as a reflection of their own anger at the crisis and the inaction of their respective governments. The workers’ movement must take up the mantle and lead this struggle for a decent future for all. In 2022-23, a strike wave in the North and Britain secured meaningful, inflation-busting pay rises – we need such a struggle today.
What we see is an opportunity – one that is not only available to us, but also to the far-right grifters and their patrons in the capitalist class. The opportunities available to the far right to insert their vile narrative were demonstrated to us again when thugs in Ballymena attempted to burn immigrants out of their homes.
This is a crucial time for building new movements, for intervening with socialist ideas, and for providing support to our communities. The left, as Malcolm X said, is “not outnumbered, we are out-organised.”
