Debate contribution: Energy Prices
Debate contribution by Mr Daniel McCrossan on .
- MLA
- Mr Daniel McCrossan
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 13 April 2026
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Matters of the Day
- Heading
- Energy Prices
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5483090
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Anyone watching the previous contributors would be in deep shock to understand that they are both from the lead parties in this disastrous Executive. Let us cut through some of the spin. As we speak, people are being hammered by soaring fuel costs, and the Executive are doing absolutely zero about it. Families are struggling to fill their cars, workers are questioning whether it is even worth going to work, while small businesses are being squeezed to breaking point. The farming community has spoken out very clearly today about the rising costs that it simply cannot absorb.
What do we get from Sinn Féin and the DUP? Zero. Nothing. Zilch. We get Punch and Judy politics, delay and excuses, no plans, no urgency and no action: just a watery letter to the British Government saying, "Please, sir, can we have some more?". It is a simple cover for inaction. They use social media as a tool to distract from the fact that they have been a disaster in government. While people are being pushed to the brink, around £100 million is sitting there untouched: £17 million for fuel support — not used, no plan, no strategy — and £81 million for electricity pressures — not used, no plan, no strategy. Let that sink in. Whilst I have the great pleasure of representing the wonderful people of West Tyrone, I live in the border area, and I see what happens. I cross the border every day. It is non-existent. I see, on the Lifford side of the border, Sinn Féin representatives saying, "The Irish Government are terrible; they are doing nothing. Where is the support for our businesses and farmers?", while, on the Strabane side, the three MLAs and the MP say nothing. The Sinn Féin-run constituency and the Sinn Féin party that runs the Executive, having the First Minister, the Economy Minister, the Infrastructure Minister and the Finance Minister, do nothing. They are nowhere to be seen. Families cut back on the basics, workers count every penny and carers wonder how they will keep going, but what does Sinn Féin do? It points to the Brits on one side and the Irish Government on the other and says, "Nothing to see here". It says, "We want the power; we want the mandate. Please come out and vote for us", but, when it comes to it, it says, "We can do nothing for you, folks". That is the message that it is sending out. This is an all-island economy. In the South, Sinn Féin is calling for votes of no confidence, claiming that the Irish Government are failing people. My God, call a vote of no confidence in yourselves, because you are a disaster when it comes to crisis after crisis. Sinn Féin is good at covering up the fact that, after every problem, it seems to pile one crisis on top of another and blames everyone else for the huge pile of ... behind it. That is the problem. A real crisis is happening to our people today. Rather than the Punch and Judy show that goes on in this place between the two lead partners in government, who have all the power and authority that they demand from our people at elections, it is high time that they got up, took some action, took some responsibility, got money out to the people who need it, supported our workers and families and stood with the people instead of poking each other in the eye and finding excuses for why they are so useless.
593 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.27 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.60).
- No identity-based framing was identified (0.89).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.15 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.12 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.20 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.09 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.60 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.27 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 0.89 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.01 |
| Adopts it | 0.10 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.59 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.24 |
| Sectarianism, hate crime and community relations | 0.09 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.07 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.01 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:17 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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