UPDATE: Kildare politician accuses Sinn Féin of scare tactics on energy credits removal

A councillor based in County Kildare has accused Sinn Féin (SF) of employing scare tactics in relation to the government's latest announcement regarding energy credits.

Earlier today (September 10), SF's Area Representative for the Newbridge LEA, James Stokes, claimed that the decision serves as a "body blow" to families in Newbridge and across Kildare "who are already paying higher and higher electricity bills".

He also claimed: "And now, on top of that, Fianna Fail (FF) and Fine Gael plan to make things even worse by hiking up costs for petrol and diesel, home heating oil, Local Property Tax, student fees and more."

The Leinster Leader reached out to FF and FG in Kildare for comment, and received a response from FF Cllr Rob Power, who took issue with Mr Stokes' comments.

He told the Leader: "I note with interest that James Stokes comments are identical to those issued by Pierce Doherty [SF's Finance Spokesperson and TD] yesterday," and pointed to a press release issued online by SF yesterday (September 9 last).

"It makes me wonder if this is just a political tactic to stir fear rather than show real concern for people who continue to face financial challenges."

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LEFT: FF Cllr Rob Power. RIGHT: SF Newbridge LEA representative James Stokes

Cllr Power continued: "It's hard to listen to SF's copy-paste outrage when we all know Budget 2026 has not been finalised.

"Furthermore, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has recommended that we move away from one-off measures and consider more permanent changes that support families in a more targeted way.

"If Sinn Fein is now recommending we don't follow the advice of the ESRI, it should say so plainly."

He also claimed to "note the continued anti-environmental assertion by Sinn Fein that they will reduce fuel prices".

Heaping further criticism onto SF, Cllr Power said: "The fact is that fuel prices are now lower than they were when SF made this promise in 2022, 2023 and 2024.

"The public don't trust SF on the environment nor in their financial promises.

"Several studies have shown carbon taxes to be an effective way to reduce emissions particularly when the proceeds of the tax are being used to subsidise retrofitting and other measures to ensure a just transition."

He concluded: "If SF are going to be calling for outrage 24 / 7, they should back up their calls with facts."

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