Fuel poverty - Poor left out in the cold

THE Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) yesterday warned that a growing number of people face the prospect of fuel poverty.

Fuel poverty is one of those trite phrases that brushes over the reality of its meaning. Fuel poverty means that people are cold because they cannot afford to adequately heat their homes. It means people have to sometimes choose between food or coal, clothes or gas.

In a rich society, which this still is, this represents inequity and a terribly unchristian imbalance. It is one of the consequences of powerful interests insisting on too large a slice of the cake for themselves. It once again underlines how dysfunctional and indifferent we are.