15/04/2026
My Take on the Sin of Omission in Irish Politics
A brief note before I begin:
Some may wonder why I use this page to comment on issues like this. The answer is simple. My work has always been about human behaviour, how people think, how they frame reality, and how they respond to pressure, fear, authority, uncertainty, and persuasion.
So, from time to time, I use real-world events and live public issues as examples of those dynamics in action.
This is not a departure from my work. It is an extension of it.
My Take on the Sin of Omission in Irish Politics
I have been thinking about the way Government presents certain policies to the public, and fuel excise is a good example.
To be fair, not every misleading statement is an outright lie. But there is such a thing as the sin of omission. That is when a crucial part of the truth is left out because the full picture would weaken the position being defended.
The EU sets minimum excise floors on fuel. That is the starting point. But Ireland is free to go above those minimums, and it does. So when people are left with the impression that “Europe made us do it,” while the part left unsaid is that our own Government chose to go further, that is not full honesty. It is framing.
I have the comparative rates to hand if needed, but in the interest of brevity, and out of respect for the reader’s time, I will leave them aside for now.
One further point is worth noting. Last night on Prime Time, one of the Government’s own repeatedly stated that Ireland had one of the highest levels of spending on intervention in fuel prices. But simple mathematics matters here too. If Ireland starts from a higher tax take on fuel than other countries, then of course it may have to spend more simply to make a meaningful dent in the final price. That does not automatically prove greater generosity. It may simply reflect a higher starting level of taxation and the cost of partially undoing it.
From a human behaviour point of view, this matters. People are more likely to accept a burden if they believe it was imposed from outside and beyond local control. But once people realise that choices were made much closer to home, the whole conversation changes. Accountability comes back into the room.
This is how public perception is shaped. Not always by direct falsehood, but often by selective truth. A half-truth can be every bit as useful politically as a full lie.
And that is the point.
If a Government withholds material context in order to support its own policy, then it may avoid the charge of lying, but it cannot avoid the charge of manipulation by omission.
The public deserves the full picture, not just the politically convenient part of it.
That applies not only to fuel policy, but to governance in general.
We need higher standards in public life.
Less spin.
Less “cute hoor” politics.
More honesty.
More accountability.
And a lot more respect for the intelligence of the Irish people.
