Elaine Byrne: Could Greens’ dilemma over the cost of living see the coalition crumble?

The party's support comes from both middle-class homeowners and people trapped in the rental sector. That support might not hold together in the face of the pressures to come

Environment minister and Green Party leader Eamon Ryan. Will reduced public transport fares be enough to stave off the inevitable tensions within the Greens as the cost of living, particularly for renters, keeps increasing? Picture: Rollingnews

The government is right to be worried about inflation. It determines political outcomes. It changes the course of history. It decides our choices in life. The package of measures announced last week to address the rising cost of living is a response to the political reality of the bread and butter issues that are exercising the minds of voters.

We have been here before. The 1970s and early 1980s were known as the “great inflation”. ...