A Letter from Ireland
a Chara,
The shockwaves of the attacks by the USA and Israel on Iran quickly reached the shores of Ireland. Shortly after the onset of the war, petrol, diesel, and home heating oil began to spiral. The people were already enduring a cost-of-living crisis.
Sinn Féin called on the Irish Government to intervene to reduce fuel taxes and to bring forward other measures to protect working families. The Government of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael eventually introduced measures that were too little, too late. Their tax reduction was wiped out in a number of days as fuel costs increased. The government then allowed the Dáil to go into recess for twenty days during the crisis.
The Sinn Féin President wrote and called on the Government to reconvene the Dáil. They refused. Prices continued to climb with hauliers and farmer-contractors claiming that they were running at an unsustainable loss. They called for protest action on the Tuesday after Easter.
Slow-moving convoys brought motorways to a crawl, and tractors blocked the centre of Dublin. Their demand was to meet with the government to explain their position. The Government’s response was that they would not meet the protest organisers but would meet with representatives of the trade bodies later in the week. There was no urgency from the Government and no respect for the protesters’ reasonable demands.
The following morning, the Government threatened to call in the army to remove the protestors. The response was predictable, and support for the protestors grew. The anger from ordinary people was palpable. The rising fuel prices were hurting workers and families. Protests sprang up outside Ireland’s only oil refinery, oil distribution centers, and ports.
By Thursday, it appeared the government would meet with the protesters, but when the organisers tried to enter the talks, they were turned away. The government warned that the country could run out of petrol in a week, intensifying the crisis. This triggered a run on the pumps, and by the weekend forecourts (gas stations) had run out of fuel. Throughout the week, the government continued to refuse to reconvene the Dáil.
By Sunday night, the government had brought forward a new set of additional measures to reduce tax on petrol and diesel and support the transportation and farming industries. The protestors suspended their protests to assess the proposals.
The assessment of Sinn Féin and the other opposition parties was that the government’s proposals fell short. Sinn Féin moved a motion of no confidence in the government, citing its failure to meet the people’s needs during the fuel crisis and its shambolic response to the protests.
The Government survived the vote, but one of its junior Ministers resigned, along with his brother and fellow TD. They voted no confidence in their own government coalition.
A week on and the fuel crisis persists, the protests, while suspended, are awaiting to gauge the impact of the new proposals.
The rise in price is not the government’s fault; it is due to events in the Middle East and actions by oil suppliers. The response to the crisis has once again tested this government, and they have failed to respond in a way that protects workers, families and the economy.
The issue remains unresolved, and the crisis will deepen until a settlement is reached between Iran and the US and Israel. The Irish government has little influence on that, but it can act to protect Ireland’s interests and its people. The past week demonstrated that they are not up to the task.
Is mise
