A warning to the Government from fuel protesters
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What sparked the fuel protest meeting outside Moate in Westmeath?
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The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance.
Now, hundreds of people gathered at a hotel just outside Moat in County Westmeath last night at a meeting arranged by some of the most prominent figures from April's fuel protest. Speakers included government and opposition TDs. There were contributions from farmers and hauliers and members of the public. But the message from the event was clear. The government needs to take urgent measures to tackle Ireland's cost of living crisis or face a repeat of the spring protest. Reporter Vibra Holmes was there for Newstalk.
Now, we have until the budget. We put in our requests, our demands. If it does not meet the budget, are we meeting on the roads? Is everyone here going to come out?
How did organizers and speakers frame the government’s cost‑of‑living warning?
Is everyone here going to make sure their family come out? If that's good enough for me, I'll see you on the roads.
That's how last night's meeting ended, with a warning to politicians and a rallying cry for supporters. But it started with country music. Singer-songwriter and trucker Sarah Wears played to the hundreds waiting inside and was relayed onto a big outdoor screen set up for the hundreds who couldn't fit into the venue. A lorry-mounted crane dangled a huge tricolour over the entrance to the Well Hotel, greeting those who'd travelled from far and wide to the meeting. Where have you come from, first of all?
Come here, come to Kerry.
You've come all the way from Kerry for here? Yes,
correct and right.
Why make that long journey?
I'll tell you, I was doing my sums up last night. And since the 1st of September to today, €2,700 on 1,100 litres of diesel to keep my air haulage van on the road.
What does that mean for your ability to live, to run a business?
Well, at the moment, I'm trying to make it up. Am I going to park the van up and leave my customers down? Or am I going to keep going? I don't actually know yet.
Why are hauliers and farmers leading the demand for urgent action?
I suppose I've come like everybody else because we have one reason and that is things need to change and they need to change now. And how is the cost of living impacting your life? In many ways. I run my own business. I'm also a mother. So it's day-to-day living costs for a start. Heating
a
home, running a vehicle, paying the grocery bills even. You know what I mean? So everybody is affected and it's just something's going to have to change. It's going to have to change sooner rather than later. I can't get to work, so it's quite hard. I'm only a first year apprentice, so trying to get to work, I have to travel sometimes, not massive distances, but the price has gone so high nowadays. I have a diesel car myself, like for travelling distances, I can't get into work a lot of the time. I have to get places to come further afield to come pick me up. So it can be a challenge, you know, next life very hard.
The meeting was organised by some of the protesters who became the de facto spokespeople for the demonstrations in April. Speaking before the event, one of those men, John Dallin, said he and other protesters had bought tickets to a Fine Gael event in Navan on Friday in order to speak with the Tánaiste. Are we going to see more blockades and protests like that, like the slowdowns on the motorways and the blockades of ports?
What personal impact did rising diesel costs have on a local truck driver?
Is that on the cards?
Well, to be honest with you, I spoke with the Tánaiste there, Simon Harris, a couple of times. And in all due respect, he stopped and he met and he engaged in talks. And we met him last Friday morning there. It was in the Arbein Hotel in Avon. There was a talk. And he spoke and he sat down. I gave him a document, a two-page document. And there was a lot of concerns in that and asks in that from the public sector. I put them in context in that document.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What sparked the fuel protest meeting outside Moate in Westmeath?
0:00–1:21
2
How did organizers and speakers frame the government’s cost‑of‑living warning?
1:21–2:35
3
Why are hauliers and farmers leading the demand for urgent action?
2:35–3:50
4
What personal impact did rising diesel costs have on a local truck driver?
3:50–5:01
5
How are everyday families describing the cost‑of‑living crisis?
5:01–6:14
6
What was the outcome of the protestors’ meeting with the Tánaiste?
6:14–7:46
7
Why are protesters warning of future blockades and road actions?
7:46–8:59
8
What next steps are activists urging the government to take before the budget?
8:59–10:20