Mayo Fianna Fáil councillor says government needs to start listening to people on the ground

THE leaders of the two main government parties have to step up and listen to the people who elected them if they are to abate the level of anger among ordinary people according to Mayo councillors.

A large portion of yesterday's monthly meeting of Mayo County Council was taken up with a debate on the fuel protests where councillors spoke of a deep anger among all sectors of society regarding the cost of living crisis facing many people.

Over 3,000 people marched through Castlebar on Sunday calling for a reduction of fuel prices amongst other issues while hauliers and other people took part in protests in Castlebar and Westport on Monday afternoon.

Independent Ireland councillor Chris Maxwell raised the matter at the start of the meeting where he claimed that the government had failed to listen to the 'ordinary decent people' who were 'fighting for their livelihood.

During the debate, Westport-based Fianna Fáil councillor Brendan Mulroy criticised his party's leadership for their handling of the crisis and claimed they had forgotten who elected them into government.

“If anyone for one moment doubts how much anger is out there they have totally underestimated what is going on in the country. I believe our government has underestimated what is going on in the country and it is only the tip of the ice berg,” he said, adding that people were protesting about more than the price of fuel.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy said he's a disgruntled Fianna Fail member

“It is not just the hauliers or farmers, there is a whole lot of anger out there and if the leaders of this country do not step up and listen to the people on the ground. I am a very disgruntled Fianna Fáil member right now.

Penalised

“When people get their wages and pay out every week what they owe, a lot of people are in a minus before the week is over. That is a fact. They might be €40 or €50 down and have to borrow that from a family member to get the mortgage paid. That is what is happening in this country. The people being penalised are the people going out to work day in and out who are getting screwed with tax and there is no way out of it.

“If any politicians in government who do not think there is a crisis in this country they have lost touch with reality. It is time for people to wake up. We have put people in good positions as leaders of our parties and it is time for them to step up and listen to the people who voted them in,” he said.

His comments were echoed by a number of other councillors who said that the cost of living was resulting in a lot of anger among working people in the county.

READ: Mayo TDs support motion of no confidence amid growing public anger

“Now it is morphed into a cost of living crisis and people around this county have said enough is enough,” said Castlebar councillor Harry Barrett.

“Rent in county has doubled in five years, heating oil has doubled in five months, food has gone up by 20-30 percent. People's wages have not kept pace with this escalating cost of living and people are saying they want relief and to listen to their concerns. They are quick to react for certain sectors but are not willing to react for ordinary people,” he said.

Anger

Fine Gael councillor Donna Sheridan said she understood the anger of the protesters over the last week and said the anger among the public is like nothing she witnessed before.

“I have never felt anger which I have in the last few days or tension as hard as it is. People who are going out to work can no longer pay their bills and are really struggling. I don't know what the answer is but the tide is changing and all I can say is I am listening,” she said.

At the start of the debate read a letter signed by up to 500 local people where they called on Mayo County Council to reject the 'inadequate' €500 million package and pass a resolution calling for the total suspension of the carbon tax.

“The arrogance displayed by senior government figures characterising hard working people as reckless or saboteurs while they struggle to survive is an insult to the people of Mayo. This disconnection from the struggle of rural life which you see every day in your own village is unacceptable," the letter read.

Cllr Chris Maxwell supports the fuel protests

Cllr Maxwell, who publicly supported the protesters over the last week, said that it is time the people of Ireland are listened to by the government.

“It is a terrible situation that we have seen happening up and down this country and no one listens to the ordinary decent people out on the road fighting for their livelihood. It is about time that the people of Ireland's voice is listened to too. What they have got from Dublin is totally wrong. The ordinary person cannot afford to heat their house and what did they get, absolutely nothing. It is time now that ordinary people were heard in this country,” he said.

Cathoirleach of Mayo County Council, Cllr Seán Carey had asked for any debate on the fuel protests to take place at the end of the meeting but this was rejected by councillors.

Fianna Fáil party whip, Cllr Damien Ryan said lessons had to be learned from the protests and the government had to be more proactive to global events than they were.

“It is important as a local party to acknowledge that just shy of €800 million has been put into the package to deal with a worldwide crisis and we don't know where it will end. If the last few days taught us a few things it is that the cost of diesel is one thing but what is a greater problem is a scarcity of supply. When we have a situation where boats are being held off the coast and cannot disembark the cargo into a tank. That should not happen again,” he said.