Troy heard views on N4 protest

Minister Robert Troy said when he went on Friday to meet the farmer and haulier protesters at a blockade of the N4 at the Castlepollard Road exit, he encountered a mix of reactions – but not hostility.

“They were frustrated, they were angry, and they were extremely respectful, and they were happy to engage,” he said.

He was keen to meet them because he knew many of them: “They’re hard-working people, they have a legitimate concern, and I turned up because I wanted to listen to them and to reassure them that work was well advanced in terms of bringing forward further supports in relation to what is an international energy crisis.”

Minister Troy said the country is running on the back of tax. “I explained that we were trying to make the interventions while at the same time trying not to undermine our economic model, because the most important thing is to keep a strong economy and full employment.”

He complimented the Mullingar protesters on how their conduct, and on how they kept traffic moving. “I said if this had been done in other locations across the country, it would have been far better. I think blocking refineries, was contributing to the problem, driving up the cost, and that was wrong. Legitimate protest is fair, it’s a cornerstone of democracy, but blockages, that’s not legitimate protest.”

While the protests across the county predominantly focused on the price of fuel, and the percentage of that cost that is made up of tax, other grievances also arose, such as funding going to IPAS centres, and foreign aid – but those weren’t a major talking point in Mullingar, the minister said.

“Most people I met who were contractors, farmers, people who would rather be out working and earning a livelihood than being there, I have to say that. The fundamental issue was the price of energy and the impact on their businesses. Some did say that money can seem to be found for other challenges that we’re facing, but it wasn’t found for this [fuel costs crisis] in a timely enough fashion.”

Minister Troy said the problems with fuel costs were international: “Every government across Europe is bringing forward proposals. Per capita, we have brought forward the most comprehensive proposal of any government in Europe, supporting people affected by the energy crisis. This is not unique to Ireland. This is a consequence of the war in Iran.

“I accept people are facing higher costs, it’s challenging. We need to reflect that and what supports we can give people. I think the bottom line is we need to ensure that work pays. People feel it doesn’t pay to work in this country, particularly the squeezed middle and you’re left paying for everything. Those people feel let down. As a government, we have to regain their confidence, I admit that.

“I see supporters of mine being not complimentary online. I know we have a job of work to do to regain the confidence of a cohort of people that are left out. I want to assure people we are working night and day to protect our economy. We need a strong economy so we have a surplus we can invest in services, so that we can give increases to protect the services that we provide and that we can alleviate some of the pressures that people feel. But if you don’t have a strong economy, you can’t do that. And sometimes difficult decisions have to be taken to protect that economy for the long term, and that sometimes is painful in the short term.”