Irish premier says ‘we can learn from last week’ ahead of confidence vote

Ireland’s premier has said the government “can learn from the last week” ahead of a confidence motion triggered after widespread fuel protests.

A vote of confidence in the government will be held shortly after the Dail reconvenes at 2pm following the Easter break.

Ireland’s largest opposition party Sinn Fein instigated the vote after a week of widespread disruption caused by protests and blockades of fuel depots.

The government condemned the protests as “wrong” and “illegitimate”, while the justice minister issued a statement to say that the army had been called in to help clear blockades at critical infrastructure.

The blockades at Ireland’s only oil refinery in Whitegate, Co Cork, and fuel depots were cleared at the weekend by gardai.

It is expected to take days for fuel supplies to run as normal at forecourts, as the political fallout from the government’s handling of the protests continues.

Taoiseach Michael Martin said that the Government had an “obligation” to act when fuel distribution was affected by the protests, while Irish deputy premier Simon Harris said it was “important to be humble and be listening in a Government”.

Asked if it was important that the Government does not to take for granted how difficult the cost of living is for people, Mr Martin said on his way into Cabinet: “We never do, but there are always learnings, yes.

“We understand fully that people are under very significant pressure.

“We’re very conscious of the pressures that are on families and of course, we can learn from from the last week.”

He said that when the Government was warned Ireland’s only oil refinery at Whitegate in Co Cork would have to close due to blockades, “there was absolute obligation on Government to act to protect the people, really, as well”.

He added: “That’s how we had to clear Whitegate and the ports, because we export about 90% of everything we make in this country.

“The ports are the lifeblood of economy, and if the ports were blockaded for any length of time, people would have lost jobs, part-time production would have ceased, and it would have been very, very serious.

“So that’s the balance here. We accept fully the right protest. It’s very important in a democracy.”

Asked about his leadership, Mr Martin said: “I’m always engaging with people.

“I engage with people on an ongoing basis, and am in contact with people very regularly, but the war that is happening right now has caused real pressures on people and on economies all over the world.”

Asked what learnings he had from the last week, Mr Harris said: “I think the fact that – and I was very much aware of this – but the level of pain that people are feeling in this country is real, it is acute.

“And we can have different views than we do in terms of how best to express that, and I never think blocking critical infrastructure is a good thing to do.”

He added: “But people are really, really under pressure.”

He said of the confidence motion: “Look, opposition will do what they do – they have an important job in a democracy.

“But I would just point out that we have brought forward now a package of measures that’s larger than the package of measures that was proposed by the main opposition party (Sinn Fein).”

On Sunday, the Government announced a 505 million euro (£440 million) package of measures to tackle the high cost of fuel.

The new measures include further reductions of duty on fuel, a delay in a carbon tax increase and support schemes for the haulage, transport, fishing and agriculture industries.

This comes on top of 250 million euro (£218 million) worth of measures announced three weeks ago.

Since the start of the Israel and US war on Iran, oil supplies transported through the Strait of Hormuz have been effectively stopped and caused fuel prices to spike.

On Tuesday last week, slow-moving convoys of tractors, lorries, and coaches causing widespread gridlock across the country.

Demonstrators then blockaded ports, Dublin city centre, and the country’s only oil refinery in Whitegate.

This played havoc with fuel distribution, and hundreds of forecourts ran dry of petrol and diesel.

Government ministers refused to engage with the protesters, labelled the demonstrations as “illegitimate” and instead held talks with established representative bodies in the transport and agricultural sectors.

The Sinn Fein motion of no confidence had criticised the Government for not reconvening the Dail last week and not engaging directly with the protesters, while also calling on the Government to take the “maximum action necessary” to cut fuel prices.

The Social Democrats, Labour, People Before Profit, Aontu, The Green Party and Independent Ireland have said they would back the motion.

It is unclear how several independents who have supported the Fianna Fail-Fine Gael coalition government will vote – including Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae, the brother of Minister of State Michael Healy-Rae.