Michael Collins
Cork South-West · Independent Ireland · Ireland
“This matter has been raised twice already this morning, but it is hugely important. I will make a personal appeal to the Taoiseach regarding Skyclarys and the further delay that has now arisen. Yesterday, Emma O'Shea came to Leinster House from west Cork with her mother, father and brother.”
“Another huge problem which normally arises in August is that relating to school buses. Parents have no way to get their children to school because of the nearest school rule. The current and previous programmes for Government contain promises that this will be done away with, but nothing has happened. The rule needs to be abolished.”
“Every parent knows that September has become one of the most expensive months of the year. While free schoolbooks are welcome, many families now face growing costs for other items. Parents are being asked to purchase laptops that cost €400 or more, make increased payments for school transport and pay charges to cover examination fees.”
“Either 25 children are left without a school place this September, or two senior infants classes are merged into one class of 34 children. Does the Minister of State agree that schools should not be punished for helping to solve an enrolment crisis? Will he immediately sanction the additional teaching posts required for St.”
“Education should not be measured by means of the distance someone lives from school, and school transport should not be measured on that basis either. I want to raise a matter that Councillor Bill Clear brought to my attention. It is a very serious issue regarding St. Corban’s National School in Naas in County Kildare.”
“I was chairperson of a board of management and know the difficulties that schools face just because they are one or two children short. That can be made up as the year goes on but it is a crisis that Councillor Clear finds unacceptable.”
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“The biggest issue on the door is the cost of living. That is coming up quite a lot but so is housing. People are upset, with a mother or father telling me their children had to go, not because they wanted to go but they had no choice. They would never get a home no matter how long they lived here. Even buying one is out of their reach, as is building a house. That is the thing that hurts most. For a lot of those people, it hurts them to think that their children were forced out of a country that has not really equipped itself or that has not got a real grip or understanding of the real crisis that is here. The Minister of State knows as well as I do that, down in west Cork, people come to him the same as myself who do not have a house. They are being evicted. They are upset and have concerns.”
“I have been in the House for over ten years and in that ten years, the Government has got it wrong. That is the bottom line. It does not matter where it is; whether it is urban or rural, the Government has got it all wrong in relation to housing and the crisis has gone from bad to worse. I hear a lot of Opposition Members shouting and attacking developers. I would not be in that attacking mode at all about the people who build the houses in the first place because we would not have the houses without them. There is no point in attacking the developers. We have to look at where we can put it right. I look at different things like county development plans. A lot of Members said they have been canvassing. I have certainly been canvassing over the past few weeks down in Galway West. We are talking to the people there.”
“If we are serious about biodiversity, we need to get the basics right. That means proper wastewater infrastructure, real engagement with the stakeholders and delivery on the ground. Rural communities have the knowledge and the willingness to play their part, but they should not be left on the sidelines.”
“There is still too much uncertainty and not enough clear communication. That is not how to build trust or encourage people to engage. When we talk about biodiversity we have to look at what is happening on the ground. These are the facts. In parts of west Cork, we still have raw sewage leaking into beautiful rivers that were clean at one time, and coastal waters. That is the reality for the people of Rosscarbery, Shannonvale, Dunmanway, Ballydehob, Goleen and all these communities. I have raised this issue time and again, but it has still not been properly addressed. We cannot talk about protecting biodiversity while allowing that kind of damage to continue. Clean water is the most basic requirement for protecting habitats, wildlife and local ecosystems. People in west Cork are frustrated. They feel left behind while these issues drag on.”
“Earlier this year, the Minister launched an important report in Clonakilty on wintering waterbirds. It highlighted the important good data habitat protection and the work being done by local communities. However, we also need to deal with the gaps. We still do not have a national bag data collection system. That has been an issue for years. The National Association of Regional Game Councils, which represents thousands of people in rural Ireland, has repeatedly offered to work with the Department to provide that data. It is willing to help and be part of the solution but there has been no real progress. I raised this with the Department through parliamentary questions last week, including the review of the memorandum of understanding and the suspension of the stakeholders forum. The responses I received did little to ease the concern.”
“It is now taking anything from four to six weeks for Garda vetting to be returned by the national vetting bureau. This is having a very real and immediate impact on the early years sector, a sector that, frankly, should be an absolute priority. Services are operating strict staff-to-child ratios and because of these delays, some are being forced to close rooms. That, in turn, is creating a huge knock-on effect for working parents who rely on these services every single day. We clearly need a more efficient, portable vetting system. What action can the Government take to fix this?”
“I have been looking for a debate about short-term lets in the Dáil for the past two or three months. Yes, the can has been kicked down the road, and that is different from what the Government was saying for long enough, but the public needs to know what the future for them is in relation to short-term lets. A debate is warranted immediately.”
“O'Reilly stating that this doctor is no longer a member of SouthDoc and it is, therefore, unable to provide out-of-hours consultations or appointments to her patients. It goes on to say that if you have a medical emergency, ring 112 or 999. The people who got these letters, and I got a number of them again today, in the greater Clonakilty area, some were over 80 years of age and more with small children, are extremely upset and worried to think that if they are ill overnight, they are not to contact SouthDoc. We need to find a solution here and it needs to be 100% patient-focused, as I am. The patient should not be caught up in any disagreement between parties. Can the Tánaiste help Dr. O'Reilly's patients resolve this matter with the HSE?”
“On 15 April, I raised with the Taoiseach this issue about patients of the highly respected Dr. Fiona O'Reilly in the greater Clonakilty surrounds, who are not being seen by SouthDoc after-hours services, due to Dr. O'Reilly discontinuing her membership with SouthDoc. On 23 April, I received what I would call an angry reply from SouthDoc management, telling me that I failed to seek clarification on the issue from the SouthDoc regarding the facts. What South Doc management does not realise is I am a TD and a servant of the people. It is my duty to ask questions in this Dáil on behalf of my constituents, and I will quote facts which are in this letter from SouthDoc management, sent to patients of Dr.”
“This is why we need to make sure the money that will be available, and there could be a lot of it, is spent right and on the projects that are needed. Whether that is University Hospital Galway or passing bays in west Cork, the focus needs to be on those projects. People should be able to go into a hospital in Galway without having to look at scaffolding or see slates flying around like frisbees for the next two years. Money needs to be spent and there needs to be delivery for the people of Galway. Do not be smiling. I am being honest.”
“They are taxpayers. They are honest to God, hard-working taxpayers and they deserve to see their money being spent wisely and to get something back for what they continue to give. Some €500 million left over in the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, fund has not been spent. At the same time, I am trying to get rural transport projects across the line for rural communities. These are simple, good projects in villages and towns that transport does not reach, yet there is €500 million there. I do not know why funding is so scarce or why that money cannot be spent or given back to the people in some way. I recently met a person in Dublin who has been 20 years living in this country. He said it is a great country but it is badly run. I had to agree with him. He is from Nigeria. It was a simple statement but he is 100% right.”
“I just ask for common sense solutions so that people travelling on those roads at least have some safety, people who have a genuine reason to travel slowly can be easily passed and there are no serious accidents on the roads. As I mentioned, hospitals and other critical infrastructure projects need to be put at the top of the list. I know from talking to people about the Galway ring road that it is a serious issue. There is a chronic traffic issue in Galway city. I met the groups down there and they told me about it. I did not need to be told, though, because I travel around there myself. It is chronic to get through Galway at the present time. I would hate to see projects being announced now just before the election, but we need a concentration on major projects so they are done for the people and people see where their money is going.”
“We could then go back to people and say that while we did not get the bypasses, we might have got passing bays. That would be a great start. I know of a lot of accidents in west Cork caused by people becoming frustrated behind lorries and tractors. The Minister, Deputy Chambers, and the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, have been down there themselves. Imagine travelling from Bandon all the way west to Skibbereen before being able to pass a vehicle during the silage season. Lord God, there is something wrong somewhere. A few simple passing bays could be put in. That is where money like this should be going. It is what I keep asking for. I never ask for a fancy flyover.”
“Money is critically needed for a lot of these projects, but is it going to be provided or am I going to be back again in five years' time telling this House that nothing has happened with these projects and we are still in crisis, even though we supported the Bill for critical infrastructure projects that were supposed to get to the top for delivery? I do not want to harp on too much but these are hugely important issues. I would like to know where the funding we are voting for will go and who will have the final say. Will politicians and the political body have any say or are we going to be squeezed out, with the final say going to the most senior politicians? In fairness, if we are supporting this, the least we deserve is an answer here and that everybody will have a say in this and will feed into the whole process.”
“In one of those towns, I have a developer who is willing to invest and build a plant with Uisce Éireann, but it will not sit down with us. We have been asking it to do so for five or six weeks. That makes me very doubtful about where all this money is going to end up and who will have the final say. It is fine to say that we need critical infrastructure as it means the projects that are desperately needed will get to the top. However, councillors in County Cork will soon vote on a county development plan that has no vision and cannot have a vision because most wastewater treatment plants in the county's towns are full and bursting at the seams. It is a vicious circle.”
“It is very difficult to come up here and to be kind of giving out while not seeing the progress that is needed for areas to progress. If this Bill is going to be supported by us, I want to know who has the final say about the projects that are being picked. Is it going to be where the most Ministers are? Is it going to be in the bigger cities while the smaller towns and villages throughout Ireland, where critical infrastructure is equally as important, will be forgotten about? Work is desperately needed in areas like Roscarberry, Ballydehob and Goleen where raw sewage is pouring into the tide. There is a desperate need for Uisce Éireann to build new sewerage services. In fairness to Uisce Éireann, it met us recently across the road. We cannot get it to sit down with us even if we have a developer.”
“A bypass is needed in Innishannon, while in Bandon there is the need for northern and southern relief roads. These all remain undone 20, 30 and 40 years later. However, every year before an election, an announcement will be made that there is money to look at some project. Some fella will make a couple of hundred thousand euro but there will be no shovel in the ground. One of my councillors, John Collins, asked that question at a meeting recently. He asked when our shovel will be in the ground, and he could not get answer. That is all we want to know. We do not want to hear about more reports because reports end up finding snails and worms, and we know what that means - the can is kicked down the road. It is the same with the bypass in Bantry.”
“In principle, we will be supporting the Bill because of the importance it holds for the much-needed projects out there. I was in Galway recently and I met a lot of people in relation to Galway University Hospital. Staff are working in shocking conditions, with scaffolding in place for the past two years slattering around the place like frisbees. It is a bit of a joke in this modern era in which we live. Some 4,000 brilliant staff are trying to work under those conditions. Who has the final say as to where all these projects will go? I have been a Member of the Dáil for the past ten years and I have been bringing up passing bays on the N71 in west Cork and on the R586, but nothing has happened. A fortune of money was never needed. These projects are desperately needed.”
“What people fear is that measures like this could be used in future, not against external threats, but against our own citizens when they stand up and speak out. That is a line the public does not want crossed. I am asking the Minister for real clarity. Are these powers about stopping genuine threats in our waters, protecting sovereignty and ensuring we are not caught flat-footed again or are we quietly expanding the scope for force to be used domestically where Irish citizens could end up being on the receiving end? Once those powers are in place, they will be used. The public needs to know exactly where they stand.”
“I ask the Minister plainly. Will paragraph (a) of the motion mean that never happens again? Will the State act decisively the next time or will we again be relying on fishers to defend Irish sovereignty? Let us turn to the other side of this, which is where the real concern lies. We are giving powers here for the deployment of the Defence Forces in aid of the Garda and explicitly allowing the use of force described as reasonable, proportionate and necessary. Fine words, but people have heard that language before. Look at the fuel protests across the country. People came out because they could not afford to run their cars, heat their homes or keep their businesses going. Yes, there were blockades and disruption but those protests came from desperation among ordinary Irish people backed into a corner.”
“Let us cut to the chase with the language of these amendments and get to the reality of what people are asking at home. The foreign fishing vessels in our waters are, by and large, not there illegally. We all know that. They are there under EU rules. If they were acting illegally, though, would this legislation actually stop them? Would we see real enforcement or more talking while Irish waters were left exposed? Fishers along our coast have heard it all before - promises of protection and action - but when push comes to shove, they are often left wondering who is minding the waters. We saw that starkly with the Russian vessel off our coast. The Government hesitated, delayed and dithered, and it was Irish fishers who stepped up, organised and forced the issue. Ordinary working people did what the State should have been prepared to do.”
“The traffic is blocked solid there. It is unacceptable. I think another promise will come up again before the by-election. It is not good enough.”
“For the long-suffering motorists from west Cork on the N71, there is no passing bay on the road to Innishannon, Bandon, Clonakilty into Skibbereen and down to Ballydehob. On the R586, there is no passing bay on the Bandon, Enniskean to Dunmanway road. We need to invest in public transport. We need to invest in the promises of bypasses for Innishannon and Bandon, in the northern southern relief road and the Bantry bypass. These are all promised each year and every time before an election but they are not delivered. It is just simply not good enough. This non-delivery is costing people their lives and the Government needs to sit up, take action and see where the money has been spent and where it needs to be spent. I was in Galway canvassing over the weekend. People are pleading for the ring road in Galway.”
“I refer to the painting of the white lines; they are scandalous in my constituency. On most of the roads, you cannot see where the middle of the road is. Even at a junction in Drimoleague, people have been on to me for the last year asking that a square box be painted because people are driving from a minor road onto the main road and they do not see it. Nobody seems to care. We are always asking why there are accidents or more accidents there? The reason is a lack of funding. The road in some parts of west Cork mean you simply have to drive onto the other side of the road to avoid potholes. You cannot drive where you are supposed to drive and that is the cause of accidents. The Government seems not to understand that.”
“Nobody disputes the need to save lives on our roads. Where there are real black spots, enforcement has its place. Let me be very clear that rural Ireland cannot be treated as an afterthought here. People outside of our small towns and cities rely on their cars every single day to walk, to farm and to bring children to school because public transport simply is not there. This strategy must not become another layer of penalties and surveillance on already stretched rural motorists. Camera locations must be based on real actionable data, clearly justified and signposted, not a cash cow for Government with cameras hidden away to catch people out. Instead of just fining drivers, Government needs to invest in safer roads, fix dangerous junctions, improve surfaces and protect communities.”
“We found out last week that over €500 million of National Oil Reserve Agency, NORA, fuel tax has not been spent and remains in Government funds. Will this money be spent on these new transport services?”
“Local Link has been a game-changer for many communities throughout the country. I pay tribute to all those who have helped to deliver the service but, alarmingly, in recent times, new services where tenders were sought and received have been unable to run due to funding constraints. Services from Dunmanway to Clonakilty, Grange to Timoleague, and Bantry via Kealkill to Macroom were put out to tender seven or eight months ago. They were tendered for and now they have been told there is no money to run the services. This, coupled with the NTA's stubborn resistance to including small additional loops in populated areas like Castletownsend, Mizen Head, Rinville and Oranmore in Galway, or on the extension of the Mayo anseo rural link from the Louisburgh, Killeen, Drummin and the Roonagh harbour hinterland is leaving people deeply frustrated.”
“For many babies diagnosed with trisomy 13 or trisomy 18, for example, it is a very short time but sometimes they can have longer and a better quality of life than what they were told to expect. Parents in this tragic situation deserve the best of support and care throughout the rest of their pregnancy and their child's life and death, at whatever point that comes. Irish hospitals have a wealth of experience in palliative care for babies to keep them comfortable. Instead of normalising abortion, we should be making this kind of support available and known to those who need it.”
“Abortion is not something that can be undone, and the couple whose baby boy was aborted in Holles Street after they were wrongly told by doctors that the baby had a life-limiting condition have spoken about the interminable sadness and grief they live with every day. How many other unborn babies, like baby Christopher, have lost their lives under Ireland's new abortion laws following a misdiagnosis? A child's chance at life, even during a short lifetime after birth, can be incredibly significant for parents to be able to meet their child alive and spend time as a family, maybe even to bring their child home briefly. Even with a correct diagnosis, medicine does not have a crystal ball to be able to say with confidence how long a particular child will live.”
“This Bill will widen the grounds for abortion after a baby is diagnosed with a life-limiting condition. Currently, the law allows abortion if the baby is not expected to live longer than 28 days after birth. This would be changed to allowing abortion if there is a fatal condition affecting the foetus, which is a more broad and general phrase. It is hard for most of us to imagine just what it means for parents who had been happily looking forward to the birth of a new baby to hear that something is seriously wrong. Scans and tests can do a lot to diagnose and predict what to expect but they are not crystal balls. It can happen that mistakes are made in diagnosis.”
“The people know it and they are angered out there about this because the Government has neglected the good hard-working people of this country.”
“That is why stronger regulations, real affordability measures and the return of energy credits are not optional but essential. We are, unfortunately, not energy independent. We should be. We are laggards. That is what the powers in Europe think Ireland is: laggards in relation to renewables. People out there are trying to put solar on their houses and on the roofs of their sheds. The pittance grants they are getting are shocking compared with those in other countries in Europe and in the UK. They are getting treble in Scotland what we get in Ireland. We are not moving in any direction. All the Government wants to do is tax the people as hard as it can - carbon, the National Oil Reserves Agency, NORA, levy, VAT, the whole lot down the hard-working man and woman's back.”
“I heard again on the doors of Galway how important these credits were to people, who remember them because they made a real a difference. They reduced fear and bought people breathing space. Energy prices remain high. Fuel poverty has not disappeared. That is why I make a direct appeal to the Minister of State: those energy credits need to be reintroduced, not as a political gesture, but as a necessary support for our households, particularly in rural Ireland. This Bill is a step in the right direction. It pushes transparency and accountability, but legislation alone will not keep homes warm. People need practical help and they need it now. Energy is an essential service. No one should be forced to choose between heating and eating.”
“On doorsteps in rural areas, people raised energy costs as one of their main concerns: pensioners, working families and small business owners all said the same thing. They feel squeezed, they feel forgotten and they are worried about how they will manage the next winter. While people are struggling like that, profits are being made. The ESB recorded profits of €868 million in 2023 and €706 million in 2024. Bord Gáis Energy made €72.5 million in profit in 2025. SSE's Irish operations reported profits of over €50 million. These are huge figures when set against the reality being faced by households across the country. We also know what actually provided relief before the last election: energy credits were issued. I did say "before the last election".”
“In recent years, energy suppliers operating in Ireland recorded profits running into hundreds of millions of euro, even as households struggled with some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. That reality is why stronger transparency, oversight and consumer protection are not only justified, but necessary. This pressure has been felt most sharply in rural Ireland. When people in rural areas do not have access to cash, they have no alternative. They rely on electricity, oil and solid fuel, often in older homes that are expensive to heat. When prices go up, they have nowhere to turn and fuel poverty sets in quickly. I saw that clearly myself time and again while canvassing in Galway last weekend.”
“The Government seems to be using every kind of mechanism against the ordinary working paramedic who has given their time to save lives and upskill. A report was brought in in 2020. All of this was there before this Government and the last Government, and the paramedics have been left there and forgotten. This cannot continue. The Government has been neglectful and caught sleeping at the wheel. People are striking. That is no place for good, genuine, hard-working people who want to go out, save lives and do what they are trained to do and should be paid properly to do.”
“I also raise the case of Ms Elma Joseph, an Indian national with a valid critical skills employment permit to work as a nurse. She has been told she must leave the State due to a change of employer despite being lawfully here and working in a sector crying out for staff. That completely undermines the purpose of the critical skills scheme. I call on the Government to sort out these issues immediately. Our health system cannot afford to lose these nurses, especially on a day when all paramedics are taking strike action. The Minister will have to sit up and listen to this. I listened to the Taoiseach's answers about those paramedics who are on strike today. They have been wronged, not for a week and not for two weeks, but for years.”
“I thank nurses across the country. Without them, we would not have a health service, but the reality is that student nurses are being worked full time caring for patients while struggling to afford rent, transport and food. Much of this work is unpaid. Travel accommodation and fuel costs are pushing students into debt, hardship and even homelessness just to qualify. By the time they graduate, many are already burned out. That is not sustainable. If we want nurses to stay, we must support them properly during training, not after. We also have serious issues with nurses on work permits. In Bantry General Hospital, a nurse is still waiting on her Irish residence permit card and cannot travel home to see her family. This is simply not good enough.”
“I was going to mention the short-term lets and the legislation and the looming date of 20 May, but the advanced paramedics are out on strike today. I refer to the disrespect that is being shown to them. It is a long-standing pay dispute, going on since 2020. We need an urgent debate on it today in the House.”
“Early years providers across the country are contacting me in distress after receiving commercial rate demands from their local authority. These are essential community services already under enormous financial pressure and now they are being hit with unexpected bills that threaten their very viability. The Minister, Deputy Foley, has stated that rates decisions are a matter for Tailte Éireann and the local authorities, yet she also acknowledges the critical importance of early learning and childcare for families and communities. The Minister met the Minister, Deputy Browne, and said they were seeking a resolution. The providers need clarity now, however. Will the Minister tell the House what concrete steps this Government is taking to ensure early years services are not forced to close their doors because of commercial rates liabilities?”
“Hang on a minute, we are talking about them too. There is plenty of time to let the Deputy talk when she wants to. The whole problem of the short-term lets is a serious issue for our communities. At the same time, you see vacant council houses and HSE houses all over the place. There is plenty of housing. The Government is going after a sector it should not be going after.”
“It tells people how to get housing and planning for the next number of years but if you are not allowed to participate in it or it is poorly advertised or poorly discussed with people, they do not get that chance. People have come to me often recently. They have ruins and are trying to rebuild them. There is an amount of hassle involved. It costs thousands and thousands of euro for this report and that report. It is turning people away from just doing up a ruin that is falling down anyway. I cannot understand for the life of me where the Government is going. We need to look at vacant houses. The Government is attacking the short-term lets sector. I plead with the Minister not to allow that to continue. In rural communities, the Government has said it is dealing with-----”
“We must look at every opportunity out there. I would like the Government to consider affordable sites and the value to communities. People bought sites with State subsidies and homes were built for local people who took their children to the local school and invested in the local community. They were a huge benefit long ago but are not there today. I would like the Government to look at that again. Affordable sites are a considerable issue in rural communities. People cannot afford to buy sites or get a mortgage or whatever. I have been fighting for a long time about housing and have talked about planning. It is a serious issue. I am a big believer in the county development plan but county development plans are built not to engage. That is a serious mistake.”
“They want delivery, accountability and funding that is ring-fenced, time-bound and actually spent on the ground. This is not just a Dublin problem. It is a very serious problem in Dublin and I fully respect those who are here today to highlight their crisis, as such. However, it is happening across rural Ireland, too. The message from those communities is clear: treat tenants with dignity, stop the waste and delays, and make sure no regeneration project reduces the number of homes available. We support action, and want to see real delivery, real value for money and real homes in which people can actually live. We must look at different ways. The Government has, in fairness, been looking at some ways, including extensions at the back of houses. I fully agree with that and think it is wrong for anyone to criticise it.”
“I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this important motion. There are families from flats in Dublin in the audience today. Good, decent people are being left to live in damp, mouldy, unsafe homes. That is simply unacceptable. I have seen it in towns and villages in west Cork, where people have been waiting years for repairs that never come. They are paying high rents while living in conditions that no one here would be expected to tolerate. The Government talks about housing numbers but a substandard home is not a housing solution. We must fix the homes we already have and make them warm, dry and safe. When regeneration is promised, we must be honest. If we knock down homes, where are the replacements? Communities deserve straight answers. People are tired of plans, consultation and glossy announcements.”
“On 20 May, the people of this country doing short-term lets, Airbnb, etc., are supposed to sign up to a document. It is like a blank cheque. There is no legislation, despite being promised here for many years, never mind over the last number of months. I have been asking nearly every week for three months to bring the Minister before the Dáil to explain the situation. Do not expect people on 20 May to sign a blank cheque. Surely be to God, the Minister can come before the Dáil and explain what is going on.”
“They are not on the same planet as I am, where the ordinary people get up in the morning, work hard, cannot afford an increase in fuel, cannot afford a carbon tax, cannot afford NORA, cannot afford VAT. These parties say that they are supposedly sympathetic towards them, but they have their backs turned on them. Even their leader yesterday wanted to get rid of holiday homes. Jesus, what next? Lord Christ, is it a Communist country we are heading into? The Government has failed the country in relation to renewables. There is no point in talking about renewables when somebody has to spend €20,000 and they are only getting an €1,800 grant. That is not good enough.”
“When they needed the country to just put out the hand and say it would give them something back, it was swept away from them. That is not good enough. That is just not a caring Government. I know the Government is frantic now and it is trying to create all these little mini-budgets that it said it could not do before. I am not going to discredit them but at the same time I look across at parties that come in here with a sympathetic ear, like the Social Democrats or the Labour Party, who turn around and tell people they really want something to be done but on the other hand they want to shove on the carbon tax on top of the Irish people. For the love of God, they are talking out of two sides of their mouths.”
“They sent their request. I will not say their set of demands because they were struggling and were in a desperate position. Some of them wanted to go on strike that very evening and the next morning and we said, "No, hold on", and they did. That is how you negotiate. We looked for the reconvening of the Dáil. We wrote to the Taoiseach to act as a conduit with those protestors because he did not want to talk. The whole thing unfortunately spiralled out of control because there was a lack of connection and understanding, a lack of real vision by the Government to understand that these were genuine hard-working mothers and fathers, hauliers, farmers, fishers, coach operators, ordinary hard-working people. They are what Independent Ireland represents, the hard-working men and women who get up in the morning and deliver for this country.”
“There is a rainy day fund and, my God, this is a rainy day, as I was saying it to the Tánaiste earlier. Irish people and businesses are on their knees. That is what led to the protests. I know it. I was at the protests from the moment they started. I even intervened at a protest. I noticed there on a podcast - I do not watch that rubbish but somebody showed it to me - that someone was giving out that Independent Ireland did nothing and we were trying to stop the protest. No, we knew how this could be handled but the Government was not listening and people who did not know what was going on talking loosely on a podcast were not listening either. Basically, there were over 500 people in Portlaoise and my colleague and I got up and asked for negotiation first with the Government. That was done, in fairness, by the protestors.”