Sinn Féin has said its no confidence motion in the Government is needed after the Government ‘poured fuel on the fire’ of the fuel protest last week.
Party President Mary Lou McDonald said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael’s handling of the fuel protest had been “disastrous” and said they had “lost the confidence of the public”.
Yesterday, the Government announced a €505 million package of measures to cut the cost of living.
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Excise duty will be reduced by a further 10 cents until July, while the cost of green diesel will be cut by 2.3 cents. An increase in the carbon tax has been delayed until October.
A multimillion euro scheme to assist hauliers and farmers is also being drafted.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the measures as a “significant response to real pressures”, while Tánaiste Simon Harris criticised the “extraordinarily frightening scenes in our Republic this week”.
On Newstalk Breakfast, Sinn Féin’s Finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty accused the Government of trying to “demean” the protestors.
“Nobody, nobody that I was speaking to over the last week wanted to be on the streets; nobody wanted to be out doing go-slows or blocking roads or anything like that there,” he said.
“This was all happened as a result of the Government's failure to act in a time of crisis.”
Fuel protestors. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.The Donegal TD added that the Government has responded with “half measures”, instead of a comprehensive package of support for those in need.
“[They didn’t] do the necessary action, [did] nothing in terms of home heat and oil where they could have got rid of the carbon tax,” he said.
“[Didn’t] reduce green diesel at the pumps again, what they could have [cut that] by 20 cent, [didn’t] reduce petrol and diesel to levels that are affordable.
“Again, measures that they could take; all of these suggested and put forward by Sinn Féin over a month ago.”
Fuel protestors. Picture by: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie.Deputy Doherty continued that the fuel protests were not inevitable and could have been prevented if the Government had introduced greater cost of living supports earlier.
“If Government acted instead of intensifying the situation, instead of pouring fuel on the fire, we wouldn't have, in my view, seen any of these protests,” he argued.
“But that's why people are so annoyed and that's why people have lost confidence in Government.
“And that's why we're forcing that motion of no confidence tomorrow.”
The Government has a comfortable majority in Dáil Éireann and any motion of no confidence is likely to be defeated.
Main image: Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald speaks in the Dáil. Picture by: Oireachtas TV
