{"id":16827,"date":"2026-04-10T12:12:06","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/?p=16827"},"modified":"2026-04-10T12:12:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T11:12:06","slug":"governments-disdainful-and-dismissive-approach-to-protestors-must-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/ga\/governments-disdainful-and-dismissive-approach-to-protestors-must-end\/","title":{"rendered":"Government’s disdainful and dismissive approach to protestors must end"},"content":{"rendered":"

The government\u2019s \u2018let them eat cake\u2019 attitude to protestors is going to extend these protests\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The response of the government to the fuel protestors has been disdainful and dismissive, according to Social Democrats Deputy Leader and Finance spokesperson Cian O\u2019Callaghan.<\/p>\n

Deputy O\u2019Callaghan said:<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very concerned that we are now four days into these protests and the government has failed to meaningfully engage with protestors. Instead, the Taoiseach and a succession of senior ministers have made patronising, disdainful and dismissive interventions that have aggravated a serious situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYesterday\u2019s incendiary announcement that the Defence Forces would be brought in, to clear protests, was made before anyone in government had even picked up the phone to a protestor. Instead of de-escalating the situation, it inflamed it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s handling of this has been cack-handed from the start because they doubled down on an unsustainable position \u2013 no talks with the protestors. At present, it is not clear whether or not they will even speak with protest representatives this afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese talks need to happen \u2013 as quickly as possible \u2013 so this deteriorating situation, which is having hugely negative impacts all over the country, can be resolved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not agree with the blockading of critical infrastructure or causing massive disruption to people as they go about their daily lives. But, I am also conscious that many of these protestors are desperate and at the end of their tether. They can see their livelihoods slipping away \u2013 not in a matter of months, but in a matter of days or weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are experiencing an unprecedented price shock, in the cost of fuel, and the support measures announced by the government last month were wholly inadequate. There has to be an acknowledgement of that by government and additional support measures announced.<\/p>\n

\u201cNext week, the D\u00e1il will consider a Social Democrats motion on the energy crisis, in which we propose a number of solutions that could be introduced quickly \u2013 a targeted \u20ac400 energy credit; a supplementary mileage allowance for frontline workers; an expanded and increased rebate scheme for the transport and agricultural sectors; and hugely increased grants for solar panel installation. \u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government\u2019s \u2018let them eat cake\u2019 attitude, to protestors, is going to extend these protests, not resolve them. We need to see an immediate change in approach from government to people who are really suffering as a result of this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The government\u2019s \u2018let them eat cake\u2019 attitude to protestors is going to extend these protests\u00a0 The response of the government to the fuel protestors has been disdainful and dismissive, according to Social Democrats Deputy Leader and Finance spokesperson Cian O\u2019Callaghan. Deputy O\u2019Callaghan said: \u201cI am very concerned that we are now four days into these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11218,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278,539,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cian-ocallaghan","category-energy","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGovernment's disdainful and dismissive approach to protestors must end - Social Democrats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.socialdemocrats.ie\/governments-disdainful-and-dismissive-approach-to-protestors-must-end\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ga_IE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Government's disdainful and dismissive approach to protestors must end - Social Democrats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The government\u2019s \u2018let them eat cake\u2019 attitude to protestors is going to extend these protests\u00a0 The response of the government to the fuel protestors has been disdainful and dismissive, according to Social Democrats Deputy Leader and Finance spokesperson Cian O\u2019Callaghan. 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