Fuel Protests: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-14
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Nessa Cosgrove (LAB), Labour Panel

It was very obvious going into the Dáil debate today that the Government had not only failed to predict the extent and scale of the protest but is still failing to grasp the depth of the public anger and the failure to address the ever increasing cost of fuel and living. As has been said here today, this did not start just two weeks ago; it was inevitable and foreseeable.
I will go back to the origins of the issue, namely, the continued reliance on fossil fuels and the Government's blind conviction that it is business as usual. It is hard to listen to Government politicians, in particular rural Independents in my constituency, saying they understand. These are people who claim to go into Government to protect rural communities and have done the reverse. They are determined to undermine and reverse any previous commitments to investment in renewable energies.
We have repeatedly heard a Government spokesperson touting the delivery of massive floating LNG storage depots as necessary for energy security. Have the attacks on LNG facilities in Qatar opened anyone's eyes? A floating tank of explosive gas is not security; it is a target.
Why has the Government squandered the fruits of hard work? I commend my Green Party colleague. Hard lessons and work were put into renewable energy and the Government tore that down. We have to show leadership on this. We should follow the example of Pedro Sánchez in Spain, who is acting on the cost of living and is a fierce and fearless critic of America. We continue to support the American and Israeli Administrations by facilitating the refuelling of American warplanes in Shannon. If we continue to do this, we will continue to fail to address the root cause of this crisis, namely, the unashamed American and Israeli militarism which we in this country are supporting. By not listening, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Independents in the Government have handed this on a plate to the far-right groups that have taken over and infiltrated the protests.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-14