A call to the government to put Irish people feeling the brunt of the cost of living crisis first is being widely shared online after an appearance by one of the many farmers protesting rises in fuel prices this week on The Tonight Show.
John Dallon, a farmer from Co Kildare, said on the VMTV programme that the government was not prioritising the Irish people and failing to put Irish people first while giving millions of euro away to other countries.
The show had heard that the government insisted that its responses to the fuel crisis needed to be “measured” – while Fine Gael TD Barry Ward insisted that steps were being taken to assist consumers.
However, Mr Dallon said: “We’ve a Government here that’s giving away millions and millions, no disrespect to any other country at war, the buck should stop here, we should look after our own people in our own country, the island of Ireland – our people – we should look after them first, and then help other countries.”
Mr Dallon, a farmer and agriculture contractor said that Ireland was signed up to give millions away to Ukraine.
Asked by presenter Shane Coleman if that call meant that the government should “abandon all our international responsibilities”, Mr Dallon said that we needed to look after people on the “island of Ireland first”.
Barry Ward said that Ireland was the strongest and fastest growing economy in Europe and that “didn’t happen by guaranteeing that fuel won’t go beyond a certain price when we have no control over the price of fuel.”
Mr Dallon also said the public needed to understand that farmers were the people putting food on the table from ‘farm to fork’. He said that the crisis was affecting everyone in the country and that the fuel prices were unsustainable.
Fuel prices have surged as the crisis in the Iran Prices in the Republic of Ireland have surged to about €2.14 (£1.86) a litre for diesel and roughly €1.91 (£1.66) a litre for petrol, with higher prices in some places.
At yesterday’s protest on O’Connell Street, Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins said people are being “totally neglected by the State” when it comes to fuel costs.
“You’re taxed on the fuel. You’re taxed on the tyres. You’re taxed on the motor tax … This is a greedy, grabbing Government and on top of that, they screw you over with carbon tax,” he said.
On The Tonight Show last night, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín defended the right of the protesters to demonstrate, saying thousands of people had joined in the road blockages.
He also said that tax and levies on fuel were too high and that small businesses were concerned that they faced closure if the situation continued.
“People are still being hammered by the price of Petrol and Diesel,” he also said on X. “Prices are almost back to what they were when the government introduced emergency measures. Families are having to choose between heating, fuel and putting food on the table.”
“Farmers, truck drives, contractors, and small businesses are finding it impossible to survive, and many will not if this continues.”
Today Mr Dallon said that the fuel protesters in Dublin would remain in place until Government Ministers agreed to a meeting.
“We are waiting to hear back for a phone call and a meeting,” he said, adding that it was the view of protesters that the Government refusal to engage with anyone beyond representative bodies such as the IFA and the IRHA was “totally disrespectful”.
Carbon Taxes brought in more than €1 billion in revenue to the government in 2024.