'Very difficult times' ahead as Leitrim TDs take sides as Government face crucial vote after chaotic week

The Dáil will vote on a motion of no confidence in the government as it returns to session following it’s easter recess.

Opposition parties have signalled that they will row in behind Sinn Féin, who have put down the motion following the Government’s handling of the fuel protests this past week.

“They have been missing when it comes to realising the depth of public anger and difficulties people are facing out there,” said Sligo-Leitrim TD Martin Kenny, who will be voting in favour of the motion of no confidence.

The south Leitrim man believes that they have totally “Mishandled this whole situation” over the last week, calling their handling of protesters “heavy-handed” and divisive, describing the measures that they brought in this week as “Far from adequate.”

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“Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Independent Td’s who support the government, three of them in this constituency, need to reflect on that, that their own communities are not able to survive under these circumstances and the government need to do more.”

The government is not responsible for the cause of the economic shock and the fuel protests, the US-Israeli war in Iran.

However, Kenny stresses that their reluctance to bring reductions to the rate of VAT, excise duty, and carbon tax was a precipitating factor in this situation.

“The government has totally failed in respect of this and needs to be held accountable for those failures.”

Following a meeting, this relevant group, the government announced a further package of €505 million to bring down the price of fuel, which included a 10c reduction in excise on petrol, 2.4c on Green Diesel, as well as specific supports for the agricultural and haulage sectors.

The Government is likely to survive the vote and has also put down a vote of confidence in itself to draw a line under the situation.

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“This is about ensuring we have a stable government to charter the choppy waters ahead, and this is just one of the many challenges that we have to face to steer our country and our people through these very, very difficult times,” says Frank Feighan, Minister for Procurement and Sligo-Leitrim TD.

He is confident the government will manage to hold the line on this vote.

“We had a general election in 2024, a year and a half ago,  and a government was formed, and this government intends to carry on for four or five years.”

There has been a concerted effort over the last week by fuel protesters to lobby TDs to vote against the government through phone calls, an email campaign and a petition which has garnered around 40,000 signatures.

“I have many emails, and many texts and many people, and that's what democracy is about, you know, but effectively the real democracy is the ballot box,” said Minister Feighan.

Marian Harkin, who was a target of the email campaign, given her position as a member of the regional independent group, which helped make up a government majority, says they have been getting emails on this topic, though that is nothing new.

“People would be obviously putting whatever pressure they thought might work because bringing down the government, well, you know, that would be the objective of quite a number of people,” she said.

Though she could see a couple of TDs wobble after the last week, she will not be one of them and will vote with the government, and does not see a world where the government would fail to survive the vote.

“I don't see how the numbers could stack up, mathematically.”

Deputy Eamon Scanlon was contacted for this article, but could not be reached.