Fianna Fáil has been “badly damaged” by the Government’s response to the fuel protests, according to Willie O’Dea.
The veteran TD said he had received messages from constituents expressing dissatisfaction with Fianna Fáil following the demonstrations, reports Breaking News.
O’Dea and former Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó’Fearghaíl both raised concerns about the party after its three youngest TDs issued a statement saying protests should not be required for the Government to “listen and to act”.
“I’ve got a series of emails from people who I helped out and people who canvassed for me and voted for me in the past, telling me they’ll never vote for me again because I’m representing the wrong party, a party they’ve totally lost confidence in,” Mr O’Dea said in an interview with RTÉ Radio, reports Breaking News.
The three youngest TDs had criticised the Government’s handling of protests that caused major disruption and prevented fuel deliveries to hundreds of forecourts nationwide.
On Sunday, the coalition Government of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and several independents agreed a €500 million support package for the transport and agriculture sectors after fuel supplies were severely impacted by blockades of critical infrastructure organised by protesters from those industries, reports Breaking News.
Despite the support package, political repercussions have continued, particularly after independent Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae resigned as minister of state on Tuesday, citing “grave concerns” over Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s handling of the situation.
Healy-Rae said: “The leader of the country should have listened,” reports Breaking News.
On Wednesday, Fianna Fáil TDs James O’Connor, Albert Dolan, and Ryan O’Meara expressed “real and deep concern”, stating that “it should not require protests and deep community frustration to get a Government to listen and to act”.
The three TDs emphasised that their statement was “not about challenging any individual or singling out any member of Government”, but instead aimed at encouraging the party “to do better”, reports Breaking News.
They said Fianna Fáil should “listen more closely”, “speak more honestly” and “act more ore decisively in pursuit of the common good”.
The TDs added that their “most experienced” colleagues share their perspective, reports Breaking News.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio on Wednesday evening, Mr O’Dea said being in government is not about “explaining the government’s problems to people”, but rather about “explaining the people’s problems to the government” and ensuring action is taken.
“We seem to have lost the one virtue on which every democracy depends, namely the ability to hear anger before it turns into rebellion,” he said. “I think we’ve taken our eye off the ball. The leadership, the party and the government have become too detached from ordinary people,
“The Irish people don’t expect miracles, but they do expect to be listened to,” reports Breaking News.
He said he had “tremendous respect” for Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan, who is viewed as a potential future contender for the Fianna Fáil leadership, and described him as a “good, active” minister.
Ó’Fearghaíl said he was “very impressed” by the statement issued by the party’s three youngest TDs, which criticised the Government and called for it “to listen and to act”, reports Breaking News.
The Fianna Fáil TD said he had observed public anger building “for quite some time” and said the omission of measures on agri diesel in the initial €250 million financial package had “absolutely incensed” farming families, with the level of anger becoming “contagious and it spread”.
“Sadly, a number of the government pronouncements served to pour oil on the flames rather than calming the waters,” he said in an interview with RTÉ Radio, reports Breaking News.
He also said there was “no cohesive” communication between the Government and the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party, claiming backbench TDs had been treated like “lobby fodder”.
He said he did not believe the social contract was broken but warned it was “in need of rapid and urgent attention”, reports Breaking News.
The statement from the three Fianna Fáil TDs reads: “Too often today we find senior colleagues expect us to just explain their government difficulties to our communities,
“That is not the role we want, nor will we accept it any longer,” reports Breaking News.
Mary Butler, Fianna Fáil minister of state and Government Chief Whip, said she intends to speak with the three TDs to explore how the party can “alleviate their concerns”.
She said both she and Micheál Martin are open to engagement, but acknowledged that Fianna Fáil “can always do better as a party”, reports Breaking News.
Butler added that the parliamentary party had committed to a Programme for Government and is doing its best to deliver on it, while facing challenges stemming from external pressures such as geopolitical tensions, inflation, and tariffs.
She said the party is in “listening mode”, which led to the announcement of €750 million in measures to address rising fuel costs, reports Breaking News.
Butler also noted that every Fianna Fáil member supported the Government in Tuesday’s confidence vote.
She added: “We are here for the long haul and we are here to put through four more budgets,
“I will speak to all three colleagues later on tonight and see what we can do to alleviate their concerns,” reports Breaking News.
Last year, Micheál Martin’s leadership and decision-making also came under scrutiny following the unsuccessful presidential campaign of party candidate Jim Gavin, reports Breaking News.
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