The chief executive of Dublin Town, the capital’s business representative body, has cautioned that the fuel price protests risk eroding public goodwill.
Richard Guiney, speaking on Newstalk’s Claire Byrne show, said that while he had understanding for everyone affected by the current situation, businesses were equally facing steep rises in energy costs, reports Breaking News.
He noted that experience from previous similar protests showed the city continued to operate, but that protesters ultimately lost the support of those who could have stood alongside them.
“I’m not sure that they’re going to get what they want out of this kind of protest. And, you know, in terms of the general public, a lot of people will just work from home during the protests,” reports Breaking News.
Guiney anticipated there would be a decrease in footfall in the city centre, “probably in the region of about 10 per cent. That’s what the experience was before.
“But, you know, those businesses, particularly in the retail side of the house, are already, with all the other options that are out there, online shopping, etc, are feeling a fair amount of stress, reports Breaking News.
“Obviously, we all need a strong economy, and that’s what we need to work together towards.”
Meanwhile, the Government said they will do “as much as it can for as long as it can” to respond to rising fuel prices, the Minister for Higher Education James Lawless has said, reports Breaking News.
“We’ve cut the price of diesel and petrol at the pumps. We’ve extended the winter heating scheme into another four weeks. So we’re doing as much as we can for as long as we can, but one of the things about this war, this situation, is it’s moving so rapidly, and it is quite a volatile situation. So the war could ramp up or the war could ramp down.
“As Government we have to do something sustainable, that’s costed, that’s repeatable, and the taxpayer ultimately can stand over. So we’re taking it one step at a time, reports Breaking News.
“We are engaging with industry, trying to manage people’s expenses, because we know it’s hard, and pump heating in particular is a strain.
“We’ll revisit at the end of the four weeks. But look, I think at the moment it’s one week at a time, and that’s very much the way the war has been playing out as well. It could be all over, or it could be into another escalation, reports Breaking News.
“We just don’t know where this is going to take us. We have to step carefully in a way that is sustainable and that the economy can afford.”
The Government was also examining both short-term and long-term measures, he said. “I think in the long term, we need to look at our energy mix; we just need to really drive it home, reports Breaking News.
“The longer that we’re importing fossil fuels from outside the EU, the longer we will continue to be dependent on oil stocks or gas stocks or these kinds of surprises in the markets and these kinds of exposures.
“We need to become more sustainable in terms of energy independence, renewables, other fuels, other sources beyond fossil fuels, and have a wider energy mix,” reports Breaking News.
He added that research was ongoing into the best possible energy mix, including hydrogen, nuclear and hydro options. He stressed the importance of grounding decisions in evidence and developing policy that championed clean energy while reducing Ireland’s reliance on imported oil stocks.
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