*Cllr Pat Burke (FG) and Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF).
“TAKE IT outside if ye want to go at it,” the Mayor of Clare told two elected members of the County Council during a heated exchange over the fuel protests.
For over fifty minutes at Monday’s meeting of Clare County Council, elected members of the local authority discussed the fuel protests, cost of living crisis and poor communication from the Government in the aftermath of a six day protest where people took to the streets and mounted road blocks.
When it seemed that the meeting was set to move on to its next item of the agenda, matters kicked off between Cllr Pat Burke (FG) and Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF).
An emergency motion on the cost of living crisis and the need for “meaningful relief” for households, workers, farmers and businesses had been tabled by Cllr Guilfoyle.
During the debate, Cllr Burke was staunch in his defence of the Government and their response. “A protest is one thing, a blockade is another,” he said when replying to comments by Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) that he “fully supported” the protest.
One haulier that spoke with Cllr Burke didn’t partake in the protest because “he is getting on with his business”. He added, “As a farmer, if contractors put up their charge by fifteen percent, what will I do only pay him. With Trump the situation is volatile and this Government has given out more than any other in Europe”.
He continued, “People say there was a breakdown in communication, I presume as Cllr Pat Hayes calls them ‘the permanent Government’ spent days and nights putting together the €500m support scheme that was announced. The Government can’t bow to any individual to go and meet them, we know of the backgrounds of some of the people leading the protests and what Government in their right mind would bow down to them”. The Cathaoirleach of the Killaloe Municipal District stated, “If Trump continues and the price rises, we just have to get on with it, people will suffer and the Government will review the support packages”.
More supports will be needed to assist the people of Ireland, Cllr Guilfoyle maintained. “The motion is about the cost of living crisis, it is complicated and it is so deep in society that society stood up and took part in acts of civil disobedience to force Central Government to listen”.
“This is not a silly game or joke, this is a fact, when people sit on a road and say they are not moving, when they sit and are willing to get hit by a baton it shows how serious they are to get their message across,” he added and suggested this would not be the end of the protests.
Tensions began to rise when Cllr Burke accused Cllr Guilfoyle of threatening further blockades. “Cllr Guilfoyle is threatening further blockades, if he had a shed full of cattle in Foynes that were blocked in and he was unable to go about his business then he’d have a different view,” the Whitegate representative remarked”.
“That is a load of bollox,” replied Cllr Guilfoyle prompting the Cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, Cllr Paul Murphy (FG) to interject and led to Cllr Guilfoyle withdrawing his remark, “I withdraw it but that is poppycock”.
Mayor Murphy with a sterner tone told his Clarecastle parishioner, “cut it out”. “He said people should get on with it, they can’t,” Cllr Guilfoyle responded. “Take it out of the Chamber,” Murphy told the duo. “I didn’t threaten any blockade,” Cllr Guilfoyle stressed. “Take it outside if ye want to go at it. Let’s carry on like grown adults,” the Mayor said before moving on with the meeting.
