Fuel Protest (Read MOD NOTE on first post)

How did the today's 'national strike' go, I wonder?

Have we had the usual "lessons learned" rubbish yet?

Most of these Ag contractors are just young lads who never grew up. Million or more in machinery, all on finance, burning colossal amounts of fuel, working on razor thin margins,16 and 17 year olds driving 30 tonne machines up to 16hrs a day, breaking stuff left right and centre, waiting on farmers who might pay them when the grants come in, others might not and half it because they love having big toys.

In any other industry the business case would be laughed out of the room but they're all over the place.

But he wasn’t responsible for it

Instructions and reviews of oireachtas maintenance spend is the responsibility of a cross party commission whose fault it was for that bike shed because they did not do their job

You don’t like that because you want to moan moan moan about the government

If that’s your thing at least be accurate on what you’re moaning about

Otherwise you devalue your message

That clown Peadar Toibin put up a post Sunday morning claiming to have negotiated with the Whitegate blockaders to 'allow' (his words) in 10 trucks and 'maybe even more' on Monday. Sadly for him the Gardai were moving them on literally as he was posting. Zero self-awareness or concept of civil society, just the fetishisation of one sector's demands.

Yes a lot of them would have been Covid and vaccine-sceptics.

The RTE 'frontline' reporters in particular reminded me of the 'embedded' journalists you had during the two Gulf Wars - carefully repeating what the blockaders were telling them. They wouldn't have tolerated on site otherwise, of course.

Completely agree. I'm all in favour of protests, democracy, healthy voter scepticism and questioning those in authority, but not when it comes to massively inconveniencing your fellow joe soap just trying to live his life.

By inches I missed massive disruption to my own plans. An early morning flight from Dublin on 6th April,only filled up my car with fuel at 10PM on 5th for a nightime drive up from Tralee. Just imagine if that was one night later!! I'd have been beyond livid 😱 But didn't escape unscathed as arrived back on 10th while the thing was still unfolding and had to take the "scenic" route from Dublin to Tralee with so many roads blocked. Once again lady luck was in my favour as it was very late at night, traffic was light so got back to Tralee without too much hassle. But in daytime those detours and all the futher road blocks would be an absolute nighmare. Huge sympathy to all those who got caught badly, such as missing flights and more importantly, hospital appointments.

Yet that there was huge support for all that really beggars belief!

As long as they're walking around town and cities and not blocking up main roads and stopping critical fuel supplies coming into the country I'll be happy enough. Shouting away into the abyss is fine by me.

Like those Japanese soldiers on the remote Pacific island still fighting years after the war finished

I follow a couple of farming youtubers. Did i imagine it or did Adrian from Ifarmwefarm have a post up on his FB championing this dude. Its not there now so i was either dreaming or he has removed it.

Does Simon Harris have Crohns? I never knew. That's a very though condition to have and he does good to be working in such a public facing role. There would be a lot of stress as part of his position and I remember some badness directed at him and his family too not long ago. I never knew he had Crohns. My respect for him has given up so much now. Many of us if we were faced with Chrohs wouldn't be able to do what he's doing and the stress it brings.

Now that the dust has settled somewhat, I hope everyone on here thanks the protestors for getting further fuel price reductions, or at least put a dent in any further increases which are likely owing to the international markets situation on the price of oil. Because if they hadn't done what they done, FF FG would be still sitting on their hands saying 'we're keeping it under review'.

The lessons for FF FG is to start focussing on what is happening here on this island. McEntee swanning around Kiev recently fluttering out €40 million like confetti was one of the straws that broke the camel's backs. It's high time FF FG toned down their 'international responsibilities' which is doing very little to boost the morale of the voting public.