{"id":391368,"date":"2026-04-10T09:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T09:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/391368\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T09:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T09:20:10","slug":"michael-healy-rae-the-minister-who-sympathises-with-protesters-has-his-cake-and-eats-it-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/391368\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Healy-Rae, the Minister who sympathises with protesters, has his cake and eats it \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, for once, Morning Ireland (RT\u00c9<\/a> Radio 1, weekdays) arrives bearing good news, albeit of a relative nature. As Donald Trump lifts his threat of civilisational erasure in Iran, at least for the duration of a tentative two-week truce, the presenter Gavin Jennings<\/a> hears Roja Fazaeli<\/a>, an Iranian law professor, cautiously welcome the ceasefire announcement. \u201cThere is a sense of relief,\u201d the Galway-based academic says while admitting nervousness about what the coming days will bring.<\/p>\n

When it comes to less existentially charged issues, however, there\u2019s little respite from misery. The nationwide protests against fuel costs receive as much coverage as the ceasefire in Iran on Radio 1\u2019s flagship morning show, which may suggest a skewing of priorities but also underlines both the widespread impact of the actions and the reasons behind them.<\/p>\n

On the latter point, one timber haulier, Colm Walsh, tells RT\u00c9 reporter Sheila Naughton that the soaring cost of fuel will put him out of business in three months: \u201cPeople are at breaking point.\u201d <\/p>\n

If such testimony speaks of the desperation driving demonstrations across Ireland, the answers are less straightforward when it comes to the inconvenience caused by the blockades. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually the Government that are blocking the streets,\u201d says one agricultural contractor, who tells reporter Andrew Lowth that the protests will end when Ministers agree to meet protesters. \u201cWe\u2019re blocking nothing,\u201d he adds, presumably referring to metaphorical blockages as opposed to the literal ones in Dublin, from where he\u2019s speaking.<\/p>\n

At least one member of Government seems sympathetic to the protesters\u2019 plight. Interviewed by Jennings, Minister of State for Agriculture Michael Healy-Rae<\/a> describes those grinding roads to a halt as \u201cthe people that are keeping everything flowing in the country\u201d. Or not, as the case may be. <\/p>\n

Champing on the bit of Coalition solidarity, the Kerry Independent TD says \u201cit\u2019s obvious more has to be done\u201d to alleviate the pressure on prices, though he pins most of his hopes on a deal between the US and Iran. <\/p>\n

As to whether the streets should be gridlocked as a result, Healy-Rae ducks the question beyond remarking that the demonstrators \u201cfeel they have to be there\u201d. If nothing else, it\u2019s a masterclass in how to protect your political flank \u2013 or, to use the technical term, have your cake and eat it.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Fuel protests: Defence Forces asked to assist garda\u00ed; latest on traffic disruption in Dublin and countrywideOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Ministerial contortions notwithstanding, there\u2019s no mistaking the rawness of emotions swirling around the wildcat disruptions, as even a cursory listen to Liveline (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays) makes clear. On Wednesday, John Cooke, standing in for Kieran Cuddihy, hears Liam, a silage contractor, outline how his weekly fuel bill has increased by \u20ac2,700 since the Iran war began. \u201cI will be out of business in three months,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

Liam is also at pains to stress that the rolling blockades he has been part of has allowed emergency vehicles to pass, and expresses doubt at other callers who claim to have witnessed less considerate behaviour.<\/p>\n

Many callers are unhappy with the impact of the protests. Majella phones in to complain that innocent people are being targeted, while Brian claims the conduct of some drivers in protesting convoys has been \u201cdownright dangerous\u201d. <\/p>\n

Cooke deals with his charged subject matter in understated but effective manner, particular when it occasionally threatens to spill into cacophony. <\/p>\n

Perhaps the most insightful \u2013 if discouraging \u2013 contribution comes from \u00c1ine, a student who has been on the protests. She talks of a widespread feeling that the State is failing ordinary people \u2013 be it with rising student fees, creaking health services or stalled scoliosis surgery \u2013 which has finally exploded into manifestations of discontent, thanks to the touchpaper issue of fuel hikes. <\/p>\n

Uncoincidentally, \u00c1ine adds that she has studied in France, voicing admiration for the tradition of protest that\u2019s part of its national landscape.<\/p>\n

Certainly, there\u2019s a distinct resemblance between our fuel protests and the populist gilets jaunes demonstrations that convulsed France between 2018 and 2020, right down to its frustrated participants, inchoate nature and chaotic results. Cooke doesn\u2019t explore this theme \u2013 he\u2019s too busy keeping the peace between opposing callers \u2013 but the parallels are there, ominous though they may be.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Who are the protesters bringing Dublin traffic to a standstill and how long could it last?Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Nor is there much room for such airy socioeconomic discussions on The Hard Shoulder (Newstalk, weekdays). Instead, as more roads are shut down and fuel depots are blockaded on Wednesday evening, presenter Shane Coleman<\/a> has a more direct question. \u201cAre we looking at anarchy at this point?\u201d he plaintively asks, before adding \u201cThis is really dangerous now.\u201d<\/p>\n

His co-host, Ciara Kelly<\/a>, frames the problem in less alarming terms, recognising the grassroots nature of the movement \u2013 \u201cthis is a raggle-taggle bunch of people\u201d \u2013 while highlighting the practical logistics of dealing with such an amorphous protest. \u201cWho exactly do the Government talk to?\u201d she asks, likening concessions to paying a ransom.<\/p>\n

That said, the protest\u2019s ground zero, on O\u2019Connell Street in Dublin, doesn\u2019t necessarily sound like somewhere on the verge of societal collapse. Newstalk reporter Jessica Woodlock describes the convivial atmosphere amid the blockading tractors and abandoned buses, with protesters \u2013 tellingly clad in yellow high-vis jackets \u2013 enjoying ice creams in the sun. (Crucially, however, there\u2019s no word from disrupted commuters.)<\/p>\n

So jolly is the ambience that James Geoghegan, a protest spokesman whom Coleman interviews, even claims that retail footfall is up on the capital\u2019s main thoroughfare, prompting splutters of incredulity from the host. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s not the only point of contention. While Coleman is keen to acknowledge that \u201cvery decent people\u201d are taking part in the blockade, he asks whether things are going too far: \u201cWhat\u2019s the endgame here?\u201d <\/p>\n

Geoghegan focuses on carbon taxes and price caps while also looking to the famously bitter water protests as a model for success, when \u201cthe government did what they were told\u201d. And, in common with other protesters, and indeed certain Ministers, the spokesman underlines the demographic profile of his movement as testament to its virtue \u2013 \u201cthe self-employed people of rural Ireland who keep the country going\u201d.<\/p>\n

[\u00a0Ciara Kelly and Shane Coleman have lost the morning crankiness and found a zippy chemistryOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

As to whether support is so extensive among the wider (and also hard-pressed) population, it would be foolhardy to say. When Fazaeli is asked on Morning Ireland whether some Iranians want the bombing to continue, as Trump claims, she wryly notes the complex make-up of her homeland\u2019s diaspora: \u201cNobody should talk for a whole nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a pertinent observation. As the fuel crisis continues to unfold, the people haven\u2019t yet spoken, no matter what some say.<\/p>\n

Moment of the week<\/p>\n

For all the domestic and international drama on The Hard Shoulder, the hosts find time to relax. \u201cIt\u2019s been a very hectic and stressful show so far. Will we take a coffee break?\u201d Kelly asks, introducing an item on making the perfect cup of coffee. As James McCormack of Dublin Barista School runs through differing methods and various beans, Kelly sounds uncertain whether a simple cup of joe is worth such effort, particularly given her own preference in caffeinated beverages. \u201cI like my coffee like I like my men,\u201d she says, chuckling. \u201cWeak and instant.\u201d No sweeteners there.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On Wednesday, for once, Morning Ireland (RT\u00c9 Radio 1, weekdays) arrives bearing good news, albeit of a relative…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":385453,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[91314,171749,128703,42,24878,43,24562,6085,91313,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-391368","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-ciara-kelly","9":"tag-fuel-protests","10":"tag-gavin-jennings","11":"tag-headlines","12":"tag-michael-healy-rae","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-newstalk-radio","15":"tag-rte","16":"tag-shane-coleman","17":"tag-top-news","18":"tag-top-stories","19":"tag-topnews","20":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=391368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/385453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=391368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=391368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=391368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}