Galway West candidate defends support for fuel protests
Fuel protesters were “left with no other option” but to blockade roads and critical infrastructure, Galway West by-election candidate Noel Thomas has said.
Speaking in an interview with Gript today, the Independent Ireland Councillor said the government had “forced” demonstrators to take “extreme” action in order to have their concerns addressed.
“This government forced them into a situation where they had to come out and do what they’ve done in order to be heard,” Thomas said, noting that the protest was ultimately “successful” and achieved the desired result.
The Galway West candidate said voters across the constituency feel “left behind” and argued that ordinary working people are increasingly frustrated by rising costs and government policy.
“I think that I stand out as a candidate that actually stands with the people here,” he said.
“People feel like they’ve been left behind in this country completely. And we’ve seen that recently in the fuel protests and everything else.
“If I think something is right, I’ll always be there and I’ll stand by them 100%.”
Thomas also said he was hearing anger from voters over the cost of living during canvassing efforts.
“You’ll hear the ordinary hardworking person in particular feels like they’ve been used as somebody just to collect tax from,” he said.
“That’s the kind of feeling we’re getting in general all over the constituency.”
The by-election is taking place following the vacancy left by Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who was elected President of Ireland last October.
Thomas, who previously served with Fianna Fáil before joining Independent Ireland, was asked whether immigration had become a major issue during the campaign.
“The honest answer to that is probably no,” he said.
“But it is coming up in another angle… And again, it’s about the cost of living. People are struggling out there.”
Thomas said some voters were frustrated by perceptions surrounding the allocation of supports to migrants while households continue to face rising expenses.
“I think people are getting kind of really fed up of watching other people coming and receiving everything they need,” he said.
“And then as I said again, the ordinary hardworking person here in this country is paying for everything.”
The Councillor said Ireland remained “one of the most welcoming countries in the world” but claimed the government had handled migration policy poorly.
“Anybody that comes to this country wants to work hard and contribute to society here, they’re more than welcome,” Thomas said.
“It’s just unfortunate that this government is actually just dealt with the whole migration system so badly that they’re actually turning people now against ordinary hardworking migrants that have come to this country even.”
Thomas also rejected accusations of racism that have previously been levelled against him by political opponents over remarks relating to IPAS accommodation.
Famously, he said that the “inn was full” around the time a planned IPAS hotel was the subject of an arson attack, leading to backlash and condemnation from his then-party colleagues within Fianna Fáil.
Asked for his response to such criticisms, Thomas replied: “I have to say at this stage I’m actually finding it kind of amusing,” adding that critics from “the Left” side of the political spectrum have been unable to identify any hateful comments he’s made previously when asked.
“All I do is just ask them, could they please explain to me at any point a sentence that I’ve said or anything that was racist. And that’s where they’re stumped because they can’t, because I never did.”
He added that in the case of many of the people criticising him, he had “probably helped more migrants than they will ever help”.
The Independent Ireland candidate also criticised what he described as government “wastage” and argued that more of the State’s budget surplus should be used to assist struggling households and businesses.
“There’s another very obvious thing that I see in relation to this country as well is the amount of wastage that we have,” Thomas said.
“Like it’s incredible to see the overspend that’s on all the bike sheds and many other projects like that.”
He said targeted supports should be introduced for people facing high heating costs, particularly older people who rely on home heating oil throughout the year.
“But they don’t seem to want to put any work like that into anything… they just want to have these sort of blanket proposals that don’t do anything for anybody really.”
Thomas strongly defended his support for the recent fuel protests, which saw demonstrators blockade roads and key infrastructure in opposition to rising fuel costs.
“I stand by the people 100% that were down there forming those blockades,” he said.
“Because for the simple reason they were left with no other option.”
Thomas said many of the people involved in the protests were under severe financial pressure and feared losing their businesses.
“We genuinely had people there – and I spoke to many of them – who were at the pin of their collar. Their businesses were about to go under. And like I said, they were left with no choice, they had nothing to lose. And unfortunately, that’s the way this government seem to be treating people all the time.”
The Councillor also said Independent Ireland offered voters a “common sense” alternative focused on a broad range of issues rather than a single topic.
“We kind of cover everything, really and truly, in Independent Ireland,” Thomas said.
“I think we are kind of the party of common sense.”
The Galway West by-election campaign has seen candidates focus heavily on issues including the cost of living, the preservation of the Irish language, fuel prices, and rural services. Opposition parties have generally sought to appeal to voters dissatisfied with the coalition government’s handling of those issues.
