'Shame on you for what you are doing to us': Cost of living protestors take to the streets nationwide
Cost of Living protest march, part of a national series of protests, at St Patrick's Street, Cork city. Picture: Larry Cummins
Cork Penny Dinners leader Caitriona Twomey has urged people to let the government know that they are hurting because of the cost of living crisis.
In a passionate speech at the Cork cost of living rally on Saturday, Ms Twomey asked those in government if they aware of just how much suffering is being felt by ordinary people, with thousands homeless, hungry, and struggling to pay the bills.
She asked if they were aware that families are scared of so many things because of increasingly scarce resources, and if they were aware that some elderly people are afraid to turn on the lights, the heat, to buy coal or even turn on the cooker because of rising costs.
“Are you aware that we fed over 500 people today?” she asked.
“Are you aware? And if you are aware, then shame on you for what you are doing to us, the people that have votes and who can get out there and change things.
“We need to be looked after, you need to listen to us about what’s happening.”Â
She told the afterwards that she felt compelled to speak out at the rally because people are dying, because people are going hungry and because people are scared.
“We hear the government say they are ploughing billions into x, y, and z, but where is it going? Because nobody sees it," she said.
“Our numbers are rising, all charity’s numbers are rising. We are saying the same thing. Why aren’t they listening to us? And why aren’t they doing something about it.”Â
She was one of several speakers who addressed the Cork rally, one of several such demonstrations which were organised by the Cost of Living Coalition, with similar rallies taking place in Dublin, Limerick, Galway, and Sligo.
Crowds marching through the city centre now #Cork #CostOfLivingDemo pic.twitter.com/VZszpzxIQD
— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) June 18, 2022
The coalition is made up of trade unionists, student and pensioner organisations and opposition political parties, who have all called on the government to take immediate action on the cost of living.
Carol Anne Bridgeman, one of the former Debenhams workers who spent 406 days picketing the stores after they lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic, told the Cork rally that they fought at the time not just for their rights, but for the rights of all workers.
“What we learned from the Debenhams protest was that it takes a lot of people, a lot of voices to achieve what we need,” she said.
"In order to get the cost of living dealt with we need the power of solidarity from people across the nation."Â
UCC student union leader, Maeve Richardson, reminded those at the rally that the UCC food bank served around 130 meals a week to students in need earlier this year.
Solidarity TD Mick Barry said people who saved money during the pandemic are seeing their savings run out and are dreading the back to school costs in August and heating bills next winter.
“The low paid and poorest are facing the terrible choice of heating or eating,” he said.
“FF, FG, and the Green party have failed to properly protect people in this crisis. Workers will not be the ones who pay for this crisis.”Â
Sinn FĂ©in TD Thomas Gould told the rally about a working father who was in tears this week because he had to rely on Cork Penny Dinners for help.
“He felt as a parent he was leaving his children down. But I say it was the government who was leaving him and his family down,” he said.
"People know the government can’t do everything but we want the government to show leadership, to listen to the people, to understand.”Â
The Cork demonstration was one of several which took place across the country. Others took place in Limerick, Galway, Sligo and Dublin.
Several hundred people took part in the Dublin protest, which started at Parnell Square and made its way to Leinster House.
Among the speakers were Fr Peter McVerry, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, chief executive of the Senior Citizens Parliament Sue Shaw, TD Joan Collins, Beth O'Reilly from the Union of Students in Ireland, and People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett.
Ms McDonald said: "It's clear that we have a government that is absolutely out of touch, that has no real appreciation, no real understanding of this cost-of-living crisis.
"People are suffering now, we need a response from government now, we need an emergency budget now."
Mr Boyd Barrett called for an increase in people's wages and pensions to meet the "spiralling cost of living".
Fr Peter McVerry told the crowd that young people do not want to stay in Ireland because of the excessive cost of living and rent.
"I am in despair. We have had a housing crisis for several decades and it's simply getting worse," he said.
The Government has so far however resisted calls for a “mini budget” with emergency cost of living measures ahead of the autumn.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the this week that people will have to wait until the autumn budget to see specific and targetted measures, insisting it will be a “cost of living budget”.
He said the government has engaged in exploratory discussions with the social partners about what's the best and the most strategic way to deal with the cost of living issue.
“We accept that those on those incomes are suffering the most — of that there is no question,” he said.
“We want to do a comprehensive package in terms of the budget and the budget will be a cost of living budget, but we want to look at areas that would dovetail with our policies in terms of climate change for example.
“So we want to do this as comprehensively as we possibly can. And we want to do it in the context of the budget.”
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