Waiting for tide of public opinion to turn on fuel price protesters is a gamble 

The calls to engage have principally come from Sinn Féin, with Mary Lou McDonald urging the Government to rethink its position

Sources within Government believe the tide of public opinion is turning against the protesters as more people face fuel shortages and the queues get longer in those stations still with supply. Picture: Eamonn Farrell / © RollingNews.ie

Thursday saw long queues of worried members of the public panic-buying as much fuel as they can get from the ever-dwindling number of stations still with a supply in their pumps.

In just a few days, what was a standard protest against the rising cost of fuel has become one of the worst supply crises the country has ever faced.