Letters to the Editor: Protests create a shift in political landscape

One reader writes in to say the departure of the two Healy-Raes and the emergence of younger deputies finding their voices signals a realisation that the social contract is nearing — or has already reached — a breaking point

Independent Ireland TD Michael Collins shakes hands with fuel protest spokesman James Geoghegan outside Leinster House, Dublin, where protesters gathered last Tuesday. Picture: Niall Carson/PA

Something fundamental shifted in the Irish political landscape following the recent protests. The government’s vulnerabilities have been brutally exposed, and the long-standing accusations of a detached, aloof leadership were confirmed within the Dáil.

We were treated to the appalling vista of Taoiseach Micheál Martin attempting to gaslight the Irish electorate, claiming the government has done “everything they possibly could”.