Noel Coonan (Tipperary North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The big difference between my party's backbenchers and those of the Deputy's party is that our Ministers and the Government listen to us. We conveyed the concerns of the people which had been aided by peaceful protests. We were in a position to hammer home our message at parliamentary party meetings and I am happy the lesson was learned. The amazing thing about life is how the tide turns if one has enough patience. The people now see what they are facing, particularly with the Socialist-led protests. There were disgraceful scenes involving acts against people in power and gardaí.

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