Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

A level of disquiet was caused when the Taoiseach remarked that we did not have enough gardaí in Dublin city centre and the Minister contradicted that statement, as did the Garda Commissioner. There is disquiet also among the public as to how this was allowed to happen and how a policed protest and counterprotest were allowed to diminish into a scenario where people's homes were set on fire. We can call them tents but these are their homes. A tent is as relevant as a house to somebody with nowhere else to live. They were set on fire.

Similarly, I have to say, with regard to the blockade that was set up in Inch in County Clare, how did gardaí not feel or see the need to remove it? We need to have a conversation about how these things are managed. I understand it is a difficult balancing act for the Garda so as not to raise tensions and make things worse. However, from an outside observation point I must ask how the situation was allowed to descend to where people felt emboldened enough to set these homes on fire and for a blockade to continue for days without any sense that gardaí would move it on.

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