A Mayo View: Government found sleeping at the wheel while citizens hurt

What happening on the streets, roadways and docklands of Ireland in recent times is as close to a revolution as we have witnessed for a long time.

The sight of fuel price protesters becoming pallbearers for a coffin – which was spray-painted with the words 'RIP Ireland' – that was carried to the Department of Agriculture ahead of talks with senior government representatives left a deep, lasting impression.

While the central cause of the crisis in the first place had nothing to do with our own legislators but those in the US, Israel and Iran, the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael-led administration swiftly became a lightening rod for anger and frustration over its resistance to remove high taxes on fuel until international stability is restored.

While the government had introduced some cuts to petrol and diesel prices prior to the protests, those measures were rightly seen as having little or no impact whatsoever.

So commercial and farming sectors whose livelihoods were dependent on competitively-priced fuels understandably took exception to a lack of short-term action on fuel tax cuts to help them through the crisis.

But the situation got out of control when a militant sector of protesters set up blockages at Irish ports to prevent the delivery of fuel, thus leading to the current situation of panic and shortages.

Why did they feel the need to do so?

Because of a disconnect and distrust that the government was not taking their concerns seriously enough, it seems.

Some of the hardline protesters made reference to the fact the government has been spending billions on immigration facilities while ignoring the needs of a key commercial sector in its hour of need.

It was clearly a 'why not us' scenario and those charged with running the government should have detected this divide long before the army was called out.

As it happened, our parliament was not even sitting and things were allowed to drift.

The government lost control of the situation and are now feeling the heat.

While some measures are now being taken, the damage has been done.

The government is tarnished and will struggle to redeem itself.

It fell asleep at the proverbial wheel, did not listen to its grassroots TDs, and is now paying a very heavy price in terms of loss of credibility.