Posted online: Jan 5th, 2012

Thousands of people are expected to attend a number of protests around Donegal this weekend as fury mounts over budget cuts, VAT increases – notably the hike in fuel prices – and the imposition of a household charge and septic tank fee.
Protest rallies will take place at 3.00 pm on Sunday in Letterkenny, Castlefin, Convoy, Raphoe, Rossnakill, Buncrana, Rossnowlagh, and Ramelton (which has a 2.30 pm start).
The driving force behind the protests is Inishowen man Joe Murphy who last month drove to Dublin in a 25 mph protest against the budget and fuel prices.
“Enough is enough. That is the slogan that I am using,” he told the Post. Having received huge support for his Dublin protest, he has now been spurred on to mobilise people around the county.
“The Government seem to forget that Donegal is a rural county,” he said, pointing out the without proper public transport people need private vehicles to get around. He also feels that people are fed up with the never ending cuts and now the imposition of new taxes like the household charge.
“I’ll be driving around the county in my van with a loudspeaker and I hope more towns and villages will get involved and organised,” he said.
Among those who will be in attendance at the rallies in Convoy and Raphoe will be John McLaughlin of JML Transport in Convoy. Last year he staged a number of protests about fuel prices, and he has now arranged a meeting for all hauliers in the Mill Park Hotel in Donegal Town on Sunday, January 15th at 3.00 pm.
“We want everyone working together towards a mass demonstration later in the month,” he stated.
Many hauliers have already gone out of business while others are struggling to cover costs. His fuel bill for a full tank of diesel costs over €2,000 – that’s up around €600 on the cost just two years ago.
The Irish Road Hauliers Association has drawn up proposals calling for a tax rebate to hauliers, similar to one received by the farming and fishing industry – but it has been ignored even though figures show it would have seen a net revenue gain for the state.
“It’s ridiculous what is going on. For every €20 you spend on diesel, over €14 goes to the government,” he stated. Unleaded petrol now typically costs around €1.54 a litre while diesel is around €1.51.
Meanwhile, the Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay campaign – which has already staged a series of protests against the household charge and septic tank charge – is planning further public meetings around the county over the next few weeks.