16th April 2026
With Easter in the rearview mirror the show kicked off this morning with Greg Hughes and Seamus Gunn chatting on the blockades being created by the fuel protestors nationally and the impact this is having throughout the country. Gunn explained the balancing act between peaceful assembly which is protected in our constitution as against unlawful obstruction, which is an offence under the Public Order Act when one prevents or interrupts free passage of a person or a vehicle in a public place, which he said was happening in our capital city and across forecourts services in the country. He said that what started as a call to “shake up the government” had gained significant momentum from Tuesday and while there was mention of dialogue today between the parties, he thought that it was quite vague in how this was being portrayed as to the participants. He said that the aim of the protestors was quite simple; to cap fuel prices and remove carbon tax. Greg Hughes made the point about how the carbon tax was calculated, referencing GDP which is measured in respect of Tax Returns to the exchequer and mostly contributed to by multinationals, thereby indicating an inaccurate assessment of the actual GDP of the country. Gunn thought that this was an argument that should be made at EU level as this was the jurisdiction for setting the rate. This argument has been ongoing for some time. Greg Hughes was of the view that if a cap was put on fuel costs and carbon tax addressed then the matter could be resolved. Our contributor Gunn thought that it may not be quite as simple but that it would be an element of a settlement. He referenced the fact that all the constituencies were well represented within the Dáil and he had a reservation about an apolitical organisation driving an agenda that could be considered a matter for the politicians to address.
There is no denying the national momentum, but Gunn referenced those that are hardest hit by such blockades, crippling business and denying services, while the host thought that the outcome was not likely to be positive if fuel was not dealt with at this point.
As always, the full interview and Q&A that followed can be listened to above.