In 1913, Ireland's greatest revolutionary, James Connolly, whose statue is behind us in this building, led the Dublin working class out for a year of disruptive strike action that shut the city down. That is how the trade union movement in this country was formed. It was done in a fight against deprivation, poverty and economic inequality and because of the refusal of the rich and powerful to understand the pain, hardship and suffering that working people were enduring at the time. That is a great tradition. The people who went out protesting last week did so because the Government refused to listen to repeated calls for price controls and effective action to deal with the hardship and suffering affecting people with the cost-of-living crisis.

Sentiment score: -0.16

They were right to protest. Protest works, and we need more protests.

Sentiment score: -0.37