Power to the people!

For many, protests used to be something confined to unstable regions of the world, in countries where there was corruption, war or some other issue that concerned the nation in question.

Now, protests are on our streets, in our universities and on our doorsteps. Ireland has become a nation with issues worthy of people coming out in their thousands to make their voices heard.

For many of Ireland’s Celtic Cubs an Ireland of protest and disquiet was unthinkable. The very thought that they would need to be concerned about the government’s handling of an issue to an extent that they would feel the need to protest was abhorrent.

When 15,000 students took to the streets of the nation’s capital, they did so with pride, conviction and a sense of injustice. Tuition Fees for them was a step too far.

On the same day last year, grey power came to the fore as pensioners came out in their thousands to protest against the government’s attempt to take away their right to a medical card.

The reason behind this return for street politics is clear. Ireland took for granted the boom, and the government took for granted its peoples’ anger.

DCU President Niall McClave believes that some issues will provoke protest.

“This increased activism is not only a part of what’s going on in the student world; we’ve seen increased activity from trade unions and other interested groups too. Uncertainty has increased and we have issues now that are relevant and energising.”

Jobs are being lost at a rate of thousands a month, taxes are high and getting higher and the economy has gone from serious boom to serious bust.

It takes real fear to get motivated, to go out and protest. Unless you are genuinely afraid that you will be made unemployed, will be forced to take a pay cut or have to pay sky-high college fees, you won’t bother taking to the streets.

Niall McClave says national issues will get students out to march.

“Students haven’t been used to protesting over the last few years, the national issues just weren’t there. This has led to huge complacency amongst students. We are going to have to get more involved in the political life of the university and of the wider world if we want our issues heard.”

“When things get so bad that you have to take to the streets it’s a great way to focus energy and to inform the rest of the world of your grievance.”

Since the OAP and student marches in October, several other groups have protested in various locations around the country.

The staff at Waterford Wedgewood, supported by their colleagues at ICTU, led a march on the 21st of February last to highlight the plight of the many workers who lost their jobs after years of loyal service.

On that day over 120,000 people were on the streets of Dublin in solidarity with ICTU, showing their anger over the government’s handling of the economic crisis.

March saw 1,500 taxi drivers protest in Dublin to voice their opposition to the Taxi Regulator. Even such a relatively small protest received national coverage, showing that street politics could garnish support and publicity.

The fact that street politics has made a comeback shows what power the voters of a country really have. While peaceful protests can highlight issues and produce great results, the only place that people can truly make a difference is at the ballot box. If you attended a protest, that means you care about the issues. If you vote, it means you want to affect real change for the country.