"Athlone town clerk John Walsh said some people had been "frightened" by the placing of names on the coffins. "We obviously wanted it terminated so we served a notice to quit and demand for possession," he said. "

"There is an acceptance that the wealthier must pay more tax – this is simply no longer in dispute. No one is protesting about the cut in the ceiling for tax relief on private pensions or the 2% levy for higher earners. Higher earners themselves would probably support even more progressive taxation if it was clear that good public services and universal education and health care would be provided. And the entire population seems to be unified in its outrage by, not just the threat to the universality of the medical card for the over 70’s, but also the application of the 1% levy to even the lowest earners."