Right2Water National Assembly - Weds 10th Dec 2014

by Right2Water Wed Nov 12, 2014 23:27

Right2Water finalising plans for December 10th event

It is regrettable that, having effectively ignored the massive resistance to these water charges until October 11, some media outlets have now turned on those protesters with scurrilous pieces alleging ‘infiltration’ by ‘sinister’ elements.

Between October 11 and November 1st upwards of 300,000 citizens took part in 109 demonstrations against this regressive double tax. These people are members of many political parties and none. Some are Trade Union members, some are not. Some have protested before, many have not.

But, with all their diversity, they do have two very important things in common. They all believe water is a human right, and they are all committed to campaigning for the abolition of domestic water charges.

These numbers are unprecedented in terms of a political and social campaign in Ireland. As a nation we have never seen anything like the unity of purpose and good humour, coupled with anger and determination to win this campaign, which has been present on these occasions. Given the huge numbers who have turned at the demonstrations organised by Right2Water, it is also extraordinary that not a single arrest has occurred at any of these events for any public order breach.

Right2Water is appalled that elements in the media are now taking these facts and attempting to spin them into a web of stories of ‘infiltration’, ‘aggression’ and ‘public disorder’. To do so is an insult to readers and listeners – and, most of all, to those ordinary members of the public who have come out in their hundreds of thousands to protest peacefully against domestic water charges.

Right2Water are busy making detailed plans for our next event, the People’s Assembly scheduled for International Human Rights Day on December 10th. On that day we will once again protest peacefully, but with massive effect, to bring an end to this dishonest double tax. See you there.

by Rua Thu Nov 13, 2014 13:09

It was alleged in the media that three gardai were attacked by water protesters,what i want to know is where are these 3 gardai in question?

Why haven't the media dragged them out and made a meal out of the story,or are they disinterested??

Is this story factual,can anybody come out and back it up?? Its not just damaging stories like these,the media is also indulging in distraction techniques such as the regular media mauling of Sinn Fein,which during the water and tax evasion fiasco,has really ramped up - all media spotlights seem to be heavily focused on Sinn Fein..

On radio 1 this morning i heard nothing more about the tax evasion,or water charges, or the fact that ministers havent touched their own wages while busy slashing ours..

It is clear what the agenda of the Denis O Brien media is!

by Tom Foley - none Mon Nov 17, 2014 18:06

The private Media continuous frame that the public is "confused about the water charge" "The public does not understand "How there

PPS numbers are going to be used" " the " Goverment is adressing this confusion" " infiltration by sinister elements" and so on.

This is a classic propaganda model in misinformation and disinformation framing the narrative and distraction from the fundamental

reason why hundreds of thousands of people are taking to the streets.

The Vast majority of people believe that water is a Human Right they are protesting for this principle that there should be no charge what so ever.

This is very clear when you speak to people., their is no confusion, full stop.

No Semi private company should have monopoly on this life giving resource, we would be dead in a matter of days without water.

How many mouths can you put around " A Trickle" this logic is a babaric conception.

Look what happened in Detroit USA hundreds of thousands of homes had there supply cut of by a private company because they could not or would not pay.

The vast majority of these home were poor marginalized black people.

The Media are Biased and this is a political agenda from the Gestapo Gazettes such as IT, Indo, examiner etc etc..

They Fear the people and are closing ranks, the editors have agreed amongst themselves how to frame this and are singing of the same script.

The use of the Police to break up local peaceful protest outside there properties or homes has politicalized the police.

The last time we heard of political policing for privately owned companies and universal media propaganda supporting the same agenda ,
is a phenomenon that happens within police states.

People Power is the only opposition to break this house of cards.

by T Fri Nov 21, 2014 22:46

Interestingly the fluoride in our water which is poisonous and is doing untold damage is also corrosive and is very likely leading to the high leakage rate in the system. If Irish Water are so concerned about this "pristine" and "precious" resource why don't they do two things at once? Remove the fluoride and thereby cut-down on the rate of corrosive and further leaks.

Bear in mind approximately 40% of all water is lost to leaks...

In this article from Jan 2010, Kathy Sinnott outlines the case.

...That approximately 40% of all water in Ireland is lost in leakage was widely publicised in recent weeks when so many pipes failed in the freeze. Though many people were previously unaware of the dire condition of the national network of water pipes, the rate of leakage – the highest in the EU – has been criticised by Brussels for some time. The excuse we are being given for this level of leakage is that the pipes are old, but this is not the whole story.

e are not unique among our EU neighbours in having old piping. What makes us unique is that we are the only country that as a matter of national policy pours a toxic industrial waste, hexa fluorisilic acid (fluoride), into our water. This acid is very severe and corrodes the pipes and joints over time. Even more is the damage it does to our health: infertility, bone diseases, cancer, thyroid disease, mental illness, reduced IQ in babies, heart disease, etc.

Though we are told that water is fluoridated to prevent dental cavities, the health authorities admit more than 40% of Irish teenagers now suffer from dental fluorosis, which is permanent damage to tooth enamel from too much fluoride....

Src: http://voiceireland.org/water/former-mep-kathy-sinnott-...ects/

by fred Mon Nov 24, 2014 13:00

Steven donnelly points out how keen the Troika were to privatise our water and electricity.
Water privatisation was number two on their list of "conditions" for not blowing up our economy.
In other circles you might refer to this as a "threat", "blackmail", a "hostage situation" or "financial terrorism"
but of course Trichet is a gentleman, he would never do such a thing. EU are our "friends" and our "partners".
Yeah right!

http://stephendonnelly.ie/perfect-gentleman-trichet-dic...land/

by T Mon Nov 24, 2014 22:52

There are plenty of protests and blockades of water meter installers taking place every day in Dublin

Pics from https://www.facebook.com/pages/HolylandsHillview-Says-N...15101

by Maura Harrington - Shell to Sea Tue Nov 25, 2014 01:29

Great to see this - all over the place!

For me, it was sweet to see the 'Public Order' unit strut into the Jobstown protest still thinking they were in Ballinaboy in November 2006 and then, when reality bit, sidle back out ...

Keep it up pixies!!

by fred Sat Nov 29, 2014 17:56

A "dirty protest" letter has sent Irish water's private company subcontractor into hysterics:
The garda forensics unit are at this very moment poring over somebody's excrement to try to discern whose poo it is.
Great use of Garda resources I must say!!. Gangland murders rage on, robberies are rife, drug use is spiralling, but meanwhile
forget that because the gardai's priority is to try to nail a water protester by poring over his/her poo.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/water/irish-water-....html

Is strawberry jam illegal too I wonder? ;-)

by no to Irish Water Tue Dec 02, 2014 23:59

Tweet from Paul Murphy
#Watermeters stopped in #Templeogue and #Knocklyon. This thing is spreading. #wewontpay #nowatercharges

by traloch - rebel city Wed Dec 03, 2014 14:27

What idiot picked the date?
THE MARCH SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED FOR SATURDAY THE 13th.
How many people from around the country cant afford to leave work home or family to travel to Dublin mid week but would like to show opposition to the rain tax by being there.
My guess 300, 000 men women and children
How many would be able to travel on Saturday to Dublin and maybe have a break and proper day out with family and friends...

Another great shittttey example of the united left opposition acting in their own various self interests at the expense of those who they claim to be defending.
Ni neart go cur le cheile.
Enda has no clothes on but it dont make much difference cause most of those pointing that out are attending or looking forward to attending the financial whorehouse ; Dail eireann that enda will soon be leaving

by fred Fri Dec 05, 2014 17:55

I think the point is that people don't go to work and the country grinds to a halt on 10th Dec.

Now it looks like "bilderberger" noonan and his fellow FG/Lab political service providers for international capital and the EU
will be going ahead and paying unsecured junior bondholders to the tune of 1/4 billion euros while imposing
the same level of water charges on millionaires as on the poorest in society.

Yet another reason to hit the streets on 10th Dec

by rua Fri Dec 05, 2014 18:57

You raise a good point there fred :) the fact is that poor irish people are paying the same amount as a billionaire/millionaire - it should be proportional to our wage,ie a percentage of our earnings...Thats the way it should work - not a one size fits all approach..

by fred Sat Dec 06, 2014 18:22

It looks like Alan Kelly may be yet another EU traitor. He's no doubt worried that this clause will complicate privatisation of IW down the road so is seeking to undermine it. The clause itself is not unique to Ireland and does not actually mention Ireland but it is still a possible get out clause to avoid the necessity of metering and I suspect we are in compliance by taking 5% of motor taxes etc to pay for water services as we currently do.

Article 9
Recovery of costs for water services
1. Member States shall take account of the principle of recovery of the costs of water services, including environmental and resource costs, having regard to the economic analysis conducted according to Annex III, and in accordance in particular with the polluter pays principle.
Member States shall ensure by 2010
- that water-pricing policies provide adequate incentives for users to use water resources efficiently, and thereby contribute to the environmental objectives of this Directive,
- an adequate contribution of the different water uses, disaggregated into at least industry, households and agriculture, to the recovery of the costs of water services, based on the economic analysis conducted according to Annex III and taking account of the polluter pays principle.
Member States may in so doing have regard to the social, environmental and economic effects of the recovery as well as the geographic and climatic conditions of the region or regions affected.
2. Member States shall report in the river basin management plans on the planned steps towards implementing paragraph 1 which will contribute to achieving the environmental objectives of this Directive and on the contribution made by the various water uses to the recovery of the costs of water services.
3. Nothing in this Article shall prevent the funding of particular preventive or remedial measures in order to achieve the objectives of this Directive.
4. Member States shall not be in breach of this Directive if they decide in accordance with established practices not to apply the provisions of paragraph 1, second sentence, and for that purpose the relevant provisions of paragraph 2, for a given water-use activity, where this does not compromise the purposes and the achievement of the objectives of this Directive. Member States shall report the reasons for not fully applying paragraph 1, second sentence, in the river basin management plans.

here is Kathy Sinott's letter:

“The Irish Exemption”

Update on Current Situation

by Kathy Sinnott

I recently tried to alert people to the existence of the “Irish Exemption”, Ireland’s unique exemption from domestic water charging based on Article 9.4 of the EU Water Framework Directive.

The exemption is based on the Irish Department of the Environment’s commitment, strategy and budget to rectify the inadequacies in our water management without metering.

This commitment is recorded in the 2008 Irish River Basin Management Plan. Former Minister for Environment John Gormley was able to confirm in 2008 that Ireland had obtained and was availing of the exemption from household water charges.

I was assured at the time by the European Commission that the EU couldn’t not take the exemption from us but Ireland could cancel it.

This week Minister for Environment Alan Kelly publicly denied we currently had an exemption from domestic water charging. He stated “We do not have a derogation because we now have committed to the model that we have.”

Fortunately he is wrong.

In trying to confirm the current situation, I contacted Brussels.

The good news is that the Water Framework Directive Article 9.4 exemption is still in place. The challenging news is that it is under imminent threat of cancellation by the Minister for the Environment, Alan Kelly himself!

In accordance with Article 9.4 of the Water Framework Directive our exemption is embedded in the 2008 River Basin Management Plan. Any renewal or cancellation of the exemption is done in the next 7 year RBMP. And it is the Minister for the Environment who assembles and submits this plan

This 2015 River Basin Management Plan is due on be handed into Brussels by New Years Day. Both the Irish government and the European Commission are expecting that Minister Kelly will not renew the exemption and will instead include domestic water charging as part of Ireland’s strategy.

Why are they so sure that the plan as yet incomplete and unpublished will include water charging? Because in 2010 the Troika told us to privatize and charge for water and both the Irish government and the EU Commission assume that we will meekly obey, that is we will state in the River Basin report that the only way we can protect our rivers is by charging for domestic water use!

But is this true?

If the money spent on metering is spent on pipe work the leaks will be repaired. And if the money already collected in taxes for water infrastructure was spent on upgrading treatment plants we would see a significant improvement to the water infrastructure to domestic homes and meet our part of the next 7 year targets on river basin management.

Because the EU water legislation is based on the “polluter pays principle”, the most obvious strategy for financing clean water is to identify the real polluters of water in Ireland and make them pay.

In the 2008 plan, the sources of pollution are listed. They included agriculture and rural septic tanks. These sources have been tackled at great expense to rural dwellers and significant improvement has been made and progress is ongoing.Other sources like quarrying, mining including old tailings ponds, leaking landfills, forestry, industry are still major sources of pollution.

If it is the polluter who is supposed to pay then it should be these for profit industries which should be paying for the purification of the water they polluter and for preventative measures not the ordinary householder who is already paying.

To give an example. We are told we need domestic water charging to deal with cryptosporidium in our water supply. But again is this true?

Uplands all over the country were planted in coniferous forests.. Unlike deciduous forests natural to Ireland, these plantations of Sitka spruce trees acidify the soil and do not break down animal waste effectively. After a few decades these forests are “clear felled” with heavy machinery that rips up the forests leaving the soils exposed. Heavy rains wash the animal waste and acid soil down hill to the river below. The resulting pollution provides ideal condition for cryptosporidium and other contaminants.

Why would the people in these areas who are innocent of causing the problem and who are already bearing the expense of bottled and boiled water asked to foot the bill for cleaning up water pollution they did not cause. The Department of the Environment should instead go to the real polluters,and recover the cost of cleaning up polluted water, or better preventing the pollution in the first place.

Privatization will not solve our water infrastructure problems because private companies are geared to profit. It will make sense to invest in 500 meters of new piping in a city because it will serve hundreds of paying houses. But it will cut into profits to replace 500 meters of leaking pipes in which serves only 5 homes. A privatized water system will still be a leaky water system!

Alan Kelly can save the Irish Exemption by making the commitment in the River Basin Management Plan that actual water polluters will pay, that funds collected for water infrastructure in existing taxes will be used to upgrade our systems and by creating incentives for improvements to domestic water use like rain water collection system.

There is still time to save the Irish Exemption…and the Irish people are in the mood to defend it because once the exemption is gone it is gone for good.

We have one month to save it.

God bless

Kathy Sinnott

Former Member of the European Parliament

Former Member of the European Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety

Perhaps someone else might be able to dig further and find some information to substantiate Kathy Sinott's claim that "This commitment is recorded in the 2008 Irish River Basin Management Plan" . I for one would be most interested, and I'm sure others would be.

by Fluich Sun Dec 07, 2014 00:45

If you need to know how to deal with Irish Water well here is how you do it Well done to St Judes Court Residents Lifford, Michael Mooney and all who helped to send Irish Water and GMC Sierra packing

See http://www.fliuch.org/resources

by Pumpup Sun Dec 07, 2014 11:12

That was a good post by former MEP Kathy Sinnot, about the Irish exception to the EU water directive.

by fred Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:44

Russell brand may turn up at the protest on 10th. Here's his tweet:

Ireland! Care About Water? Bunk Work Wednesday! http://t.co/4vBYwe3vac
— Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) December 8, 2014

http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/russell-brand-water-p...c2014

Brand discusses the issue with Unite’s Brendan Ogle and urges Irish people to attend the protest
taking place in Merrion Square on Wednesday 10th Dec 1pm.

by no to Irish Water Wed Dec 10, 2014 12:31

On the march.. #irishwater -- en route from garden of remembrance -- numbers growing all the time

by no to Irish Water Wed Dec 10, 2014 12:33

BUSLOADS OF DONEGAL ANTI-WATER CHARGE PROTESTORS TO MARCH ON LEINSTER HOUSE TODAY | Donegal Daily

Turned on government propoganda machine @RTERadio1 for 30 seconds. Man telling us not to protest.Storm is coming & its not meteorological!

Trains are jammers today with people coming to the water protest #dec10 #Right2Water

by no to Irish Water Wed Dec 10, 2014 13:03

Merrion Sq Baggot st side locked down

by no to Irish Water Wed Dec 10, 2014 14:23

Taken from https://twitter.com/WSMIreland

by no to Irish Water Wed Dec 10, 2014 17:20

Imagine not being let walk down the street of your national parliament in peaceful #protest in a democracy! #dec10

by fred Wed Dec 10, 2014 18:06

Those fat salaries and bonuses have to be paid! If you the public won't pay them right now,
then they'll just take out a big bank loan and you can pay that off with interest over time instead

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/water/irish-water-....html

The Irish Independent has learned that the company expects to exceed a €500m borrowing cap previously in place and has been given permission to quadruple the amount of money it can source from banks and private lenders.

The move comes as tens of thousands of people are expected to descend upon Dublin today to protest against the imposition of charges.

Organisers expect at least 30,000 to show up, despite it being a working day.

The Government is hoping the numbers are far less, indicating a tacit acceptance of the charging regime.

The upper borrowing limit was included in legislation published last year, but the changes were only enacted in recent weeks.

The official commencement order was published in State gazette 'Iris Oifigiuil' last Friday.

The funding will be used to pay the €540m cost of installing meters; fund a €1.77bn investment plan to the end of 2016; and meet some of the €171m establishment costs involved in setting up the company.

Irish Water was originally given an upper borrowing limit of €500m, which was guaranteed by the State.

This was put in place to help pay the start-up costs and begin installing 1.05 million meters in homes, which was funded by €300m sourced from the National Pension Reserve Fund (NPRF) on commercial terms.

The funding guarantee was put in place because at the time, Irish Water had no source of income beyond Government subvention.

However, from next January it will have a number of income streams - Government subvention amounting to an average of €537m a year and annual domestic and commercial water charges of some €500m.

But plans to upgrade the network will require at least €600m a year until 2020 to bring it in line with international standards and tackle leaks.

Irish Water said it has existing borrowings of €300m from the NPRF, and another €50m from a "commercial banking institution". It said that its investment programme would be funded through a combination of Government money and debt, and that it expected to finalise further loans shortly.

So to summarise, The government has quietly made it so that Irish Water can borrow 2 billion euro from the market to pay all their bonuses and eye watering salaries of consultants etc. IW will now proceed to run up a huge debt. Then if IW cannot pay back these private loans, the company will likely default and fall into private ownership. Privatisation by the back door. We are being scammed.

RTE Radio currently spinning today's protest with the usual devices, claiming a garda was injured etc

by fred Wed Dec 10, 2014 19:44

http://stephendonnelly.ie/perfect-gentleman-trichet-dic...land/

I can't repeat this enough times:
The EU are not our friends.

Here's some of what Stephen Donnelly had to say:

By the time Trichet wrote his letter, the ECB had nearly €50bn of its money in the Irish banks.

Why did the ECB do this? To protect Anglo? To help Ireland? No – it did it to protect the eurozone banking system. It wanted to avoid a loss of confidence in the banks Anglo owed that money to, which is where the contagion might have come from. The ECB loaned that money to private banks operating in Ireland to protect other private banks operating elsewhere.

But in his 2010 letter, Jean- Claude Trichet, the “perfect gentleman”, demanded these loans be underwritten by the Irish people. To use Michael Noonan’s own argument, even though “the loans were entered into freely by willing lenders and borrowers with absolutely no State participation”, Trichet demanded that “the liability for these loans (be) transferred to the Irish taxpayer.” And if Ireland didn’t accede to this? Jean-Claude would pull the ECB’s money out of the Irish banks, forcing them to close. Bear in mind that the ECB loaned tens of billions to Anglo et al before the State guarantee was put in place. This is just as much “a disaster and an obscenity” as forcing the Irish people to take on the liabilities of the unguaranteed bondholders.

But Trichet had far more to say about what Ireland must do. The first demand was that we enter a Troika programme – which was not entirely unreasonable. But the second demand was that the Irish Government commit to “undertake decisive actions in…structural reforms.” What does that mean? It means that you, the Irish Government, will change the way you run your country to a way we, in the banking sector, prefer. Ireland’s first Troika agreement was put in place just weeks after Trichet wrote his letter, and it specified two structural reforms. The first concerns measures to increase competition in the electricity and gas sectors.

Here’s the second: “The government will have undertaken an independent assessment of transfer of responsibility for water services provision from local authorities to a water utility, and prepare proposals for implementation, as appropriate with a view to start charging in 2012/2013.” Yes indeed.

The list of structural reforms grew substantially over the course of the Troika programme – but it started with water. I would encourage anyone who thinks Irish Water was not set up by the Troika, with a view to privatising it, to read the December 2010 agreement. Trichet’s letter greatly strengthens the case for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the public ownership of our water system in Ireland.

by fred Wed Dec 10, 2014 23:44

here are a couple of good protest signs from today ;-)

by T Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:47

Just in from WSM FB page

Breaking: There have been at least three arrests in Dublin 7 this morning as Gardaí target water charges campaigners. Details are just coming in but we have also heard that more people are needed particularly on Oxmantown road.

One arrest happened on Grangegorman road, in this case Gardaí seemed to have targeted a water charge campaigner because they were videoing them. As this isn't illegal we presume they intend to try and use the 20m injunction zone or they have simply arrested for intimidation purposes and will release the person without charge after a while.

Two arrests happened on Avondale road in Phibsboro. Water charge resistors there were stopping the operation of the digger but the arrests were of two people who it is alleged were dismantling the work barriers the crews erect.

More details in the comments as we get them but its obviously significant that Gardaí have reacted to yesterday's huge march with multiple arrests. We are not aware of any arrests in the week before the march but it now seems there were several yesterday as well as scenes of considerable Garda violence (videos to come).

Those at the scene this morning also report that some of the Irish Water workers were being "mad confrontational" but that Gardaí were simply looking the other way when this was happening.

by fred Wed Dec 17, 2014 06:51

Stephen Donnelly's attempts to protect water from privatisation frustrated by Ceann Comhaire and house rules
which seem like they are designed to prevent parliamentarians from doing their job

http://stephendonnelly.ie/who-is-shutting-down-debate-o...ater/