As part of a national day of protests against ‘Water Charges’ and ‘Austerity,’ a rally will take place in Co. Tipperary this afternoon; the venue Sarsfield Street, Clonmel, beginning at 2:00pm.
The Labour Party, supposedly a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland, was originally founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William O’Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress.
Today’s Tipperary protest is part of a sustained campaign planned for the weeks coming up to the General Election. Same will include further demonstrations on the last Saturday before the, as yet to be announced, General Election date, believed to be February 26th, 2016.
Of course ‘Water,’ a natural occurring product, like ‘Gold’, has now become one of the most profitable commodities in the world. In Britain, private water companies including private equity consortium’s, in 2013, made profits of some €2.81bn, paying over €2.55bn to their shareholders. It is reckoned that every £100 spent in Britain on water charges today, between £20 to £30 in profits goes directly to those companies involved.
Link between ‘Water Charges’ and ‘Austerity.’
Over recent times the current Labour government, which have propped up Fine Gael over the last 5 years, appear to have forgotten the words of their original founders in Clonmel, County Tipperary; which claimed that unless an Irish Socialist Republic were set up, Ireland would be ruled through greedy capitalists, greedy landlords, and greedy financiers.
In 2015 the present Irish Coalition Government gave €405m in tax break to the top 17% of Irish earners, thus widening the gap between the poverty and wealth of our citizens by some €1,003 in just two years. During this same time period, voters should remember that Tipperary’s Labour Minister Alan Kelly, so ambitiously in awe of personal power, demanded that householders, including the unemployed, low earners, disabled and old age pensioners, must pay €271m in extra water charges, regardless of their financial ability.
‘Right 2 Water’ spokespersons correctly point out that ordinary households are being asked to pay 78% of the bill for water, despite only using 10%. Some 90% of Irish water consumed is used by corporations and agriculture, latter two most responsible for the pollution of our natural occurring asset, while just 10% is being used by households. Households on the other-hand are being asked to take on-board 78% of Irish water costs.
Persons who still believes that Irish Water is about conservation should seriously ask themselves the following question, “Why is the present Irish Government steadfastly refusing to hold a referendum which would safeguard Irish water ownership into the future, thus retaining same in the hands of Irish people?” “Have we not been forced to sell off enough of our Irish family silver?”
Today a series of rallies, will be held in over 30 locations across Ireland; organised by the Right2Water Campaign.
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