Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

The Tánaiste was not asked about fuel allowances, Christmas bonuses or anything else; she was asked about the crushing new burden her Government has imposed on ordinary people, including poor people. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the chief executive of Irish Water made some shape of an apology in the last few days to the Irish people for the calamity that is the attempted introduction of water charges. Will the Tánaiste take this opportunity to make her own apology for her culpability in water charges and will she agree that her €100 allowance against water bills represents a panicked response to an uprising of ordinary people nationally against her latest crucifying austerity taxes on them? Will she take the opportunity, which she has not done to date, to apologise for the cynical deception she engaged in during the last general election when she promised to save people from Fine Gael's €238 water tax? Does she agree that her €100 in no way makes up for the Labour Party's treachery in this regard, and will she apologise to the 5,000 residents of the Dublin West constituency she is supposed to represent who turned out on Saturday in Blanchardstown in a determined opposition to water charges and to demand their abolition? Despite how out of touch the Tánaiste and her Government are with ordinary people with regard to this issue, will she recognise that last-minute panicked responses will not save their political hides, and just abolish the water charges?

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