Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Government had the opportunity to get rid of water charges. Sinn Féin has shown how it can be done and paid for. The Government has refused to get rid of water charges, and this is why we need the maximum possible turnout and protest against water charges on 10 December: to deliver the message once and for all that water charges must be scrapped. Today’s exercise is an attempt to quell the unprecedented levels of protest the Government has faced. It shows that people power, peaceful demonstration and mass mobilisation are working. It also shows that the Right2Water protest campaign must continue.

Although the Government said it has been listening to the people who are opposed to water charges, had it really been listening, it would know that people were not asking for a package to sweeten the deal, but for the charges to be scrapped. Dúirt an tAire, an Teachta Kelly, nár thuig an pobal i gceart. Sin bolscaireacht. Dúirt sé nár thuig an pobal córas na dtáillí i gceart agus go raibh an pobal mar amadán. Sin agaibh é. This patronising drivel, which is repeated in the legislation, shows the Government’s attitude to citizens. The Government claims the public does not understand the charging regime. How stupid are the people? The people understand the charging regime; it is the Government that does not understand the people. From the outset, the Government’s establishment of Irish Water and efforts to impose domestic water charges have been a fiasco.

This was a Fianna Fáil idea, agreed between that party and the troika. I listened very intently to the Tánaiste's earlier remarks defending, promoting and arguing for the water charges. She neglected to explain how, during the 2011 general election campaign, the introduction of water charges was one of Fine Gael’s six key policy areas that the Labour Party said it would not allow to be brought in. It featured prominently in the party’s famous Tesco-style advertisement with the slogan, “Every little hurts!” Could the Tánaiste not have taken a moment or two to explain her U-turn on the issue? Deputy Martin was correct in stating that the new Government, led by the current Taoiseach, did not have to implement the deal done by Fianna Fáil and the troika. However, not only did the Government implement the deal, it rushed it through the Dáil and ignored Opposition amendments. Deputy Stanley proposed dozens of amendments, of which the Government did not accept even one. That is arrogance. Just before Christmas, the Government caused an unprecedented walk-out by all the Opposition Deputies, and this was repeated today.

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