Peter Mathews (Dublin South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am showing where the connectivity is. I am offering to help coach the trustees of the scheme. There are a few thoughts. Let us get honest, let us get real and let us shine clear light on this. We are fighting this ship coming down the slipway and we cannot stop it. The Minister will stand in front of the microphones and say that we have achieved such a fiscal turnaround, the interest rates are down. All the interest rates are down because the Americans are churning money off the printing presses. Draghi says he will do that, so the market fund managers think he will and behave accordingly. We need a bit of grown up thinking.

I am sorry if I sound a bit cranky but maybe I am. We are four years into this and the facts have not changed. Diarmuid O'Flynn, who was nearly elected as an MEP, is on Merrion Square today. He is inviting people to the Ballyhea protest march on 28 December, which is a Sunday. We should all be there because that is what Draghi will pay attention to. There is €25 billion of misplaced losses. We have nothing to do with them and that is why Irish Water is trying to squeeze, steamroll and crunch the people to pay €10 billion to get the reservoirs, the treatment plants and the pipes working. When they are working, then maybe bring in meters if we want a bit of conservation.

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