Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Where were they standing? Did they have eyes in the back of their head, did they have eyes that could see around corners, or were they, in fact, shivering in the cold near the back gate of the Dáil asking us how many people there were, looking at our estimates, looking at the Garda's estimates and deciding it was somewhere in between? According to those who were stewarding the demonstration, and calls we were getting, they were all the way down to College Green, there were more coming down from O'Connell Street and they were on three sides of Merrion Square. If that is not 70,000 to 100,000, I do not know what is. That happened mid-week, in the bitter cold.

Fianna Fáil will be glad to hear this little story. Up the front, I heard a big gang of people saying they have been life-long supporters of Fianna Fáil and voted for that party all their lives, but they were protesting. They said they did not agree with my politics, but they were there because they are absolutely opposed to these water charges and they know it will lead to privatisation.

There were grannies. There were young people. There were disabled people. Every sector of Irish society was represented. I was on the radio yesterday and in response to a Government spokesperson who said it was only the radical left and Sinn Féin supporters, a garda said, "You must be joking. I know of hundreds of off-duty gardaí who are on the demonstration". The Minister, Deputy Kelly, can no longer fool people.

This is an attempt to fool people again. Having said that the Government will not privatise Irish Water, the Minister uses in the word "may" when it comes to a plebiscite. Do the people think it will be "may" or "may not", or "will not", as all three are open to interpretation given the wording in the Bill? Of course, we got that answer yesterday. In case there would be any doubt, the Minister will get that answer again on 31 January, when towns, cities and villages across the country will again mobilise. There will be no dispute about numbers then because it will be seen in every town.

On the different provisions of the Bill, such as the use of the word "may", and what is happening in Irish Water, we learned from the people from Detroit. I do not know whether the Minister listened to what the people from Detroit were saying, but it was interesting. I had not been aware that the Detroit water system is still in public ownership. They said that while it is nominally in public ownership, like Irish Water, it is completely privatised. Everything is outsourced to the private sector. The private sector runs, controls and finances it. They made the important point that it also uses off-balance sheet financing for their water system. The people from Detroit pointed out it was precisely the issuing of bonds from the Detroit water system that had forced up water charges to astronomical, unaffordable levels.

Should we not know this from what we have learned about bonds generally? If one borrows to finance a public entity but all of the funding comes from the private sector, the bondholders call the shots. Once the Government finances this entity through off-balance sheet financing, it is, in fact, already privatised regardless of the nominal status that the Minister may accord it in law. Of course, we can see that with our own eyes in terms of the hollowing out by private interests of Irish Water even at this point by GMC Sierra and all of the private consultants who have had a feeding frenzy on the set-up costs of the utility.

The Minister's assurances are not credible. That a proposal "may" rather than "shall" be put to a plebiscite is the giveaway that the Minister knows his assurances are worth nothing, that they are a gimmick to defuse the unprecedented popular rebellion against these charges, against Irish Water and against the Government's plans to privatise Irish Water. The people have seen through it. The Minister should have the honesty to admit, at least, what is going on and explain how this sleight of hand has occurred but the people already know what the Government is up to. The process of privatisation has started. The Minister is trying to facilitate it and all of this is merely smoke and mirrors to confuse people. He believes people are stupid out there but, believe me, they are not. The people have woken up. They have seen right through the Minister. That was evident on the streets and the Minister can be sure it will be again in the new year.

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