Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It is the context. It was part of the deal struck with the troika for the receipt of bailout funds. This is why the Bill is before us today.

The introduction of the water charge has seen a massive reaction from ordinary people throughout the country. People who had never attended a protest in their lives have been organising in their communities. There have been protests on every street corner and village throughout the country and people have travelled in their hundreds of thousands to attend massive public demonstrations. It has not gone away.

The Labour Party, most of all, needs to look at its conscience and consider what it is doing. The Labour Party claims a proud heritage from James Connolly and sees itself as being born out of the 1913 strike and Lock-out. It is the party of Tom Johnson, the author of the democratic programme of the first Dáil. That democratic programme stated: "We declare that we desire our country to be ruled in accordance with the principles of Liberty, Equality, and Justice for all, which alone can secure permanence of Government in the willing adhesion of the people." What a noble statement. The Labour Party in particular, as part of the Government, needs to take a look at itself, its actions and the consequences of its choices and ask whether it has complied with the ethos of the democratic programme. Perhaps it would like to look across the Irish Sea to Britain and examine the government of Clement Attlee elected in 1945. Now there was a government that embarked on an ambitious programme of eradicating poverty and nationalising industry. That is probably a statement the House never expected to hear coming from a Sinn Féin spokesperson.

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