Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Few political movements of any kind have disturbed Ireland's political establishment in the way the movement against water charges has but not in the way some have characterised it today. There have been comments from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil that seemed to suggest that Sinn Féin and others have delighted in some kind of anarchy or mayhem unleashed by the water protests. Tá dhá príomh fadhb le sin. First is the fact that the demands of the water charges movement and Right2Change were, in many ways, very simple - nothing extraordinary or dramatic. People wanted water to be delivered as of right, free and in a quality way. The second problem with the argument is that the water charges movement was much, much bigger than Sinn Féin or any of the other parties or political organisations that contributed to it. This movement frightened the political establishment for precisely that reason. This was a movement not led by Deputies or trade unionists but by ordinary mothers, fathers and neighbours on the back of remarkable local solidarity. Whatever success this movement has met with has been due to them.

We will see what is going to emerge from negotiations between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on their proxy programme and what the outcome will be of the commission report. I am not convinced that this is the end of water charges and we may yet see their return. However, it seems likely there will be some form of suspension. I pay tribute to the people in communities who have delivered that.

It was an enormous movement and effort in my city and constituency. The first estate in the State where people protested actively and regularly on their doorsteps on the water issue was Ashbrook Heights in Togher, only a few hundred feet from where I was raised. The community effort has been remarkable, with shifts organised and everybody working together to a common objective. Neighbours pulled together. I saw this not only in numerous estates in Togher but also in Leesdale, Mahon, Ballyphehane, Passage, Carrigaline and across the constituency and Cork North-Central as well as across the county. What has worried the establishment is that these communities took power into their own hands and have said they will not take any more and will make their power count.

There has been comments among the media and political figures in the last few days that they are tired and frustrated with talk about Irish Water, as if there are no other political issues. Undoubtedly, there are many issues of equal importance and, perhaps, greater urgency, such as the housing and homelessness crisis which is becoming more stark each day in my home city. However, what that commentary misses is that for many people Irish Water became a totem for those issues as well. It came to symbolise all of the wrong choices taken and the wrong priorities during the years of the crash and austerity. Do not assume that the people who protested against Irish Water and water charges and stood up for their communities are going away. If the incoming Government fails to deal with the housing crisis or the crisis in accident and emergency departments, the communities that found their courage in the last few years on the issue of water will once again hold the Government to account for its failings.

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