Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Anti-Austerity Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I would like to address some remarks to Fianna Fáil Deputies and those Independent Deputies who support the Government. Before I do so, I wish to address a brief point to the people of the country. Hundreds of thousands of people marched and more than 1 million people have boycotted, either in full or in part, the water charges.

Thousands of people protested at the installation of water meters. By the end of this week, one person somewhere in the country will receive the last in the latest tranche of the one and a half million new Irish Water bills now being delivered across the State. Incredibly, a Government which has already conceded suspension, has allowed Irish Water spend nearly €1 million of people’s money to send out the bills. I appeal to every single household in this country to boycott that last Irish Water bill. People should boycott the bill and send a powerful message that they will accept nothing short of complete and total abolition.

Fianna Fáil Party Deputies say they are merely taking a different route to us towards the same goal, but they have a number of questions to answer. First, if they are opposed to the water charges, why did they not call in this debate for an immediate cessation of the metering programme? Second, if they are opposed to water charges, why did they not call for the refunding of payments made under duress to Irish Water by hundreds of thousands of households across the State? Last, but not least, why did they not call for all of the arrears owed by the households that have boycotted the charge to be completely written off? They are the households who have brought the Government to its knees on this issue, yet not only do Fianna Fáil Party Deputies not call for the arrears to be cancelled, they demand that those households be pursued for the arrears.

Many of the Deputies who will vote tomorrow night to derail this motion are supporters of the water charge. They are part of the establishment and they are representatives of the ruling class. Politicians of that kind, such as the Minister, Deputy Coveney, at least have the virtue of being consistent on these issues, but what can we say about the Deputies who proclaim their support for our motion after 12 noon on the day but change their minds again before the next angelus bells ring? I refer to the not-so-Independent Deputies, who proclaim their principled opposition to water charges, who in significant measure owe the very fact that they are in the House tonight-----

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